History of Usui Reiki
The story of Reiki to date has been an oral history that is passed from one teacher to student by word of mouth. This is the story as others and I have heard it.
The founder of Reiki as a natural healing system is Dr. Mikao Usui. At the turn of the century, late 1800's, Dr Usui was the president of a small Christian University in Kyoto Japan. The University was Doshisha University. He was also a Christian Minister.
An interchange with a student at the beginning of a Sunday service changed the focus of Dr. Usui's life. As Dr Usui was beginning one of the last Sunday services for the year, a senior student about to graduate raised his hand and asked Dr Usui. "Do you accept the contents of the Bible literally?" Dr Usui answered "Indeed he did." "In the Bible it says that Jesus cured the sick, that he healed and that he walked on water. You accept this as written? Have you ever seen this happen?" Dr. Usui agreed that he believed and answered No, he had never seen healing or walking on water. The student went on to say: "For you, Dr. Usui, that kind of blind faith is enough, for you have lived your life and are secure. For us who are just beginning our adult lives and who have many questions and concerns, it is not enough. We need to see with our own eyes."
A seed had been sown. The next day Dr. Usui resigned his position as president of Doshisha University and came to the United States to the University of Chicago where he received a Doctorate Degree in Scripture trying to uncover the secret of how Jesus and his disciples healed the sick. He had not found what he had sought.
Realising that in the Buddhism tradition it is held that the Buddha had the power to heal, he decided to return to Japan and see what he could learn from Buddhism. Upon his return to Japan, Dr. Usui began to visit the Buddhism monasteries searching for someone who had an interest in and some knowledge of physical healing. He always received the same answer to his enquiries: "We are too busy with healing the spirit to worry about healing the body."
At long last he found someone who was at least interested in the problem of physical healing, an elderly Abbot of the Zen Monastery. Dr Usui then requested that he be admitted to the monastery so that he could study the Buddhism Scriptures, the Sutras, in search for the key to healing. He was admitted and so began his study. He studied the Japanese translations of the Buddhism Scriptures but did not find the explanation he sought. He learned Chinese so that a wider range of Buddhism writings was available to him, still without success. Then he decided to learn Sanskrit, the ancient language, so that he could read the original Buddhism writings and have access to those writings that had never been translated into another language.
Finally, he found what he had been looking for. In the teachings of the Buddha that had been written down by some unknown disciple as the Buddha spoke Dr. Usui found the formula, the symbols, and the description of how Buddha healed.
At the end of the seven year search, Dr. Usui had found what he had sought, however not quite. Although he had uncovered the knowledge, he did not have the power to heal. Discussing this with his old friend, the abbot, he decided to go to a mountain and meditate, to seek the power to heal. The abbot told him that it could be dangerous, that he could lose his life. Dr. Usui answered that he had come this far and would not turn back.
Dr. Usui climbed one of the sacred mountains of Japan and meditated for twenty-one days. On the first day he placed twenty-one small stones in front of him and as each day passed he threw one stone away. On day twenty-one, Dr. Usui became aware of a beam of light from the heavens that came shooting towards him. Although he was afraid, he did not move but was struck by the light and knocked over. Then in rapid succession he saw before him lime bubbles of light with the symbols that he had discovered in his study, the key to the healing of Buddha and Jesus. The symbols burned themselves into his memory. When the trance was over, Dr. Usui no longer felt exhausted, stiff or hungry as he had moments before on the last day of his meditation.
He got up and began to walk down the mountain; he stopped at an outside vendor's stall and ordered his breakfast. The old man at the stall, seeing the length of his facial hair and the condition of his clothes realised he had been on a long fast and said that it would be a few minutes before he could prepare his food so that it would not upset his long empty stomach. He directed Dr. Usui to go and sit under a tree on a bench to wait. Soon the daughter of the man came with his breakfast. As he looked at her Dr. Usui saw that she had been crying and that her face was swollen and red on one side. He asked her what was wrong and she replied that she had had a toothache for three days. He asked if he could touch her face and with her permission he cupped her cheeks in his hands. In a few minutes the pain left her and the swelling began to reduce.
Returning to the monastery in the evening, Dr. Usui was told that his friend the abbot was in bed suffering from a painful attack of arthritis. After bathing and having something to eat, Dr. Usui went to see his friend and with his healing hands relieved his pain.
Today the Usui System of Natural Healing is practiced all over the world. You are a part of that history now. With your willingness to share this gift, you support and nurture the unfolding of life.
