Someone who studies hard, practices meditation and works in a city who is late to improve body and mind for the sake of becoming a better person is called "a man of great spirit."  People who use that great spirit for a social purpose, that is, to teach the right way to many people and do collective good, are called "teachers." Dr. Usui was one such teacher. he taught the Reiki of the universe (as universal energy).  Countless people ask him to teach them the great way of Reiki into healed them.

    Dr. Usui was born on the first year of the Keio period, called Keio Gunnen, on August 15th 1865.  His first name was Mikao and his other name was pronounced either Gyoho or Kyoho.  He was born in the village of Yago in the Yamagata district.  From what is known, he was a talented and hard-working student.  As an adult he traveled to several Western countries and China to study, worked arduously, but did at one point run into some bad luck.  However he didn't give up and trained himself arduously.

    One day he went to Mount Kurama for a 21 day retreat to fast and meditate.  At the end of this period he suddenly felt the great Reiki energy at the top of his head, which led to the Reiki healing system.  He first used Reiki on himself, then tried it on his family.  Since it worked well for various ailments, he decided to share this knowledge with the public at large and the elderly in his clinic in Harajuku, Aoyama, Tokyo in April of the 11th year of the Taisho period (1922).  He not only gave treatments to countless patients some of whom had come from far and wide, but he also posted workshops to spread his knowledge.  In September of the 12th year of the Taisho period (1923), the devastating Kanto earthquake shook Tokyo.  Thousands were killed, injured or became sick in its aftermath.  Dr. Usui grieved for his people, but he also took a Reiki to the devastated city and used its healing powers on the surviving victims.  His clinic soon became too small to handle the throng of patients, so in February of the fourteenth year of the Taisho period (1925), he built a new one outside Tokyo in Nakano.

    His fame spread quickly all over Japan, and invitations to distant towns in villages started coming in.  Once he went to Kure, another time to Hiroshima prefecture, then to Saga prefecture and Fukyama. It was during his stay in Fukyama that he was hit by a fatal stroke on March 9th, of the 15th year of the Taisho period (1926).  He was 62 years of age.

    Dr. Usui was a very warm, simple and humble person.  He was physically healthy and well proportioned.  He never showed off and always had a smile on his face; he was also very courageous in the face of adversity.  He was, at the same time, a very cautious person.  His talents were many.  He liked to read, and his knowledge of medicine, psychology, fortune telling and theology of religions around the world was vast.  The lifelong head of studying and gathering information certainly helped pave the way to receiving an understanding Reiki.  Reiki not only heals diseases, but also amplifies any abilities, balances the spirit, makes the body healthy, and thus helps achieve happiness. To teach this to others you should follow the five principles of the Meiji Emporer and contemplate them in your heart they should be spoken daily, once in the morning and once in the evening.

1) don't get angry today.

2) don't worry today.

3) be grateful today.

4) work hard today (meditative practice).

5) be kind to others today.

    The ultimate goal is to understand the ancient secret method for gaining happiness (Reiki) and thereby discover an all-purpose cure for many ailments.  If these principles are followed you'll achieve the great tranquil mind of the ancient sages.  To begin spreading the Reiki system, it is important to start from the place close to you (yourself), don't start from something distant such as a philosophy or logic.

    Sit still and in silence every morning and every evening with your hands folded.  Follow the great principles of  the clean and quiet.  Work on your heart and do things from the quiet space inside of you.  Anyone can access Reiki, because it begins with yourself.

    Philosophical paradigms are changing the world.  If Reiki can be spread throughout the world it will touch the human heart and the morals of society.  It will be helpful for many people not only healing disease but the earth as a whole. Over 2000 people learned Reiki from Dr. Usui.  Even more learned from his senior disciples who carried Reiki further.  After Dr. Usui's passing, Reiki will continue to spread far in mind.  It is a universal blessing to have received Reiki from Dr. Usui and to be able to pass it on to others.

Translated by

Frank Arjava

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