Healing by simply laying on of hands is not a new concept. Buddist monks have been doing it for thousand of years
before the birth of Jesus. This is the story of one man Dr Mikao Usui.
He was born in Japan in 1864 and was raised by Christian missionaries. Mikao studied the bible instead of the traditional Shinto and Buddhism religions. While studying the bible he became obsessed with Jesus
ability to heal people by only laying his hands on a person. After leaving school Mikoa studied religion, he became a professor of theology and was eventually appointed the head and minister of a Christian Boys School.
One morning, while conducting a chapel service, he was asked if he literally believed in the biblical miracles Jesus had performed.
He said he did. They asked him to demonstrate his faith by performing a miracle! He was speechless and found it incredible that such a simple request should shake his faith so completely.
Deeply affected by this incident, he felt he could not honestly continue to teach about the life and example of Jesus. He decided to resign, and dedicate the rest of his life to deepening his faith and discovering
how such healing miracles could be performed. Deep within he knew that if his faith was true, he would be able to receive the gift of healing and help many other do the same. He knew that if he did not follow this calling he would deeply regret it later in life.
A Search for Christ
Dr Usui went to America to study the Christian scriptures more closely He explored his questions with many scholars and members of the church. Many times he was dishearten and discouraged by their answers, and he often felt no closer to finding the truth. Yet he developed great inner resources and
came to rely less upon those he met for answers and more upon his own deepening relationship with God and upon his own natural, intuitive wisdom. During his search, he experienced many coincidences and often felt guided.
and sometimes almost pushed-into situations that held clues and signals toward the next step of his journey.
These occurrences (such as chance meetings with others on similar spiritual paths and the subsequent insights they gave him) encouraged and deepened hid faith and allowed him to trust that he would be shown, that he would "know" where to look next.
Dr Usui also studied the writings and teachings of many other famous spiritual teachers and mystics, not exclusively from the Christian tradition. He felt that this would complement and enrich his own faith and understanding of the spiritual path and his search for the gift of healing.
He often studied the teachings of Buddha and the accounts of his disciples and their healing ministry, which seemed to him very similar to those of Jesus and his own followers. As he discovered more similarities between the Buddhist and Christian paths he gradually realized from within himself that the final answers to his question might lie much closer to home!
After seven years in America, Dr. Usui returned to Kyoto, Japan, to study the Buddhist sutras, the records of Buddha's life and teachings, in more depth. He visited many Buddhist centers, however he found that the Buddhist monks and nuns, like the Christian missionaries, mainly taught and encouraged spiritual growth
and the practice of healing was considered a distraction to that growth. The main purpose of their mission was to help people achieve inner happiness in spite of external problems like illness or poverty, which people cannot avoid sooner or later. Healing was left to the practices of conventional and complementary medicine.
Finding a Buddha
During his studies and travels throughout Japan, Dr. Usui met a Zen Buddhist abbot who was to have a profound effect on him and his spiritual journey. The abbot invited Dr. Usui to live and study at his monastery, and for several years Dr. Usui remained there. The calm, clear and tranquil environment of the monastery gave him the perfect space to assess the work he had done
In America and during his stay he became more and more convinced that the only place to look for the ability to heal was within himself.
The abbot was a great inspiration to him and they spent many hours discussing his progress and how best to achieve his goals. His relationship with the abbot developed and Dr. Usui
came to recognize him as a great yet very humble man with a boundless source of wisdom and along the inner path towards the source of his own being.
Dr. Usui"s own inner healing or the unfolding or blossoming of his own consciousness would bring him within reach of the gift of healing.
Studying the Sutras
Dr. Usui studied and meditated on the Buddhist scriptures, or sutras, in Japanese, Chinese, and Sanskrit (one of the oldest and most sublime spiritual languages, which Buddha Ahakyamuni himself spoke and taught over 2,000 years ago)
. Within the ancient Sanskrit texts, he discovered the symbols that would lead him, through prayer and meditation, to the healing techniques he was searching for.
At first he did not know exactly what to do with the symbols or how to use them as tools for healing
As his studies progressed, he found passages in the sutras that seemed to stand out or "speak" to him and he read and meditated frequently on these same teachings, each time gaining deeper meaning.
He often discussed his thoughts with the other monks and the abbot, always trying to steadily further his awareness. This dedication readily enabled him to unfold and expand his own consciousness so that he could gain clear insights into the nature of the mind and how it not only had the power to create,
but became even more aware of others suffering and this deep empathy added greater determination to his efforts.
Retreat to the Mountain
Dr. Usui knew he had studied all he could and that the answers he sought were finally within his reach. He went to a sacred Buddhist mountain retreat near Kyoto that had an especially pure level of life Force Energy. There he fasted and meditated for three weeks, cleansing the remaining obstructions within his own mind and opening himself up completely to whatever he might be ready to receive. he told the abbot at the monastery that if he did not return after twenty-one days, they should come to collect his remains for burial. He was so focused on his mission and motivated by the wish to benefit others that he did not intend to return without an answer to all his question.
Walking the seventeen miles to the mountain, he found a quiet place by a stream. he intended to only drink water during his retreat, which he knew from experience would give more clarity and power to his meditations. He kept with him twenty-one stones, and each day he cast one away to mark the passing of time. He meditated upon the lessons he learned at the monastery under the guidance of the abbot. His concentration was very strong and stable and his internal energies so clear that he was easily able to continually manifest or experience the purity of his own inner light or very subtle mind. When this very high level of consciousness is completely purified, it becomes the omniscient mind of a Buddha, or perhaps from another perspective creates a complete union with God or Christ-Consciousness.
