The following information was gleaned from various sources and I am not stating that it is totally authentic. Some researchers claim that Dr. Mikao Usui was not linked to Christianity at all but this angle was added to make Reiki more acceptable in the West. In any case, it is not the History that matters, rather how we are able to learn and apply it in our lives.
Dr. Mikao Usui
It was in late 1800’s that Dr. Mikao Usui, a Dean of a Christian School in Japan was asked by a few of his students regarding his belief in all that was mentioned in The Bible. They specifically wanted to know about the secret behind Jesus Christ’s healing abilities and how these abilities could be activated in them.
He was unable to answer these questions and was honour bound to resign from his post. This started his quest for getting the answers to this great mystery surrounding the Healing ability that Jesus Christ was known to have possessed. His search took him to Chicago, the centre of Christianity at that time, where he failed to find what he was looking for in all the reading material that was available. He was then advised to look for the answers in the Buddhist manuscripts as Gautama Buddha was also known to have similar healing abilities.
Now, it is a well known fact that the records in Buddhist religion are not maintained at a single place but each monastery has its own archives. Dr. Usui continued his search in Japan by devoting all his time in studying the translated records in the number of monasteries that were there. He could not get any answers there too. It was then that he was advised to go to the land of the Buddha, i.e. the Indian sub-continent, and study the literature in the original Sanskrit language.
He came to the Indian sub-continent, learnt Sanskrit and then set out for the remote Monasteries in Tibet. There he discovered some symbols and some description in the old Buddhist Sutras that apparently held the answers to his questions. He returned home with a feeling that he had the knowledge but just had no idea how to apply it.
Back in Japan, the Abbot of the monastery where Dr. Mikao Usui was staying, advised him to fast and meditate at the Holy Mountain Kuriyama for a period of 21 days, as was the custom for all spiritual seekers.
Nothing happened during the first 20 days of fasting and meditation. Dr. Mikao Usui attained enlightenment on the 21st day when beams of brilliantly coloured lights struck him in the area of the third eye (on the forehead) rendering him unconscious. It is said that he saw millions of bubbles of coloured lights that formed the symbols that he had already discovered in the Sanskrit Sutras. He instinctively got the answers to all the questions in this altered state of consciousness. There was total understanding of the system of healing.
When he returned to a normal state, he felt full of strength and energy despite the long period of fasting. He started running down the mountain in order to reach the monastery and share the good news with the Abbot who had guided him. In his hurry, he accidentally injured his big toe, and it started bleeding. He instinctively held it for a few moments and felt the bleeding stop and the pain disappear. This was the First Miracle that he experienced.
On his way back to the Monastery, he stopped at a wayside inn and ordered a large breakfast against the advice of the innkeeper as he was coming out of an extended period of fasting. The fact that Dr. Mikao Usui was able to eat the large meal after such a long fast without any visible side effects was the Second Miracle.
At the inn, Dr. Mikao Usui noticed that the innkeeper’s granddaughter had a swollen face from a bad toothache. He instinctively laid his hands on the swollen area and the pain immediately vanished and the swelling subsided. This was the Third Miracle.
Dr. Mikao Usui then returned to the Monastery and shared his newly found knowledge and recent healing experiences with his Abbot friend.
It is said that he then started working on the old Abbot and healed him of his arthritic problems. Thereafter it was decided that he should go and heal the poor beggars living in the Beggar City in the slums of Kyoto so that they could lead better lives. Legend has it that Dr. Mikao Usui stayed there for a period of seven years healing and helping the beggars get rid of their physical problems.
One day he noticed several familiar faces back on the streets begging. He questioned them and they admitted that he had healed them in the past. They stated that they had gone back to society, had taken on new names and jobs and some had even got married and raised families. However, they were unable to cope with the responsibilities of the family life and had returned to their previous profession of begging, as it was the easier thing for them to do.
Dr.Usui was deeply shaken by this and also understood that he had not healed the sprit but had instead concentrated on healing the body alone. The healings had been given freely and he in a way had encouraged the consciousness of begging. It was then that he decided never ever to give Reiki healing for nothing. He realised that he has not taught these individuals gratitude while treating their bodies. They had not fully understood the value of the gift because it had cost them nothing.
Thus was formulated The Principle of Energy Exchange. In addition, he also framed the Five Principles of Reiki. (These are discussed in the next chapter). He then devoted his life travelling, healing and teaching Reiki.
