Usui, Hayashi and Takata

Mikao Usui was born on August 15th, 1865. He was born in what is now called Miyama-cho in Japan.

He was extremely interested in academics of all kinds. He married Sadako Suzuki and they had two children. He lived his life independently, and there is no evidence that he was ever a monk. At some point there was a split in the family, possibly because of his interest in theology as a whole rather than limiting himself to one aspect of religion. It appears this was as unacceptable then as it is today in many parts of this country. Usui thought that the purpose of life was to achieve a state of mind that is totally at peace, knowing what to do at all times while being bothered or worried about nothing.

I think this is essentially what all of us ultimately desire, and our life may be a search for this state of being. But each path is different according to individual needs, and Usui went past his family's social boundaries to find his own path - and was outcaste as a result. Some of his living family members still will not mention his name in their households. This was a man that respected himself enough that he allowed himself to be an individual person - at any cost. I admire that with affectionate depth.

Around 1918 Usui began training as a Zen Buddhist. He wanted to achieve Satori (the state of Spiritual Enlightenment), but couldn't manage to do it. When he asked his Zen Master how, the answer was to "die one time." In several disciplines of shamanic, Egyptian, etc., the death issue is very important. There are several types of these deaths - emotional, spiritual, and physical deaths - and all can be experienced in different degrees. The death of the grandiose ego and recognition of the mind's efforts to play tricks to maintain status are the start of enlightenment. I'm sure not saying that I'm enlightened! I just recognize what the beginning is.

On one of Usui's 21-day fasts, which he did often, he achieved Satori and on that last day he received the Reiki information. He learned he could heal people with this Knowing and felt that it should be "freely available to all of the people." That is a quote that Usui wrote in one of his teaching manuals.

Usui opened his first clinic in 1922. He made the First Level teaching available to anyone who desired it. He had no set method for hand positions and worked intuitively. But since a lot of people weren't able to be that open to intuition, he found he needed to create a set of instructions, thus, the manuals.

In 1923 there was a terrible earthquake in Japan, which killed over 100,000 people! Usui went into action during this disaster, freely helping the thousands of suffering people. This is when his fame really spread. It's been speculated that this may be the time that Takata attempted to refer to when she talked about Usui going to the beggar villages.

On March 9, 1926, Usui died of a fatal stroke after having several previous strokes. He was 62. By then he was so loved that the next year his students erected a memorial in his honor at the Seihoji Temple in Tokoyo.

Usui Practiced and taught Reiki for a total of 4 years. His life before that seems to be like doing the foundation homework for the Reiki experience. In that short time he taught over 2,000 students and initiated 17 people to the Master Level (3 naval officers, 5 Buddhist nuns, and 9 associates).

The Usui Method of Natural Healing Society that Usui formed in April 1922 is still in existence today. The current chairperson is Masayoshi Kondo. They have their own Reiki manual, which is given only to members of the Society. The Society also has two manuals written by Usui. Anyone can take the first level, but higher levels are only given when the student has shown expertise in the techniques of that level with demonstrated healing ability. Some may have to practice ten years before they are allowed to reach the second level. The Master/Teacher level is rarely given. There are only 6 Teacher Level members in the Society out of 500 members.

This is interesting since the re-discoverer of Reiki, Mikao Usui, initiated more people and attuned 17 Masters in his 4 years of practicing.

Chujiro Hayashi, mentioned earlier, is also important in this part of the history. In June of 1925 he received his Master/Teacher level from Usui when he was 47 years old. He called the methods of empowerment "transformations" -- what most people refer today as an attunement or initiations. I use both words interchangeably, but the reality is each attunement is a method of empowerment, which definitely does transform a person for the rest of their life.

In April 1926 after Usui made his transition (died), the three naval officers he taught, one of which was Hayashi, took over a clinic in Nakano. In 1935 Hayashi himself took over full operation of the clinic. He implemented a five day First Level workshop for a high price or made students work in his clinic in exchange for the fee. He also made his own manual with specific hand positions for distinct illnesses -- probably influenced by his prior study of Chinese medicine.

Both Usui and Hayashi gave manuals and allowed people to take personal notes. Reiki was never an oral tradition until Takata.

On December 10th Takata attended Hayashi's Level One class. Mrs. Takata and her 2 daughters stayed with the Hayashi family in Japan for over a year. In 1937 Takata attended his Level Two class before she left to return to Hawaii. There is a photo of the class, and it appears that close to half of the students are women, so Takata's claim about being the only woman is not near to true. Recall that Usui himself initiated 5 Buddhist nuns to Master Level.

The only people who came to Usui's clinic after Hayashi took over were upper class, titled people of wealth. Hayashi made a remark that only these people of education and intelligence had Reiki consciousness. He said the poor could not have the understanding of healing without surgery or drugs so they went to the communtiy hospitals. He said that if called, he would go, no matter how poor they were, but their beliefs were different, so they did not accept drugless treatment. He said that experienced practitioners of Reiki would eventually find this to be so.

I found his statements very interesting. Personally, I view the outrageous prices he charged disturbing. But more pointedly, after achieving my Master Level and wishing to share this gift with my community and friends, I found very few that were willing to consider this as a possibility. I can disagree with the limitations to the upper class Hayashi insinuated, though this is a different country. I've found several people of differing status financially and with varied educational backgrounds willing to try an alternative healing method. But most in the particular area I live in immediately shun the concept - contempt prior to investigation - refusing to even investigate. Maybe this is due to the fact I show no displays of upper class wealth? I am a laborer in a factory, a single mother supporting three children, and we are all attuned to heal. Maybe, in time...but back to the history...

After Takata went back to Hawaii, Hayashi and his daughter came to visit and stayed with Takata until February 1938. On the 21st of that month, before he went back to Japan, Hayashi initiated Takata to Reiki Master.

On May 10th, 1941, Chujiro Hayashi took his own life. He had attuned 13 Masters. His wife contined to teach Reiki in Japan, and Takata spread Reiki to the western world.

All of the students of Usui and Hayashi were recorded with the Educational Departmets in Japan and can be traced. It is important to note that no one person was ever appointed to carry the Reiki lineage and there is no such thing as a Grand Master Level in Japan. I would think that such a thing would be viewed as a blatent and obtrusive display of self-importance when the essence of Reiki is loving and healing our fellow humans. Compassion is Reiki. Egotistical thinking is personalities before principles. The principle is healing the human race, the animal, plant and mineral kingdoms, and our own dear, sweet planet.

The Nature of Disease by Cynthia Danielson
My Reiki Master's View of Reiki Energy by Earl Violet
What Reiki is and What Reiki is Not
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