A Brief Reiki History

Reiki is a system of Energy work for Spiritual energy healing and laying on of hands
from Japan. Its True History is shrouded in myth and legend. There is a book out
alled REI!I "IRE whih has reports of some reent researh on the true history of
#sui sensei and Reiki. There may be more information a$ailable in the future.

%ikao #sui Sensei& #sually alled 'r. #sui in the (est& Apparently Studied
Buddhist& Taoist and )hinese )hi gong and possibly
Shinto and other healing systems intensi$ely in ati$e
searh of methods of spiritual healing and after muh
study reei$ed the Reiki energies at the end of a *+ day
fast and meditation on %ount !urama.
This ourred In a $ision or mystial e,periene said to
ha$e in$ol$ed being struk on the head by a beam of
light and seeing the symbols traditionally in$oked to
ati$ate Reiki enlosed in beautiful rainbow olored bubbles. - This is
probably more of a legend than a fatual report ..
%y personal belief is that #sui Sensei reei$ed the attunements spiritually
and that the symbols being Japanese written haraters with esoteri
meanings with whih He would ha$e already been familiar & were the
e,planation of the use of the Reiki energy and tools to failitate ati$ating
Reiki for speifi purposes And that the symbols themsel$es were ne$er
meant to be sared as suh.
there are many stories about #sui Sensei/s diso$ery or rediso$ery of
the power and use of the Reiki energy the most ommon belief being that
he had found information about the use of healing energy in anient te,ts
and during his meditation on %t !urama was seeking the attunement to
enable him to use the Reiki. %ost of the stories are 0uite undoubtedly
more reati$e then fatual. Se$eral -most. of these stories are told about
other Japanese Historial and spiritual figures and were probably always
intended more as parables than as fatual reports.
Among the stories& 'r. #sui is said to ha$e pratied Reiki healing in the
slums of !yoto "or many years. He is said to ha$e beome angry that the
beggars he healed preferred to be beggars instead of getting 1obs. He
deided that there must be an e,hange of $alue in order for the healing
to be $alued. though the definition of e,hange of $alue that has been
used in the (est has been rather more narrowly defined than that used
traditionally in Japanese Spiritual and ethial systems. This is the story
used in part to 1ustify in part the $ery high harges for Reiki Ser$ies and
attunements in the #nited States 2f Ameria in the past.


'r #sui taught se$eral 'otors his Reiki Healing (e now know that there
are still groups of pratitioners in Japan who still teah 'r #sui/s %ethods
. one of the people 'r #sui taught was 'r. Hayashi &who set up a lini and
de$eloped the Hand 3ositions and muh of the formal
system inluding the Three 'egrees of the $ersion of
Reiki taught in the west and has ome to be known in
the #.S.A. as #sui Reiki or the #sui uni$ersal life energy
healing system.
'r. Hayashi was the diretor of one of at least 45 Reiki
linis that e,isted in Japan prior to (orld (ar * . He
was not 'r #sui/s sole hosen Suessor and the Title
of 6rand %aster probably was ne$er used in Japan for any Reiki Teaher .
He is howe$er the person who attuned %rs. Hawayo Takata.
%rs. Hawayo Takata& A widow from Hawaii& had ome to Japan to inform
Her 3arents of the 'eath of a relati$e and fell ill. She ame to 'r. Hayashi/s
)lini after hearing a $oie tell her that an operation was not neessary as
she waited for surgery for a hroni ondition. Her ondition responded
and was healed at the lini %rs. Takata was able to get 'r. Hayashi to
gi$e her the Reiki attunements for le$els one and two before she returned
to Hawaii. 'r. Hayashi later ame to Hawaii and attuned %rs. Takata to The
%aster 7e$el. %rs. Takata opened a lini in Hilo and harged 8+5555.55
for the Reiki %aster Attunement . she felt that
Amerians would only $alue Reiki if it was $ery
e,pensi$e. %rs. Takata was apparently re0uired to work
at 'r Hayashi/s )lini for two years in order to reei$e
the attunements and training and that& along with the
e,pense of her 1ourney to Japan was taken into
onsideration when she set her fees. B9 %rs. Takata/s
'eath in +:;5 she had reportedly attuned ** Reiki
%asters. Sine her 'eath %any teahers ha$e lowered
the prie greatly and many different shools or Reiki Ha$e E$ol$ed. and
Reiki is beoming muh more widely known and used throughout the
world.
There are many different $ersions of the Reiki History and of the life of 'r.
#sui& $ery few elements ha$e been onfirmed with absolute ertainty. It
seems 0uite ertain that 'r #sui was ne$er a )hristian %inister or The
3resident of a )hristian Shool In Japan . That partiular $ersion of the
Reiki History was probably reated by %rs. Takata or one of her
assoiates in order to gi$e Reiki more appeal to people in the (est&
3artiularly as this was shortly before (orld (ar *.
'r. #sui/s memorial stone is at a temple in Tokyo and has an insription
about his skill as a healer and help during the great Tokyo Earth0uake.
The beggar king story and the torh in daylight story are also told about
other Japanese spiritual figures as well as about 'r. #sui. I ha$e e$en
heard the healing the inn maid and the bishop after oming off the
%ountain story told about <iheren. The mountain in that $ersion was
%inobu. I ha$en/t retold these or se$eral anedotal stories about %rs.
Takata. There are also many different $ersions of the Reiki 3riniples
whih are a few guidelines 'r. #sui is said to ha$e offered some time after
getting awakened to the Reiki energy. These were apparently well known
3reepts of the %eii1i Emperor. Here is one $ersion hosen at random.
Just for today do not worry
Just for today do not anger
Honor your 3arents& and Teahers
Respet all life
Be Thankful
Be Honest