Reiki Precepts, Meditation & Other Stories

Mikao Usui's Precepts.

The secret art of inviting happiness
The miraculous medicine of all diseases

Just for today,
Do not anger,
Do not worry
Be humble
Be honest in your dealings with other people
Be compassionate towards yourself and others

In every morning and evening join your hand in prayer,
pray these words to your heart and chant these words with your mouth:

"Usui Reiki Treatment (For) Improvement of body and mind"

The Founder, Usui Mikao

Here's what the Reiki precepts mean to me:

'Just for today,'

This part of the precepts emphasizes the importance of living now. Not dwelling on past events or worrying about the future. Now is all we have the only moment where our thoughts, choices and actions can make a different. If we don't live in the present we miss out on life itself; as the past does not exist and the future has not arrived.

'Do not anger,'

It never feels good when you are angry and anger causes stress. If we learn to deal with this emotion in a constructive way, then surely our lives would be happier. If we meditate on and/or evaluate where our feelings of anger come from, we can generate a better understanding of ourselves and the people or situations that trigger our anger. Understanding the cause and effect of negative or unpleasant emotional responses can help to eliminate them. This doesn't mean that we should block feelings of anger but deal with them in the present time instead of letting the feeling fester, ultimately stopping, only you, from fulfilling enjoying life.

'Do not worry'

Worry also causes stress and much of what applies to the above applies here. I would also suggest that to worry is to waste precious time. For example how many minutes of your life have you spent worrying about something and not doing something about it, it soon adds up. If I spend twenty minutes worrying about how many hits my web site is getting, that would be twenty minutes I could've spent making my web site better. If I spend all of today worrying about what I didn't do yesterday, then I waste today as well. To have no worries and no regrets is to be able to let go of what is past and what might be in the future.

'Be humble'

This is a reminder to be grateful for all the good things we have in our lives. When we consider truthfully what we have and are grateful for that we feel good. This opens us up to receive more great things, whilst reminding us that we are very lucky and others may not be as fortunate as us. In our gratitude we are giving something back. Being grateful for all that you have can help to eliminate other emotions, such as greed. We could spend our lives thinking only of the things we want but can't have, this makes most people very depressed and unhappy. So why not cheer up and remember all the things you do have.

'Be honest in your dealings with other people'

We all know when we are being honest to another person and when we are not. Honesty builds trust and from trust, peace and friendship can grow. Deception and lies only lead to guilt and restlessness. I would like to extend this precept to include being honest with ourselves. This is for many the harder of the two to do at times, but equally important. If we deceive ourselves then we automatically deceive those around us whether that is deliberate or not. Honesty creates freedom.

'Be compassionate to yourselves and others'

This is here to help us develop compassion for ourselves and everyone around us. Compassion is to have a deep understanding of the causes of our sufferings and the willingness to do what we can to eliminate that suffering. We can develop compassion, not only through our actions, words and thoughts, but by developing a greater understanding of the suffering around us and within ourselves This brings peace of mind and contentment. It is easier to forgive and accept the choices we make and the choices made by others when we are compassionate. We should try to extend our compassion not just to our friends and family but our neighbours and the people we pass in the street and eventually everyone.

The Precepts are open to individual interpretation. If you want to make the precepts a part of your life you should think about what they mean to you as an individual. You may also like to use the precepts as a daily mantra to help remind you of your goals for each day.

Many of us spend hundreds of pounds attending Meditation classes. So why do so many people give up after only a couple of weeks practice? Is it because we are lazy, undisciplined or impatient? Well, possibly, but at the root of it all, may be a general misunderstanding of what meditation is really about. Meditation is a process, not a result; it is about training your mind, so you control it, rather than the other way around. Is your mind in the present or somewhere else? Do you have so many thoughts fluttering around that you cannot hear yourself think? If you create space within your mind, you will notice what is important and get your priorities right the first time. So, how do you meditate?