An End, and a Beginning
One morning, Dr. Usui found he had only one stone left. It was the final day of his retreat. He meditated in the darkness that preceded the first light of dawn and experienced many mixed emotions and recollections of his life. He knew that his quest was ending and that, soon his life would be over or he would be given the gift of healing to share with others. His faith and devotion were complete, he had done all that he could and now he knew he had reached the point of no return.
Looking into the darkness, he saw a light on the horizon where he expected to see the sun rise. It grew brighter and brighter, and appeared to move toward him very fast. He realized that if he did not move, it would hit him. He was determined to relax, open, and allow this experience to happen wherever it might lead. He centered himself and remained where he was, knowing that this would be an end and a beginning. The light struck his forehead, and he lost consciousness.
Clear Light Consciousness
When Dr. Usui awoke, it was midday. He remembered everything that had happened. After the light had struck him, he became aware of beautiful colors and sensations, followed by a great light filling the whole of space-the nature of pure wisdom, compassion, and bliss. Within this light,large transparent bubbles appeared, each containing the Sanskrit symbols he had found in the Buddhist texts. As he memorized the contents of each bubble, it moved away and the next one would appear. His body, speech, and mind were fully empowered with the Reiki energy and symbols, and he understood the complete meaning of each symbol.
This knowledge arose spontaneously, almost as if the giver and receiver were of the same nature. It seemed as though he had only temporarily forgotten this inner truth, and he now remembered or recalled this knowledge from deep within himself. He called it Reiki, or Universal Life Force Energy.
Four Reiki Miracles
Dr. Usui felt deeply touched, privileged, and excited by what had happened, and wanted to return quickly to the monastery t share his experiences with the abbot, who had given him so much and been so instrumental in his search to discover Reiki.
In his rush to return to the monastery and tell the abbot of his discovery, Dr. Usui stubbed his toe on a rock. His toe painfully bleeding, he quickly sat and held the foot between his hands. The wound healed instantly. This the first Reiki healing miracle.
On his journey back, he stopped at a roadside cafe and ordered a large meal. At first the cook refused to serve him, noticing that the doctor had just returned from a long fast and declaring that such a meal would make him very ill. But Dr. Usui insisted, and subsequently felt no ill effect. This was the second Reiki miracle. The meal was brought by the cook's granddaughter, who was in much pain with an infected tooth. Dr. Usui asked if he could touch the swollen area and the pain stopped and the swelling immediately went down. This was the third healing miracle. Dr. Usui was elated and continued his journey to the monastery to share his good news.
At the monastery, the monks told Dr. Usui that the abbot was confined to his room suffering from arthritis. Dr. Usui bathed and dressed in clean clothes and visited the abbot who was very pleased to see him and to hear about his discovery. The abbot asked for a demonstration, which immediately relieved his condition. They discussed how Dr. Usui could use his healing gift and which people where most in need of Reiki.
Dr. Usui decided to live in the slums of Kyoto where he would offer Reiki to the poor and homeless. Then when they were ready he would help them find jobs and send some of the younger ones to the monastery, where they would be trained by the monks in skills to support themselves. The abbot was very supportive of Dr. Usui's intentions but reminded him, "You must heal the whole person, a temporary healing of body and mind is not enough, people have to be genuinely seeking long-term positive change within themselves before a permanent healing is possible."
A Valuable Lesson
Dr. Usui spent a number of years practicing and teaching Reiki in the poorest areas of Kyoto and, although his intentions and offers of help often met with derision, he did not give up as many people seemed to be benefiting from Reiki. However , after some time he began to notice some of his earlier Reiki students begging on the streets again and he asked them why they were doing this. They told him that working and earning a living was much harder than going out to beg each day. Even though they had been able to support themselves they lacked the effort or wish to continue improving or maintaining their position. On discovering this, Dr. Usui was very disheartened. He gave up his mission and withdrew to meditate on what had happened. He thought of the monks and the emphasis they placed on encouraging moral discipline, self-development and spiritual ethics, and he realized that it was this aspect of his healing ministry with the beggars that was lacking, It seemed that Reiki had helped them to see that a different way of life was possible and had initially supported and enabled positive physical and mental changes. However their wish for permanent change was weak and not based on a strong continuous intention to improve themselves or an understanding of the danger of the downward spiral they were on physically, mentally, and spiritually. Consequently the momentum of their improved morality and attitudes slowed and they were drawn back by the weight of their old, deeply in grained habits. This was not a judgment of how all the beggars should have lived, for we all have the right to determine our own path in life and indeed many of those early patients, who sincerely tried, were able to transform their lives permanently with the help of Reiki. So Dr. Usui had to completely review his approach to sharing Reiki with others and, after further contemplation and meditation, he introduced the Five Reiki Principles as a daily part of Reiki practice:
Just for today do not worry,
Just for today do not anger,
Honor your parents, teachers, and elders,
Earn your living honestly.
Show gratitude to every living thing.
A Lantern in the Dark
Dr. Usui realized that, on the whole he had to look for people with a real wish to improve their inner qualities as well as their quality of life. He decided to travel through Japan teaching Reiki wherever people were trying to create a better life and looking for an opportunity to lean to create a better life and looking for an opportunity to learn and grow.
On reaching a town, he would often walk around in daylight hours carrying a lighted lantern, People would laugh at him and ask why he carried the light. Having gained their attention, he would say "All I see here is darkness, if you want to learn more about your own inner light you should come to my talk and demonstration this evening." There he would tell the story of Reiki and give healing to others and this is how many people came to Reiki in Japan.
Dr.Usui died in 1930, having made, 16-18 Reiki Masters.
Text taken from
Reiki For Beginners
By: David F Vennells
Copyright © 2001 - Tom Staley
All Rights Reserved
Web master: Tom Staley
