Reiki Usui is credited to its founder, Japanese Buddhist Mikao Usui. The driving force behind reiki usui was Mikao Usui's wish to help others heal more intensely. To do this he became familiar with oriental and western methods of healing, and then synthesized these into what is known as reiki usui.
Although Usui was born into the spiritual traditions of his family, which were Tendai, he was certain there was a better way to heal. Interestingly Usui found the path he needed to follow to create reiki usui with the understanding and mentoring of a Shingon Priest. This path was not without problems as to pursue it meant a rift was created with his family. To change sects was to go against family tradition. So intent on the dream of something better to heal – the dream of reiki usui – he continued in his journey and did become a disciple and follower of Shingon.
Utterly convinced he would find parallel teachings in other traditions, Usui studied Tibetan Vajrayana and Tibetan Medicine. What he found was not reiki usui (at least not yet), but he did find similar teachings to those of Japanese esoteric Buddhism. By now he had a great deal on his plate and attempted to condense it into a more formal structure for himself. To do that, he started to codify the teaching and methods into a system that included the use of symbols. This also included esoteric dharani and methods to tapping in to bestow (channel) power. A dharani is a type of ritual speech similar to a mantra. Although they are similar, they are used in different situations.
Usui got to a point and then got stuck. In the traditions he was drawing upon, the conferring of power could only be done by a living teacher called an Acarya. Since he was not a Master Teacher he decided there must be a way to do direct power transfers. At a momentary loss, he decided to meditate, fast and pray for a line of direct empowerment – for reiki usui if you will.
The story goes that Usui went to the scared mountain of Kurama just outside Kyoto. Kurama had been a Tendai temple for years, but was frequented by monks from other sects. During his meditation's he realized a complete understanding of how to do direct power transfer and began to develop what we know as reiki usui. Usui is said to have taught many the ability to lay on hands and heal, but didn't teach many the deeper, more committed path that can be taken to understanding reiki.
Usui reiki is considered to be the original reiki and the foundation of most of the reiki systems in use in the world today. Stop and think about the enormous contribution Mikao Usui made to this world with his gift to us of the universal life force energy.
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Reiki training is fairly straight forward, and is usually done in four steps – or depending on the Master teaching it, perhaps three steps. Level One Reiki training is focused on self-healing and helping others. This reiki training usually takes anywhere from one to four days before students are able to practice reiki and do self-healing.
At level one of reiki training, students learn the history of Reiki, the energy system, the nature of the reiki energy, ethics, the five principles of reiki, the three pillars of reiki, the hand positions, how to do a self-healing session and how to do a session for others. As you can see, this is fairly comprehensive Level One Reiki training.
If you will to take your reiki training to the next level, then you will be working at Level Two. The focus of this level is to learn the Japanese healing symbols and on sending Reiki from a distance. By the way, you do NOT under any circumstances do a distance healing without permission first. The ONLY time there may be an exception to this stricture is if the person is unconscious or has dementia.
In that instance, you seek permission of their higher self/spirit, and you ask three times. If you can't get a clear answer, then try sending distance treatment. If it flows, then you have been given permission. If it does not, and you will know that because the energy won't "go" anywhere, then you cease sending.
For Level Two reiki training, it's a good idea to wait for at least three weeks to make sure level one is properly ingrained into the student. Of course this depends on the student and their abilities. Along with the above teachings, there will, or should be, a good in-depth discussion on getting rid of unwanted habits, empowering your own personal goals and making permanent changes in your life. The Japanese healing symbols and techniques are then introduced into your reiki training and you practice sending distance treatments (usually to other students who have given permission for a distance treatment).
Your Level Three A training is usually the Master Practitioner or advanced practitioner. The master symbol is given at this level of reiki training, but you are not taught how to attune others or teach reiki.
The next level if your course is taught in four steps is the Level Three Master/Teacher. The focus here would be on attuning others to reiki energy and on teaching reiki to others. In some cases an essay is requested of the student outlining why they wish to become a reiki master/teacher. The essay is discussed in great detail, as this is a solemn undertaking and one of much responsibility. The benefits of living a spirit-based life are talked about as well. The master symbol is introduced and practiced.
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