When you meditate your mind will naturally want to wander, this is human nature. We do not need to feel stressed about this or beat ourselves up over it. We simply need to be aware of it and able to bring our attention back to the present task. Therefore, when you first try meditation, you will find that your mind wanders almost constantly. You will have to bring your attention back to what you are focusing on repeatedly. Instead of getting frustrated, be proud that you were able to bring your attention back, even if it is only for a second, before it wanders again. Some of you will get through an entire meditation, before you even realize that your mind was somewhere else the whole time. Therefore, the first step to getting it right is being aware that your mind is wandering.

The second step is to learn to bring your attention back, as often as is necessary. Once you have mastered that, you have mastered meditation. Now, all you need to do is practice every moment you can and you will become more focused and more in the present. You will start to notice that you are spending a little less time distracted and more time with a still and focused mind. You will still have good days and not so good days, as far as your meditation goes, but as long as you keep trying and keep bringing your attention back, you can be proud of your meditation.

When we want to achieve great physical fitness, we spend months training our bodies to achieve that. Then we continue a regular training routine in order to maintain that level of fitness. Well the same applies when we train our minds through meditation. Just like a regular work out, in the beginning, it seems a lot tougher but if we persevere, it gets easier and more rewarding.

In the early stages of meditation, it can be useful to create an environment that will help you relax and remain as free from distractions as possible. A quiet room or even a quiet corner in a room will do. The space should be pleasing and calming to look at, so throw a blanket over any unsightly clutter. In ideal circumstances, you would clear your clutter. However, in busy times quick fixes are better than nothing at all.

There are several forms of meditation to choose from; some focus on something internal, such as your breathing or a visualization. Others focus on something external such as a candle or the point where two fingers touch. A journey meditation involves someone taking you on a journey that you visualise in your mind's eye. You can use journey meditations for relaxation, decision-making and inspiration. For a relaxing journey, buy ready-made tapes or CDs or create your own journey and follow it through in your mind's eye. Other meditations involve chanting one or more sounds. Some will be a combination of these techniques. Try a few techniques and see what suits you best. Click here to buy Absolute Reiki Meditation CD

Here is a meditation technique that forms part of a Reiki sequence called Hatsurei for you to try:

Sit in a comfortable chair that supports your back. Place your hands in prayer position. Keep your arms and hands relaxed. Close your eyes take a deep breath and as you breathe out try to relax your body. Notice the contact between the tips of your middle fingers. Focus all your attention on the point where the middle fingers are touching. Whenever you notice your mind wandering or becoming distracted, bring your attention back by gently squeezing those two fingertips together. You can carry out this meditation for as little or as long as you want.

Do not set difficult goals for yourself, start with short blasts and build up over time, a little often is better than a lot just once.

Whenever you finish a meditation, you should take a deep breath and open your eyes. If you have any trouble finishing, you can count yourself back 5, 4, 3, 2, 1 at the same time becoming aware of your physical body as you count, starting with your feet and moving up to your eyes on the count of 1 and then open your eyes. If you are doing a journey meditation you may like to start by seeing a door that you go through and finish by creating another door straight back to the chair you are sitting in.
In the long term, meditation relieves stress and anxiety, increases awareness and intuition and aids concentration and learning. People who meditate on a regular basis are calmer and better able to cope with stressful or traumatic situations. Meditation teaches us how to be focused in the present moment, instead of being stuck in the past or dwelling on the future. Your life is now make sure you do not miss it.

Try meditating for 10 to 15 minutes a day for just 30 days and see for yourself what a difference it can make.

In April 2005 my husband and I left behind the dreary weather of England. We touched down in Tokyo, where the sun was shining and the sky was a lovely blue, dotted with only a few white clouds.

Our journey started in the capital, a trip to Mikao Usui's memorial was first on our agenda. The information I had gathered before our trip was limited. The Saihoji temple, where the memorial was based, was not in any of the tourist books. Fortunately, the Japanese people were always eager to help, so we sought advise from the hotel staff. There were no trains local to the temple, so we treated ourselves to a taxi. The ride through the city was a wonderful merge of traditional housing and modern day business. A few narrow back alleys later we came to the Saihoji Temple. In front of the temple, by the cemetery were a large group of schoolchildren, playing in their school grounds. My minimal knowledge of Japanese meant we could check that we were allowed to go though to the cemetery.

