Mikao Usui

Mikao Usui was born on August 15, 1865 in the village of ‘Taniai-mura’ (now called Miyama-cho) in the Yamagata district of Gifu prefecture, Kyoto - the former capital of Japan. He was raised Buddhist and as a child attended a Tendai Buddhist monastery near Mt. Kurama. During this time he also trained in martial arts and and in Kiko, a Japanese form of Chi Kung. From the time he was 12, Mikao train Yagyu Ryu, or Samurai swordsmanship. Through his years of training he attained the level of Menkyo Kaiden, the highest license of proficiency in weaponry and grappling. Mikao Usui trained in a number of martial arts and was renowned for his expertise and highly respected by other well-known martial artists of his time.

Mikao studied traditional Chinese medicine and Western medicine, numerology and astrology, and psychic and clairvoyant development. Usui also took Zen Buddhist training in 1922 for about three years. Many different spiritualist/healing groups were in existence at the time, and one of these - attended by Usui - was ‘Rei Jutsu Kai’. Today this organization consists of the most spiritual monks and nuns in Japan. In the 1890s, Dr. Usui became a Shingon Buddhist, and he also undertook Zen Buddhist training in 1922.

Mikao Usui wondered what the ultimate purpose of life was, and set out to try to find out. After some time he finally experienced an enlightenment: the ultimate life purpose was ‘Anshin Rytsu Mei’ - the state of your mind being totally in peace, knowing what to do with your life, being bothered by nothing. To achieve this goal Usui researched even harder for three years. Finally, he turned to a Zen master for advice on how to attain this life purpose. The master replied “If you want to know; die!” Usui-sensei lost hope at this and thought, “My life is over”. He then went to Mt. Kurama and decided to fast until he died.

Usui was looking for a way of knowing one’s life’s purpose and to be content, and despite all his exhaustive research, he could not find a way to achieve this state. The monk’s advice prompted him to go to Mount Kurama and to carry out a 21-day meditation and fast called ‘The Lotus Repentance’, which comes from Tendai Buddhism. He carried out the meditation and, according to his memorial stone, he experienced an enlightenment or ’satori’ that led to the development of Reiki. He did this meditation five times during his lifetime.

Reiki is a technique or method that is based firmly on the esoteric principles that were represented in Japan in the early part of last century. Usui brought together, in a unique way, the principles of Traditional Chinese Medicine, energy transfer techniques like Chi Kung (in its Japanese form of kiko), Tendai Buddhism in terms of energy exercises, empowerments and spiritual teachings, and Shintoism in terms of techniques used to control the energies. The symbols that came to be used later in Reiki’s history also have their roots in Tendai Buddhism and Shintoism. This was done in a way that allows anyone to be connected permanently to a source of healing energy, and being able to channel it without having to undergo many years of practice, and they can learn to pass this ability on to other people very simply.

Although Reiki is generally promoted within the West as a healing system, it’s original purpose was for the personal and spiritual growth that would be experienced through the system: to know one’s true purpose in life and be content, to heal oneself and find one’s spiritual path, and ultimately achieve satori.