What is Reiki?
The original term for this is 心身改善臼井靈氣療法 which reads Shin Shin Kaizen Usui Reiki Ryoho and translates into “Usui Reiki Treatment Method to Improve Body and Mind”. It is a non-religious healing technique founded and developed by Mr.Mikao Usui（1865-1926）. Before the Second World War, it’s said that there were more than a million practitioners here in Japan. After the war, in the process of modernization of the country, Reiki seemed to have disappeared. However, it had been spread to the West and since 1990s it has gradually been regaining popularity in Japan.
Dr. Chujiro Hayashi, one of Mr.Usui’s prominent students, contributed to bring Reiki to the West. It was spread through his student Ms. Takata who lived in Hawaii at that time. Dr.Hayashi also taught Reiki to numerous students in Japan. One of them was Mrs. Chiyoko Yamaguchi. She learned Reiki directly from Dr.Hayashi in the late 1930s and practiced it throughout her life. In the late 1990s, her son Mr.Tadao Yamaguchi started teaching Reiki based on Dr.Hayashi’s Reiki seminars his mother Chiyoko participated about 70 years ago. Tadao Yamaguchi has been making great efforts to pass down this great legacy of healing method to those who wish to learn.
Reiki is an art of energy healing. It works for both physical and psychological sides of health by reactivating the natural healing ability that humans originally possess. A Reiki treatment is carried out by a practitioner (channel) who receives Reiki energy from the Universe. With simply laying hands, the practitioner transmits the energy onto the receiver. Reiki is beneficial not only for those who are in poor health to recover but also for healthy people to maintain good health.
Who can become a Reiki practitioner?
Anyone can. All humans possess the ability to give and receive the energy from the Universe. However, this healing ability is often dormant or forgotten. In order to be blessed with this great healing energy, you need to reactivate the ability to attune yourself to the Universe.
What is Jikiden Reiki?
As there are many different ‘forms’ of reiki in western countries, and some people want to trademark “reiki”, when Mr Yamaguchi teaches in western countries, he was always asked what kind of reiki he has been teaching. Mr Yamaguchi would say he has been teaching what his mother Chiyoko learned directly from Dr.Chujiro Hayashi, and Jikiden means ‘directly passed down’, and this is how Jikiden Reiki was named. Characteristic of Jikiden Reiki is its simplicity, it follows the way the Usui Sensei and Hayashi Sensi taught, with background and an explanation of why and how it was used . With the cultural (language) difference, we believe when background information passed on with the original teachings, things were added, changed and some sections left out. We admitted that, if it has not been spreading out in western world, with the form it has now become, Reiki may not be able to be passed down and gain the popularity of being a form of natural healing nowadays. However, at the same time, this allowed Reiki to deviate from its simple, practical use for everyone to becoming a more esoteric practice. This is also why some Reiki practitioners from the western stream asked Mr. Yamaguchi to teach the Reiki in the way that it was originally taught.
Jikiden Reiki @RLC 