Review on Reiki - Lineage & Evolution

ReikiDharmaNewsletter #37 from Frank Arjava Petter - Vice President Jikiden Reiki® Kenkyukai, Kyoto, Japan.

Lineage

The greatest treasure of any spiritual teaching lies in its lineage. The spiritual seeker is connected to the Source/God/Essence through the lineage. In our case we are connected through the ascended teachers who carried the torch before us. Lineage means enlightenment in action and it is the founder of the teaching who embodies what every human being longs for: oneness with the Universe, dissolution of the imaginary ”self” and the understanding that everything is just right as it is in this moment.

Any spiritual teaching worth being called spiritual arises out of the enlightenment of its founder. She or he then needs some time to integrate what has been shattered into a Million pieces and then sets out to transport the experience to those of us who are still missing the point.

In Usui Sensei’s case he looked for a way to help us understand our true nature without having to go through what he himself passed through in his life. His personal life was one of intense up and downs, resulting in turning his back to the world and disappearing in a Zen Monastery in Kyoto around 1919 for a three- year term. When his time was up and the enlightenment that he had been longing for had not happened, or perhaps it is better to say while he was still seeking for it outside of himself, his teacher told him that the only way out of his misery (of feeling disconnected from the Whole) was to die- physically. He took his teacher’s advice literally and went to Mount Kurama in the North of Kyoto (about 20 Kilometers away) in March 1922, where he went upon a fast unto death. This is not as uncommon as it may seem, for the historical Buddha did just that.

After twenty odd days, as it is stated on his memorial at the Tokyo Saihoji Temple, something happened to Usui Sensei that was to change his life completely. He described his experience as being hit by lightning in the center of his brain. The impact was so intense that he became unconscious and when he returned to his normal waking state he was a new man. At first he shared his new being with his family and friends, and when the results were favorable, he began to teach publicly. A present that is given by the Universe only becomes one when it is passed on to others.

Nowadays it is in vogue to create one’s own method and calling it this or that Reiki. Hundreds or perhaps thousands of schools have popped up- each one teaching a “superior” Reiki. Perhaps it would be better if we did not call these homemade cocktails Reiki at all. The word Reiki literally means Soul/Spirit Energy. From a Japanese point of view this spirit, soul or essence is the innermost core of any human being. It is the immortal essence that is reborn again and again into a new body on its long way to liberation. After this soul/ essence has been awakened during the Reiju process, it can never forget its nature ever again- even though it may be unconscious of it at first.

The Japanese model of Reincarnation

The Japanese model of reincarnation tells us that evolution begins with the mineral kingdom. From there the next steps are the plant kingdom, the animal kingdom and finally our human realm. The evolution towards enlightenment is possible on Earth only. In order to be able to stay on Earth, the soul/spirit/essence/nature – whatever you may want to call it- needs to be enclosed by two types of bodies: the physical and the etheric bodies. It is those bodies that weigh the soul down so it can stay on Earth. Once the physical body dies within 24 hours, the etheric bodies begin to disintegrate. This process culminates in ascension after 49 days in Buddhism and after 50 days in Shintoism. In orthodox Christianity this process is said to take 40 days, as it is in Islam. When the etheric bodies have completely disintegrated, the soul/spirit/essence ascends to another realm that in Japanese is called “home”. At home, the soul takes a time out and relaxes for a while from all the experiences made in the previous life. When it is well rested it then reincarnates in a proper place- one that will provide her or him with adequate experiences on the path.

Usually it is thought that we alternate between female and male bodies to be able to integrate both. We choose our parents and our life situation, leaving us a little freedom and the illusion that we have a free will. However all the information in the soul/spirit/essence that has been recorded from the beginning of our human evolution, decides the course of action- whether that is conscious or unconscious.

This means that the soul/spirit /essence is ancient and at the same time perfect in this present moment. When Usui Sensei called his method “Shin Shin Kaizen Usui Reiki Ryoho”(The Usui Soul- Energy healing method for the improvement of body/heart-mind) he considered that Reiki makes everything tick. Now think of someone thinking up a new “Reiki”. How could you possibly improve upon Soul Energy, and what would be the reason for it other than pure egoism?

Human evolution goes from ignorance and suffering to understanding our true nature and finding happiness/ bliss in each moment. It is neither possible nor necessary to find a short cut to enlightenment or to avoid it: it is our destination. A flower will blossom when the time is ripe; the only thing that can be done is to create favorable conditions for flowering to occur. This is what the founder of a spiritual path sets out to create.

