The origin of Reiki can be traced back to ancient Tibet, thousands of years ago. The technique was re-discovered in the late 1800’s by Dr Mikao Usui of Japan. The tradition of Reiki was an oral one, and was passed on by master to master and student by word of mouth. 

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In the year “1822” in the city of Kyoto, Japan, Dr Mikao Usui (a Christian Minister) was giving a sermon. After the service, two seminary students asked him to explain how Jesus did the miracles of healing, and whether he could perform those same miracles. Dr Usui was not able to give the students an answer of “yes”. He felt that he understood the Bible intellectually, but he did not understand how Jesus healed.

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This marked the beginning of Dr Usui’s lifelong quest to uncover the source of the ancient healing techniques. He left Japan and went to America and studied at the University of Chicago. During his stay in the United States, he earned a doctorate degree in theology. He searched the scriptures to uncover the secret of how Jesus and his Disciples healed the sick and performed miracles, but he did not find the answers he sought during his time in the United States.

Upon his return to Japan, it occurred by Dr Usui that the Buddha had performed the same type of miracles as Jesus. He channeled the power of GOD and the Universe. Dr Usui began asking the different Buddhist sects if they could perform miracles that Buddha had performed. Could they heal the body? The Buddhists felt that healing of the spirit and healing of the body were not always directly connected. They concentrated on the Spirit, and not on the Body. They left the healing of the body to those in the healing arts.

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Finally Dr Usui went to a Zen monastery. He asked the same question of the ‘Head Monk’; ‘Does the Zen know how to heal the body?’ The monk explained that they were concentrating heavily on healing the Spirit and there was just no time to teach the physical healing of the body.

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Dr Usui requested that he be admitted to the Zen Monastery so that he could study the Buddhist scriptures, the Sutras, in search of the key to healing. He was admitted and so began hi study. Dr Usui first studied the Japanese translation of the Buddhist scriptures but did not find the explanation he sought. Then he learned Chinese so that a wider range of Buddhist writings were available to him, but still without success. He was guided, through his meditations, to learn Sanskrit so that he could read the original Buddhist writings that had never been translated into another language. After mastering the language Sanskrit, he began reading the teachings of the Tibetan Buddhist Sect. From those writings, Dr Usui found the symbols, formulas, and description of how Buddha healed.

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And so, at the end of his long search, Dr Usui had found what he sought, but not quite. Although he believed he had uncovered the knowledge, he still did not have the power to heal. He discussed this with his old friend, the Monk; they meditated upon the path to take. They were told Dr Usui should go to a designated place upon the holy Mount Kuri Yama. There he was to fast for 21 days and meditate, to seek power to heal, during this time he would receive enlightenment and spiritual clarity.

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Dr Usui climbed Kuri Yama to a certain level and found a place that faced east. Since he had no calendar, he gathered 21 small stones and placed them before him. Every morning he awakened before the sun rose and would throw one of the 21 stones to keep count of the days. Each day he meditated and fasted. On the 21stday, Dr Usui awakened to a darkened morning. It was like a new-moon day, when no light shone in the heavens before the breaking of dawn. When he awakened he could not even see his hand in the front of his face. He found his way to his meditation spot and picked up the last stone. Dr Usui prayed before throwing the last stone off the side of the mountain. He asked GOD for confirmation of his findings and asked to be given the enlightenment of how to use it. As he threw the stone off the mountain, a light appeared far off in the East. It began getting brighter and getting close to him. It frightened him and wanted to run away. He thought to himself “You have searched for years and years, and you have meditated and fasted for 21 days. You have asked foe enlightenment and confirmation, and now you want to run away from it? “So Dr Usui quieted his intellect and said: “No, if that light is for me, I accept the enlightenment.” 

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The light became very bright and streamed across the heavens and hit him directly in his 3rd eye. For a moment he thought he had died and ascended into heaven, because he had never before been in such a euphoric state. He saw many many bubbles in all the colours of the rainbow. Then came the powerful, bright white light, followed by golden Sanskrit letters, the secret formula of the Universal life force and how to contact it. They came to him one by one, commanding him to memorize and preserve them. Finally, the bubbles and the light, and the Sanskrit letters had come and gone. Dr Usui felt rested, full of life and energy, he jumped to his feet, and wanted to hurry back and tell the Monk of his exciting news. In his rush he stubbed his toe on a rock, he reached down to comfort the pain and stop the bleeding. He found that the pain and the bleeding quit very rapidly. He realized that something was different about the energy in his hands, they had become very hot. After healing his toe, Dr Usui continued his pilgrimage down the mountain.

 

Soon he began to feel hungry so he stopped at a home that served travelers and ordered cold rice and cold teas. In a few moments, a Japanese girl, with a bandage wrapped around her jaw, brought Dr Usui his meal. She told Dr Usui that her tooth had been aching for days. Encouraged by his own phenomenal pain relief Dr Usui asked: “May I give you a healing?” She accepted his offer gladly. He put his hand around her jaw and within a short period of time, the pain and swelling started going down. She was very happy and went to tell her father. Dr Usui ate his meal and then went to pay the Papa San. He reached into his pocket to get some coins, but the papa San said: “Thank you, Sir Monk, but I cannot accept the money. You have rendered unto my daughter a service for which I did not have the money to pay. Please accept the food in exchange for the healing services you rendered” Dr Usui accepted the food in exchange for his services as a healing channel.

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Upon returning to Kyoto, he went to tell his friend, the Monk, what had happened. He asked for advice on what he should do now that he had received the keys and the energy of healing. He wanted to learn more about its use and how to develop it. Dr Usui was directed by the Monk to meditate on it.

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From his meditation, Dr Usui was guided to go to the beggar kingdom in Tokyo. This kingdom was controlled by a beggar king. So Dr Usui went to see the beggar king and asked if he might live there to heal the sick and afflicted. The beggar king admitted him, but did not believe Dr Usui would succeed in healing the beggars.

For the next 7 years, Dr Usui worked on healing the sick in the beggar kingdom. He worked from daylight to dark, healing the young and old alike and saw many beautiful results take place. He began to understand how Reiki flowed through him into the person he was healing, and how the body became well.

One afternoon, Dr Usui took a walk to the edge of the beggar kingdom. He saw a young beggar who looked familiar.

 

Finally, Dr Usui asked if the beggar knew him, and the beggar said: “Of course, Dr Usui, I know you. Do you not remember me? I am one of the first beggars that you healed.” Dr Usui said, “I healed you and you are still a beggar?” The beggar looked at him and said: “Oh, Dr Usui, Yes and I did just what you told me. I went to the temple to receive a new name, went into society and began dealing with my karma, doing just what you told me to do. I even got a job and soon married, but it was too much responsibility. So, I decided that I would rather be a beggar. That way I wouldn’t even have to be responsible for myself.

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Dr Usui was greatly upset, and thought: “What a terrible thing I have done. Perhaps the churches were right – the physical is not enough – the spirit has to also be healed. Never again will Reiki be given away – always there will have to be an exchange of energy. “He decided to immediately leave the beggar kingdom.

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As he walked back to the monastery, Dr Usui was greeted, in spirit, by the teachers who had greeted him on Kuri Yama. At this time he was given the five Spiritual Principles of Reiki by the Teachers: