Dr. Mikao Usui is regarded as the founder of Reiki as we know it in the West. All Reiki Masters lineage will start with Dr. Mikao Usui and every Master should have evidence of their lineage. Reiki in the West first started to be taught in the 1930’s. It was widely assumed until the 1990’s that Usui was a christian priest, who was challenged by one of his students, who asked him if he believed in the Bible stories of Jesus’ healing and if so, when were they going to be taught how to heal. Being an honourable Japanese gentleman and realising that he could not teach his students how to heal, he dedicated the rest of his life studying how Jesus and the Buddha healed. In 1990 it was confirmed that in fact he was a Buddhist priest.

Dr. Usui was born in Japan on 15 August 1865. He began his study of Buddhism at the age of four. From the age of 12 he studied martial arts reaching the highest levels by his mid twenties. He also learned meditation and healing. At the age of 27 he converted from Tendai to Shingon Buddhism. He was also known to have studied other forms of Buddhism,  from Shinto to Mahayana sects. At the age of 53 he started a three year course in Zen Buddhism.

As part of his training he would have been encouraged to reach a state of ‘Satori’ Spiritual Enlightenment. After advice from his Zen Master he underwent ’shyu gyo’ a strict spiritual discipline involving meditation and fasting for 21 days, until he either died our became spiritually enlightened. He did this on Mount Kurama near Kyoto early in 1922. On the last morning he received his enlightenment and aquired access to healing energy and the ability to pass this on. In his haste to get back down the mountain, the story is told that he injured his foot. As he held his foot he found that the pain and the bleeding stopped. Later he healed someone with toothache and a friends arthritis. He then realised he had at last found the healing power he had sought.

Dr. Usui then spent the next few years until 9 March 1926, when he died,  teaching and practising this healing. During this time he passed on this knowledge to others in order that the teaching would continue. Dr. Chujiro Hayashi (1879-1940) a naval commander was the first to receive the teachings and healing power. It is said that when Dr. Usui died Hayashi opened a Reiki clinic. In 1935 HawayoTakata came to the clinic for the treatment of a serious tumour. She was so impressed with the treatment that she begged Hayashi to teach her. Eventually he agreed. She worked at the clinic for free and then in 1937  she opened her first Reiki clinic in Hawaii. In 1938 Hayashi taught her the final level of Reiki, enabling her to pass it on to others. According to Takata all  Hayashi’s students were killed in Japan in the second World War and therefore she was the only Reiki teacher alive.

Mrs. Takata continued to run her clinic but also travelled extensively to the US and Canada, treating and teaching Reiki. She only ever taught levels 1 & 2 but in 1970 she finally taught level 3, Master level and by her death in 1980 she had trained the following 22 Masters. It is through them that Reiki has spread so widely throughout the Western World.

George Araki, Dorothy Baba, Ursula Baylow, Rick Bockner, Patricia Bowling, Barbara Brown, Fran Brown, Phyllis Furumoto, Beth Gray, John Gray, Iris Ishikuro, Harru Kuboi, Ethel Lombardi, Barbara McCullough, Mary McFadyen, Paul Mitchell, Bethal Phaigh, Shinobu Saito, Virginia Samdahl, Wanja Twan, Barbara Weber Ray, Kay Yamashita

So how was the healing passed on? There are three levels to Reiki, I, II and Master. All Reiki practitioners are attuned to the Universal Energy using symbols. In Reiki I the recipient is attuned but does not learn the symbols. They can however use Reiki on themselves and family and friends. In Reiki II there are three symbols that the recipient is shown, the distance symbol, the power symbol and the mental/emotional symbol. The healing has now become more powerful and the Reiki II student is also able to send distant/absent healing. At Master level the power of the healing is even more intensified and once attuned the recipient will be shown the balancing factor symbol and the Master symbol, they will also be told the symbols and sequence necessary to attune Reiki I and II students. All these symbols were received by Dr. Mikao Usui during his 21 day fast on the mountain.

In Dr. Usui’s memorial it states *’ If Reiki can be spread throughout the world it will touch the human heart and the morals of society. It will be helpful to many people, not only healing disease, but the Earth as a whole.’*

*Taken from Reiki for Life, by Penelope Quest.