Dr. Mikao Usui, or Usui Sensei as he is called by his
students in Japan, is the founder of the Usui System of
Reiki. He was born August 15, 1865 in the village of Yago
in the Yamagata district of Gifu prefecture, Japan. Usui
Sensei had an avid interest in learning and worked hard at
his studies. He traveled to Europe and China to further
his education. His curriculum included medicine,
psychology, and religion. It is thought that he was from
a wealthy family, as in Japan only the wealthy could
afford to send their children to school. Eventually he
became the secretary to Pei Gotoushin, head of the
department of health and welfare who later became the
Mayor of Tokyo. The connections Usui Sensei made at
this job helped him to become a successful businessman.
- In 1914 Usui's personal and business life was failing.
As a sensitive spiritualist, Usui Sensei had previously
spent much time meditating at power spots on Mt.
Kurama. So he decided to travel to this holy
mountain, where he enrolled in Isyu Guo, a twenty-
one-day training course. We do not know for
certain what he was required to do during this
training, but it is likely that fasting, meditation,
chanting and prayers were part of the practice. In
addition, we know there is a small waterfall on Mt.
Kurama where even today people go to meditate.
This meditation involves standing under the waterfall
and allowing the waters to strike and flow over the
top of the head, a practice which is said to activate
the crown chakra. Japanese Reiki Masters think that
Usui Sensei may have used this meditation as part of
his practice. In any case, it was during the Isyu Guo
training that the great Reiki energy entered his
crown chakra. This greatly enhanced his healing
abilities and he realized he had received a wonderful
new gift - the ability to give healing to others
without depleting his own energy!
- Please refer to Reiki, The Healing Touch, by William
Lee Rand for a detailed description of Reiki and how
- Dr. Usui rediscovered it.
|