He was unable to answer these questions and was honour bound to resign from his post. This started his quest for getting the answers to this great mystery surrounding the Healing ability that Jesus Christ was known to have possessed. His search took him to Chicago, the centre of Christianity at that time, where he failed to find what he was looking for in all the reading material that was available. He was then advised to look for the answers in the Buddhist manuscripts as Gautama Buddha was also known to have similar healing abilities.
Now, it is a well known fact that the records in Buddhist religion are not maintained at a single place but each monastery has its own archives. Dr. Usui continued his search in Japan by devoting all his time in studying the translated records in the number of monasteries that were there. He could not get any answers there too. It was then that he was advised to go to the land of the Buddha, i.e. the Indian sub-continent, and study the literature in the original Sanskrit language.
He came to the Indian sub-continent, learnt Sanskrit and then set out for the remote Monasteries in Tibet. There he discovered some symbols and some description in the old Buddhist Sutras that apparently held the answers to his questions. He returned home with a feeling that he had the knowledge but just had no idea how to apply it.
Back in Japan, the Abbot of the monastery where Dr. Mikao Usui was staying, advised him to fast and meditate at the Holy Mountain Kuriyama for a period of 21 days, as was the custom for all spiritual seekers.
Nothing happened during the first 20 days of fasting and meditation. Dr. Mikao Usui attained enlightenment on the 21st day when beams of brilliantly coloured lights struck him in the area of the third eye (on the forehead) rendering him unconscious. It is said that he saw millions of bubbles of coloured lights that formed the symbols that he had already discovered in the Sanskrit Sutras. He instinctively got the answers to all the questions in this altered state of consciousness. There was total understanding of the system of healing.
When he returned to a normal state, he felt full of strength and energy despite the long period of fasting. He started running down the mountain in order to reach the monastery and share the good news with the Abbot who had guided him. In his hurry, he accidentally injured his big toe, and it started bleeding. He instinctively held it for a few moments and felt the bleeding stop and the pain disappear. This was the First Miracle that he experienced.
On his way back to the Monastery, he stopped at a wayside inn and ordered a large breakfast against the advice of the innkeeper as he was coming out of an extended period of fasting. The fact that Dr. Mikao Usui was able to eat the large meal after such a long fast without any visible side effects was the Second Miracle.
At the inn, Dr. Mikao Usui noticed that the innkeeper’s granddaughter had a swollen face from a bad toothache. He instinctively laid his hands on the swollen area and the pain immediately vanished and the swelling subsided. This was the Third Miracle.
Dr. Mikao Usui then returned to the Monastery and shared his newly found knowledge and recent healing experiences with his Abbot friend.
It is said that he then started working on the old Abbot and healed him of his arthritic problems. Thereafter it was decided that he should go and heal the poor beggars living in the Beggar City in the slums of Kyoto so that they could lead better lives. Legend has it that Dr. Mikao Usui stayed there for a period of seven years healing and helping the beggars get rid of their physical problems.
One day he noticed several familiar faces back on the streets begging. He questioned them and they admitted that he had healed them in the past. They stated that they had gone back to society, had taken on new names and jobs and some had even got married and raised families. However, they were unable to cope with the responsibilities of the family life and had returned to their previous profession of begging, as it was the easier thing for them to do.
Dr.Usui was deeply shaken by this and also understood that he had not healed the sprit but had instead concentrated on healing the body alone. The healings had been given freely and he in a way had encouraged the consciousness of begging. It was then that he decided never ever to give Reiki healing for nothing. He realised that he has not taught these individuals gratitude while treating their bodies. They had not fully understood the value of the gift because it had cost them nothing.
Thus was formulated The Principle of Energy Exchange. In addition, he also framed the Five Principles of Reiki. (These are discussed in the next chapter). He then devoted his life travelling, healing and teaching Reiki.
Dr. Chujiro Hayashi
Dr. Mikao Usui met Dr. Chujiro Hayashi during his frequent journeys. Dr. Hayashi was a retired Naval Commander who came from a well educated and well to do family. He too started travelling with Dr. Mikao Usui and learnt whatever he could about Reiki. Dr. Hayashi became the leader of the Reiki movement after Dr. Usui moved on. He started an eight-bed Reiki clinic in Tokyo where he enlisted the services of a few Reiki practitioners. Mrs. Takata, an American of Japanese descent, was one of the persons who benefited from the treatment given at this clinic.