Click the link if you would like more information on courses and workshops.
Book a session with Natalie call 0408 578 959
The founder of Reiki as a natural healing system is Dr. Mikao Usui. At the turn of the century, late 1800's, Dr Usui was the president of a small Christian University in Kyoto Japan. The University was Doshisha University. He was also a Christian Minister.
An interchange with a student at the beginning of a Sunday service changed the focus of Dr. Usui's life. As Dr Usui was beginning one of the last Sunday services for the year, a senior student about to graduate raised his hand and asked Dr Usui. "Do you accept the contents of the Bible literally?" Dr Usui answered "Indeed he did." "In the Bible it says that Jesus cured the sick, that he healed and that he walked on water. You accept this as written? Have you ever seen this happen?" Dr. Usui agreed that he believed and answered No, he had never seen healing or walking on water. The student went on to say: "For you, Dr. Usui, that kind of blind faith is enough, for you have lived your life and are secure. For us who are just beginning our adult lives and who have many questions and concerns, it is not enough. We need to see with our own eyes."
A seed had been sown. The next day Dr. Usui resigned his position as president of Doshisha University and came to the United States to the University of Chicago where he received a Doctorate Degree in Scripture trying to uncover the secret of how Jesus and his disciples healed the sick. He had not found what he had sought.
Realising that in the Buddhism tradition it is held that the Buddha had the power to heal, he decided to return to Japan and see what he could learn from Buddhism. Upon his return to Japan, Dr. Usui began to visit the Buddhism monasteries searching for someone who had an interest in and some knowledge of physical healing. He always received the same answer to his enquiries: "We are too busy with healing the spirit to worry about healing the body."
At long last he found someone who was at least interested in the problem of physical healing, an elderly Abbot of the Zen Monastery. Dr Usui then requested that he be admitted to the monastery so that he could study the Buddhism Scriptures, the Sutras, in search for the key to healing. He was admitted and so began his study. He studied the Japanese translations of the Buddhism Scriptures but did not find the explanation he sought. He learned Chinese so that a wider range of Buddhism writings was available to him, still without success. Then he decided to learn Sanskrit, the ancient language, so that he could read the original Buddhism writings and have access to those writings that had never been translated into another language.
Finally, he found what he had been looking for. In the teachings of the Buddha that had been written down by some unknown disciple as the Buddha spoke Dr. Usui found the formula, the symbols, and the description of how Buddha healed.
At the end of the seven year search, Dr. Usui had found what he had sought, however not quite. Although he had uncovered the knowledge, he did not have the power to heal. Discussing this with his old friend, the abbot, he decided to go to a mountain and meditate, to seek the power to heal. The abbot told him that it could be dangerous, that he could lose his life. Dr. Usui answered that he had come this far and would not turn back.
Dr. Usui climbed one of the sacred mountains of Japan and meditated for twenty-one days. On the first day he placed twenty-one small stones in front of him and as each day passed he threw one stone away. On day twenty-one, Dr. Usui became aware of a beam of light from the heavens that came shooting towards him. Although he was afraid, he did not move but was struck by the light and knocked over. Then in rapid succession he saw before him lime bubbles of light with the symbols that he had discovered in his study, the key to the healing of Buddha and Jesus. The symbols burned themselves into his memory. When the trance was over, Dr. Usui no longer felt exhausted, stiff or hungry as he had moments before on the last day of his meditation.
He got up and began to walk down the mountain; he stopped at an outside vendor's stall and ordered his breakfast. The old man at the stall, seeing the length of his facial hair and the condition of his clothes realised he had been on a long fast and said that it would be a few minutes before he could prepare his food so that it would not upset his long empty stomach. He directed Dr. Usui to go and sit under a tree on a bench to wait. Soon the daughter of the man came with his breakfast. As he looked at her Dr. Usui saw that she had been crying and that her face was swollen and red on one side. He asked her what was wrong and she replied that she had had a toothache for three days. He asked if he could touch her face and with her permission he cupped her cheeks in his hands. In a few minutes the pain left her and the swelling began to reduce.
Returning to the monastery in the evening, Dr. Usui was told that his friend the abbot was in bed suffering from a painful attack of arthritis. After bathing and having something to eat, Dr. Usui went to see his friend and with his healing hands relieved his pain.
Today the Usui System of Natural Healing is practiced all over the world. You are a part of that history now. With your willingness to share this gift, you support and nurture the unfolding of life.
Click the link if you would like more information on courses and workshops.
Book a session with Natalie call 0408 578 959