History
Reiki was developed by Mikao Usui in 1922 whilst performing Isyu Guo, a twenty-one day Buddhist training course held on Mount Kurama. It is not known for certain what Usui was required to do during this training, though it most likely involved meditation, fasting, chanting, and prayer. It is claimed that by mystical revelation, Usui had gained the knowledge and spiritual power to apply and attune others to what he called Reiki, which entered his body through his crown Chakra. In April 1922, Usui moved to Tokyo and founded the Usui Reiki Ryōhō Gakkai (meaning Usui's Spiritual Energy Therapy Method Society) in order to continue treating people on a large scale with Reiki.
According to the inscription on his memorial stone, Usui taught Reiki to over 2000 people during his lifetime, and sixteen of these students continued their training to reach the Master/Teacher, degree. While teaching Reiki in Fukuyama (福山市Fukuyama-shi), Usui suffered a stroke and died on 9 March 1926.
The sixteen Masters initiated by Usui, one of them is Chujiro Hayashi. Chujiro Hayashi left the Usui Reiki Ryōhō Gakkai and formed his own clinic where he gave Reiki treatments, taught, and attuned people to Reiki, and it was to this clinic that Hawayo Takata was directed. Hayashi simplified the Reiki teachings, stressing physical healing and using a more codified and simpler set of Reiki techniques.
After multiple Reiki sessions from Hayashi's trainees at his clinic for illnesses including abdominal pain and asthma, Hayashi initiated and trained Takata to use Reiki, and was made a Reiki Master on 21 February 1938. Takata established several Reiki clinics throughout Hawaii, one of which was located in Hilo, and then went on to travel throughout the United States, practising Reiki and teaching the first two levels to others, and it was not until 1970 that Takata began initiating Reiki Masters. Takata died on 11 December 1980, by which time she had trained 22 Reiki masters, and almost all Reiki taught outside Japan can be attributed to her work.
Five Principles
Usui was an admirer of the literary works of the Emperor Meiji (明治天皇Meiji tennōo). While in the process of developing his Reiki system, Usui summarised some of the emperor's works into a set of ethical principles, which later became known as the Five Reiki Precepts (五戒 Gokai, meaning "The Five Commandments," from the Buddhist teachings of being prohibited against killing, thievery, sexual misconduct, lying, and for intemperance). It is common for many Reiki teachers and practitioners to abide by these five precepts, or principles.
"The secret art of inviting happiness,
The miraculous medicine for all diseases.
At least for today:
Do not be angry,
Do not worry,
Be grateful,
Work with diligence,
Be kind to people.
Every morning and evening, join your hands in meditation and pray with your heart.
State in your mind and chant with your mouth.
For improvement of mind and body.
Usui Reiki Ryōhō.
The founder,
Mikao Usui."
After being trained by Hayashi, Takata went back to Hawaii, taking Reiki with her. After setting up clinics there, Reiki then spread to the rest of the Western world. As a result of the second world war, Takata decided to modify the Traditional Japanese Reiki system in order to make it more understandable and credible to the mentality of the West.
• Usui Reiki Shiki Ryōhō (臼井靈氣式療法commonly translated as meaning "Usui's Spiritual Energy Style of Therapy", but a more literal translation is "Usui's Spiritual Energy Style of Medical Treatment" (meaning medical treatment) is a system that has tried to stay near enough the same as the original practises of Hawayo Takata.