It is said that Dr. Hayashi ended his own life just before Japan entered the World War II. He was a reserve Naval Officer and knew that he would be called for active duty during the war that was inevitable. He did not wish to be personally responsible for the death and destruction that would inevitably follow and therefore, took this extreme step. Before embarking on his final journey, it is said that he passed the baton of leadership of the Reiki movement to Mrs. Takata.
It is said that Dr. Hayashi ended his own life just before Japan entered the World War II. He was a reserve Naval Officer and knew that he would be called for active duty during the war that was inevitable. He did not wish to be personally responsible for the death and destruction that would inevitably follow and therefore, took this extreme step. Before embarking on his final journey, it is said that he passed the baton of leadership of the Reiki movement to Mrs. Takata.
Mrs. Hawayo Takata
Mrs. Hawayo Takata was born on Christmas Eve, 1900 to Japanese parents on the island of Kauai in Hawaii. She went to Japan in the 1930’s, became very sick and had to be hospitalized. Her physical condition was such that she needed to be operated upon but instead was somehow led to the clinic of Dr. Hayashi where her treatment with Reiki began.
She experienced a miraculous cure after which Mrs. Takata was inspired to know more about the healing method. She learnt Reiki and returned to Hawaii where she started treating her friends and relatives. Dr. Hayashi visited Hawaii in Nov. 1936, before World War II, and made Mrs. Takata a Reiki Master. Mrs. Takata started teaching Reiki in Hawaii before eventually moving to California. She trained twenty – two other Master to carry on the legacy between 1975 till her own death in 1980.
She experienced a miraculous cure after which Mrs. Takata was inspired to know more about the healing method. She learnt Reiki and returned to Hawaii where she started treating her friends and relatives. Dr. Hayashi visited Hawaii in Nov. 1936, before World War II, and made Mrs. Takata a Reiki Master. Mrs. Takata started teaching Reiki in Hawaii before eventually moving to California. She trained twenty – two other Master to carry on the legacy between 1975 till her own death in 1980.
Reiki in India
Ms. Paula Horan conducted the first known Reiki workshop in Mumbai, India in 1989. Shri P.D. Patel from Ahmedabad attended one of these initial First-Degree workshops in Mumbai. He later became a Reiki Master in 1989 under the guidance of Ms. Barbara Szepan.
My teacher, Shri Nanak Varlani became attuned to the First Degree in May 1991 from Shri P.D. Patel and became a Reiki Masters under his guidance in April 1992. I attended a First Degree workshop conducted by Shri Nanak Varlani in July 1996, became a Reiki Master on 7th June, 1997 and was deemed fit to become a Grand Master on 6th January 1998.
My teacher, Shri Nanak Varlani became attuned to the First Degree in May 1991 from Shri P.D. Patel and became a Reiki Masters under his guidance in April 1992. I attended a First Degree workshop conducted by Shri Nanak Varlani in July 1996, became a Reiki Master on 7th June, 1997 and was deemed fit to become a Grand Master on 6th January 1998.
It was a part time occupation initially but soon realized that helping people attain Better Health…Naturally is what I love doing. The turning point for me was the big earthquake that hit Gujarat on 26th of January, 2001. Training others has been more or less a full time thing with a couple of hours spent every day for my other profession.
I wish to add that I am not claiming to have attained any state of perfection. On the contrary, even today I learn something new almost every other day – a little bit of insight here, some clarity there. My Belief Systems are constantly being challenged and have seen a lot of changes already. I can say that the only constant thing in my life has been Change, especially since the day that Reiki first made its way into my life.
It has been a roller coaster ride with plenty of ups and downs. There have been moments that have been really frustrating and there have been moments that have been really, really wonderful.
While I have enjoyed living the wonderful moments because of the fulfillment that they brought, actual learning was hidden behind the situations when Reiki apparently was not working.
Both the good times as well as the bad ones are cherished.
Therefore, all is well – indeed!
I wish to add that I am not claiming to have attained any state of perfection. On the contrary, even today I learn something new almost every other day – a little bit of insight here, some clarity there. My Belief Systems are constantly being challenged and have seen a lot of changes already. I can say that the only constant thing in my life has been Change, especially since the day that Reiki first made its way into my life.
It has been a roller coaster ride with plenty of ups and downs. There have been moments that have been really frustrating and there have been moments that have been really, really wonderful.
While I have enjoyed living the wonderful moments because of the fulfillment that they brought, actual learning was hidden behind the situations when Reiki apparently was not working.
Both the good times as well as the bad ones are cherished.
Therefore, all is well – indeed!
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