In case of Reiki we find enlightenment in each Reiki moment. It is not that you must reach it: it is right here right now. The nature of every treatment, every Reiju (literally giving, granting, activating the soul/spirit/essence) is enlightened action.

Some people claim that Usui Sensei did not give Reiju to beginners. This is a misunderstanding. You may recall from my first book, The Reiki Fire, that in Usui and Hayashi Sensei’s time Reiki was structured differently than it is today. Usui Sensei, Ogawa Sensei a Shihan of the Usui Reiki Ryoho Gakkai explained to me, used to evaluate the energy level of new students by touching their hands. Some of them were then allowed to proceed with Shoden. Others had to take part in a pre training that called “koushu kai”. Participants were taught basic Reiki philosophy and history. One had to take part in three evening sessions/lectures before one was allowed to embark upon the Reiki journey. The same information has now been confirmed by other reliable sources, soon to be revealed.

The evolution of Reiki

When Usui Sensei began to teach, he was obviously the only one who had the ability to practice Reiki. By trial and error he must have come up with a way to pass this ability on to his students. Some people claim that he did not give Reiju to his students at first, and this must be so. Obviously he had to work out how to do it first! After he found a way to initiate others into Reiki, he had to find a way to teach this ability to his senior students. It is reported that he began doing just that after the devastating Great Kanto Earthquake on September 1st 1923. He called eight of his senior students and taught them how to give Reiju, therefore allowing them to initiate others into Reiki.
This newsletter is not the appropriate setting to talk about how Reiju is performed, but it will be useful to understand the difference between the traditional Japanese view of what happens in a Reiju in comparison to our Western Reiki approach.

The Shinto people believe that the Kami (gods) give the soul to the baby in her mother’s womb around three months after conception. It is lodged in the center of the brain from where it connects to the cosmic energy source/god/divine, making the baby one with god. With time and what we call “education” the child forgets his natural being and deviates from the divine leaning more and more towards ego- centered thinking/feeling and behavior. Being egoistic one becomes unhappy and disconnected. If the memory of the oneness with the Universe is still somewhat accessible, the person turns into a spiritual seeker. One day he gets in touch with a spiritual teacher or path that creates an appropriate atmosphere for the student to thrive in.

In terms of Reiki the teacher gives Reiju to the student in which
the initiate is reminded of his innermost core. At the same time his inner channel that connects him to god/divine/nature is cleansed of all the gunk that has accumulated over the years and has obstructed the flow of cosmic energy. This gunk is made up of ego. To weed out the flowerbed of spiritual development, Usui Sensei presented us with the Gokai, or, the Five Reiki principles. Integrated into our daily life they purify heart and mind therefore robbing the ego of the fuel it needs to survive. One becomes love and kindness…the embodiment of Reiki.

It is important to understand that in the Reiju process one is not initiated into a symbol, or a number of symbols, but into Reiki. The symbols are tools given to the initiate depending on the skills they have acquired. First you learn to ride a bicycle, then a motorcycle and later on an airplane. Your Reiki Teacher does not give you anything: he takes away what is not yours and leaves you with what you already have… and for this gift, be grateful to her/him.

Once the Reiju ritual has been properly completed, the result is irreversible and one is connected to the lineage.The initiate is reminded of her natural connection to the cosmic source: she is now in touch with her innermost being. Whatever Reiju or other initiation she may receive in the future does not alter what has already happened. Your treasure is yours forever and you can never forget it again, even in your lives to come. Once the cosmic nectar flows from the source through the initiate the work is done. Now all that is needed is the recognition…

All spiritual search is a home- coming, a re- cognition of your original natural state. But the habit of egoistic behavior is deeply rooted within heart and mind. Thousands of egoistic behavioral patterns must first be seen, acknowledged, dismantled and then discarded. The dissolution of the ego is a painful process and it takes unconditional love and trust in the founder of the lineage and all those who came after him and experienced more or less what you yourself are going through. In the beginning of the journey it is the founder’s light that guides you through the dark night. He sets out slowly and gently to persuade you to see the light that shines in your own heart. If the founder’s light reflects merely from the gold coins that he has been collecting the results are going to be likewise, so choose the discipline and the Master well. After a while the light of the master ignites in your own heart. Once that light is recognized as the same light in every heart on earth, the dangers of egoism are conquered once and for all. But until then, lineage is the safety- net for the seeker on the path. It may perhaps not be so important at the onset of the journey but it becomes vital as spiritual experiences occur. As we progress on the path and grow into becoming less and less our fellow travelers will be blessed by love, devotion, surrender and ultimately, compassion that radiates from a heart that has become one with the Universe.

Thank you!