What is Reiki?

Many people around the world are familiar with hands-on healing through a system called Reiki.  Reiki was brought to the United States by a Japanese American woman named Takata, who said that she had gone to Japan to be healed of cancer by followers of a Buddhist monk named Dr. Usui.  They called themselves Reiki Masters!  After her own healing, she begged the monks to teach her.  Takata returned to the United States, and there are documented, witnessed accounts of healings she facilitated; one involved the raising of the dead.   
(The story of Takata’s raising a woman from the dead, is included in Hawayo Takata’s Story ISBN 0-944135-06-04, written by Helen J. Haberly, and published by Archedigm Publications.)  Takata in turn initiated people into Reiki, beginning with the first of three initiations.  People who had never facilitated healings were able to perform some healings and there were occasional dramatic healings! 

 Sounds good, but there are questions!  None of the 22 Reiki Masters (fully empowered teachers) Takata trained into the third or mastership level of Reiki were able to facilitate the same kinds of miracles Takata had performed.  To add to the confusion, the three original Alliance Reiki attunements were never standardized.  Some people took the Reiki initiations (sometimes stopping with Reiki I) and then tried to use the energy of the initiation to make up different Reiki initiations.  Oftentimes, these new initiations were given names that belied their true origin.  For example, Usui Reiki is not the original Reiki.  Like Tibetan Reiki, the origins of Usui Reiki lie in Florida.

Some individuals have gone to elaborate measures to validate their particular Reiki systems.  One Western group claimed to have found Dr. Usui’s grave in Japan, which just happened to corroborate their particular form of Reiki.  These Westerners also claimed to have found mysterious Reiki Masters, known only to themselves, who traced their Reiki lineages to Dr. Usui through someone other than Takata.  The first problem inherit in this  story is that this supposed 100-year-old tombstone is modern, it is laser cut.  The second being that land is so expensive in Japan that it can cost a half-million dollars to simply widen a driveway a few feet.  Only the exorbitantly rich are able to afford to be buried rather than cremated.  How could a poor Buddhist monk afford to be buried with an elaborate headstone?  The third is that there is absolutely no record of Dr. Usui even attending the Buddhist temple where he was supposed to have been a Buddhist monk.  Lastly, as these Westerners claim to be in a direct lineage from Dr. Usui, why can’t they do the same healings as Dr. Usui or even Madam Takata did? 


Japanese in Japan, who are practicing Reiki, have all learned it from Americans or people who have studied with Americans.  Why?  Because the Japanese do not buy into Westerner Reiki claims for cultural reasons.  To begin with, unlike China, religion and spiritualism are openly discussed in Japan.  New ideas that work are incorporated into the body of religious knowledge.  When I visited Japan, with the exception of Buddhist statues, there was little physical difference between the Shinto and Buddhist temples, and the religious practices are similar as well.  If Reiki was as successfully practiced in Japan as Westerners claim that it was, Reiki would have been incorporated into both Shintoism and Buddhism in Japan.  It is not! 


Similarly, there would be no such thing as unknown Reiki Masters performing miracles in Japan.  If anyone in Japan were facilitating healing miracles, everyone would know who they were. 


To go on, if Dr. Usui and his followers had performed the kinds of miracles attributed to him by Takata and modern books, he would have become legendary.  Throughout Japan there would be many stories told about the healings and Dr. Usui himself.  There is not one story!  This is especially extraordinary since the elaborate tombstone the Westerners found indicates that Dr. Usui’s students taught well over a half-million people.   


Some additional facts:    The symbols used in Reiki fit into the Japanese text; however, HON SHA ZA SHO NENE is Mandarin Chinese.  There is no letter “R”  sound in the Japanese language.  

The fact that Takata was able to perform miracles is undeniable!  However, there are additional problems with her story.  The University of Chicago has no records of anyone named Usui graduating or even attending; neither does the school in Japan where Dr. Usui was said to have practiced a form of Oriental spiritualism.  One hundred years ago, and perhaps even today, Japanese men would not teach a woman how to do initiations!

Did Dr. Usui even exist?  The evidence says, no.  What if Takata went to Japan prior to World War II and came across a Buddhist monastery where she began the process of opening her own healing channels and connection to Source?  Or maybe she discovered her own innate healing abilities?   Takata, more than likely, realized that at the time, Americans would not accept Reiki if they knew it came from a woman who was also a Buddhist.  After all, even today, there are people who have difficulty accepting a woman. 


What is Reiki?The energy of pure Universal Reiki comes from the elemental healing ray of Earth.  The 4 elemental healing rays come from Source or God.  They have been used for ions by all successful healers, Shaman and saints.   


How is one to know what is Universal and what is not?  Follow the evidence!  Where are real healing miracles happening? 


Read more by clicking on WHAT IS TERA-MAI? and WHAT IS SEICHEM? to the left.