Next, we had the difficult task of figuring out which of the many memorial stones belonged to Mikao Usui. Luckily, a Japanese woman approached us and asked if we were looking for Usui's memorial. I doubt we would have found it amongst the sea of stones and kanji, without her help. The woman introduced us to her friend, a Czechoslovakian Reiki Master, who immediately greeted me with open arms. Like many others he had been drawn to Reiki through profound coincidences. He too was enjoying the calm energy that seemed to engulf the whole of Japan.

It was a moving experience to sit in front of the memorial stone. I felt an overwhelming sense of gratitude for a man responsible for changing so many lives, in such a positive and wonderful way. I spent my time there thinking about Reiki and all that it meant to me. I felt humbled by the experience. The energy there was intense and I experienced sensations I had never felt before, it was hard to drag myself away several hours later.

After spending only a couple of days in the capital, we took a train west to Toba in the Mie Prefecture. Here we were encircled by mountains cloaked with greenery and surrounded by small pockets of coast that met the Pacific ocean. It was a remote part of Japan with no other tourists to be found, bliss. Here we experienced our first Shinto Shrine, Ise - Jingu. I noticed that at most shrines and temples there were water basins with running water flowing into them. People would approach these and use the long handled, bamboo cups, resting on the basins to rinse their hands and sometimes their mouths. The routine is a form of cleansing and purification.

The only difficulty in Japan for us was the fact that we were vegetarian. In Japan absolutely everything is cooked in fish stock. There were many days where dizziness ensued for the lack of substance in our bodies. Mainly due to the fact that it was difficult to explain our diet needs in Japanese. By the second day of our stay in Toba, we finally managed to explain the fact that we were vegetarian to the chef. The result being a huge feast specially bought and prepared for us every morning and evening. It was rather embarrassing to see the endless dishes being brought to our table. Our tummies were most grateful, despite being full to the brim and a few inches wider by the time we left Toba.

Our next stop was Kyoto, the spiritual heart of Japan and the old capital. We visited numerous shrines and temples. Each temple or shrine offered a different atmosphere and energy, some played drums, others wind instruments or gongs and bells. Most were only visited by the Japanese people who came to pay their respect and offer prayers.

The Zen temples were the only place in Japan that offered truly vegetarian food without the need of a phrase book. We were glad of the opportunity to experience real Japanese food and culture. The locals always seemed surprised to come across westerners who were happy to sit on the floor and embrace their ways. In one Zen restaurant we had our own private section, a large window allowed a fabulous view of the activity below. Young men were busy carrying passenger carts around the temple grounds, you could see their bulging calves from some distance. It was a set menu of several courses. Despite being surrounded by traditional Japanese screens, they seemed to know exactly when to bring the next course. We kept looking around for hidden cameras but could not see evidence of any.

We also had the opportunity to take part in a tea ceremony, which was a relaxed and delicate procedure, full of ritual and meaning. Both men and women perform these ceremonies, an art form that requires training and dedication from a young age. We attended a Ninja demonstration. We learnt about their fighting techniques and survival training. The Ninja house is clearly an inspiration for any Bond movie with secret hiding places and trap doors. Shelves that come down to create stair cases to secret levels. Hidden revolving doors. Swinging floor boards that concealed weapons. Watch out on the stairs and landings at night as some parts will be missing, of course the Ninja would know when to jump over these gaps but the enemy would fall through. The Ninja was careful about what they ate and how they washed, to avoid body odours that would give away their hiding position. They would know if it were going to rain that day or not just be observing a spiders cobweb, if there were dew drops on it at dawn rain would fall. They also carried out a lot of farming work, a convenient way to grow there own food and disguise their weapons as tools. In general, the Japanese people are very quiet but no one mastered the art of silence better than the Ninja. If you see other martial arts, however, you will see a very noisy side to the Japanese, who use sound not just for healing and prayer but for defence purposes as well.

The day that excited me most had finally arrived. Today we would climb Mount Kurama, a place of great spiritual history. It also has a special connection with Reiki. Mikao Usui, the founder of Reiki had visited this mountain. He performed a twenty one day meditation and fast, which resulted in a moment of enlightenment. It is said that this moment contributed to the development of Reiki.

At the hotel they told us we could not climb the mountain. That we could only go as far as the first shrine, at the bottom of the Mount Kurama. This was disappointing news but we decided to go over and see for ourselves what could be achieved. The final train came to a halt beside a small wooden platform, at the foot of the mountains. Once again we were surrounded by locals and some Japanese who had clearly travelled far to be here. They seemed as excited to be there as we were and better equipped for mountain hiking. For some it was a family day out.

The day was perfect and the sight in front of us stunning. We discovered that we could actually cross a fair portion of the mountain, which took us on a windy path up, around and down the other side. We visited many shrines, temples and spiritual relics along the way.

In one of the temples the basement was a mausoleum. Inside it was dark and much colder. You could smell the woody incense burning and the only light came from candle light. Everywhere you looked you saw masses of shelves, all stacked right up to the ceiling. The shelves were packed with thousands of small urns, holding ashes from those who had once lived there. This was an incredible place and although in some ways eerie, there was a sense of stillness and peace.

Several monks went about their daily chores. We even got to witness a Spring Harvest ceremony with several Shinto Priests making offerings and chanting prayers, often clapping three times at the end of each sequence. Near by stalls would sell small charm bags for offerings and to encourage new growth during the spring season.

As vegetarians we had little opportunity for food at the only café on the mountain. We did manage to get an air tight packet of rice, sticky with molasses and incredibly salty. Oh and Haagen Dazs ice cream of course. Looking out from the mountain we could see the tops of other mountains and down into the lush green valleys. I could certainly see why so many monks liked to spend their lives here. The views were breath taking and stopped us in our tracks with every corner that we turned.

We spent over six hours crossing the mountain, taking regular breaks to admire the awesome views. I took as much opportunity as I could to meditate on this legendary mountain. I felt an ancient connection with the lifestyle here on the mountain, one I felt destined to return to some day. The energy and atmosphere of the mountain left us feeling thoroughly cleansed. Mount Kurama has something unforgettable and indescribable about it. I can't wait to go back.

We all know Golden Retrievers are smart and this one certainly knows what's good for it.

I have had some very positive results with Reiki and animals. One evening my sister's golden retriever was limping badly, walking on three legs, having fallen off a low wall and hurt her right hip. I did a Reiki session with her and at the end of the evening she was walking around quite normally. At breakfast the next morning there were a lot of people round a large table and she came and sat beside me, put her nose on my lap and then turned back and looked at her right hip several times. Everyone stopped talking and watched her, people thought she's saying 'Thank you'. Her hip has been fine ever since.

More recently she has been pulling her fur out around her back legs and above her tail, making her skin quite raw and sore. The vets can't find anything wrong physically and this behaviour seems to be triggered when she sees suitcases indicating that one of the family is about to go away. I started to do Reiki on her back above her tail and she leapt up and turned round looking at the area (my hands were about 6 inches above her and I could feel a lot of tingling), so I stopped for a while, then started again and she did the same thing. I didn't do any more as I wondered if it was too much for her. But she was fine afterwards and she coped well with the whole family going away the next day for a week and her sore patches have healed well. She is a particularly sensitive dog and comes to "ask" for Reiki. I have worked with a number of cats and some horses, they give very clear responses.

I was wandering around a wildlife park a few weeks ago. I came across an outdoor enclosure with a rather sweet looking sheep standing all alone. I went up and the sheep let me scratch her nose and behind her ears. As I continued around the path I came to a building that housed several different animals. All the children were fascinated by the two donkeys but I spotted the guinea pigs, as a big fan I couldn't resist saying hello. I suddenly noticed that my right hand was tingling like crazy, usually this happens when Reiki is flowing to someone. It didn't appear to be the guinea pigs and as I looked to my right Doris the sheep had come in from outside. I moved over to her and both my hands started to buzz very strongly. I held out my hands in front of her and she pushed her face into them, before I knew it this lovely sheep was snuggling up and getting as much Reiki as she could before I had to leave.