The Reiki system was given form by Mikao Usui, a Japanese Buddhist lay preacher around 100 years ago.
The aim of Reiki was spiritual advancement using practices designed to lead the follower onwards towards enlightenment. Use of the Reiki energies would allow the follower to perform healing on other people, plants animals etc. but this was originally always considered to be of secondary importance. Reiki as a form of healing was put together by Chujiro Hayashi, one of Usui’s students, who was a western trained medical doctor in the Japanese navy. Hayashi was a Christian and was not interested in the spiritual side of Reiki but wished to use the healing aspect of the Reiki practices to become a form of ‘first aid’ for the navy to utilise. With Usui’s blessing, they created a system which is very similar to the Reiki treatments which are available today.
Reiki cannot be learned from a book. The techniques are actually learned by use of the energy itself. In order to start this process a Reiki student needs to be attuned to the energy by an authentic Reiki master/teacher. Reiki is taught at three levels; healer (for family and friends), practitioner (for use with the general public) and master/teacher (for further spiritual advancement, empowerment and the ability to attune others).
