The history of Reiki is a very interesting one. The
origin of Reiki has been traced to Tibet. It is believed that the
Tibetan monks studied energies and developed a system of sounds and
symbols for universal healing energies. But over a period of time the
original source was forgotten and with it was lost the healing technique
that used energy to heal both the body and the spirit.
Around the late 1800s, Dr. Mikao Usui, a Japanese Christian educator in
Kyoto, Japan, was the principal of a Christian seminary. During one of
his classes, his students asked him to demonstrate and explain the
healing method used by Jesus. He was unable to answer their question.
This question led to a 10-year long quest to find and learn the skill.
He wanted to learn the skill in order to heal people, thus helping them.
Dr. Mikao Usui was unable to find the answer to his question in Japan so
he traveled to the United States of America and India in search of the
skill. After studying the original Buddhist Holy Scriptures in Sanskrit,
he found the wisdom of healing. Dr. Usui returned to Japan and visited
the different Buddhist Sects trying to find out which of them had
knowledge about healing both the body and the spirit at the same time.
In the Zen Monastery in Kyoto he was informed that earlier Zen monks
could heal the body as well, but now were concentrating on healing only
the spirit. Dr. Usui stayed at the monastery and studied Indian Buddhist
Sutras written in Sanskrit. Here he discovered the means to contact a
higher power that could give him healing powers.
Dr. Usui followed the instruction written in the Sutras and went to the
Holy Mountain Kori-yama and fasted and meditated according to the
directions given, for 21 days. On the last day Dr. Usui underwent a
metaphysical experience that empowered him to use the sounds and symbols
to heal. Thus he rediscovered this healing technique and called it
Reiki. Dr. Usui began working among the beggar community in Kyoto
healing them and helping them lead a better life. But he realized that
the same people came back again and again as they had not improved their
life because they thought begging was easier. Dr. Usui was very upset,
but he realized that he had forgotten to teach the beggars gratitude.
This helped him understand two important things - healing the Spirit and
the responsibility of the recipient in the healing process. Dr. Usui was
given the Spiritual Principles of Reiki by Teachers in Spirit at this
time. And in the following days he formulated the Reiki Principles:
