Reiki Principles & Reiki History Not Always Agreed Upon

There are many different English versions of the Reiki(Tenon-in) who said that she worked in the dojo from
principles, just as there are different versions of Reiki1920 until 1926, the inspiration for the Reiki principles
history. Some versions of the principles are morecame to Usui on a day in 1921 after he visited Mt. Hiei,
eloquently written than others, but the basic conceptsthe location of a Buddhist temple lying to the northeast
are, for the most part, the same.of Kyoto city. Other sources say that his moment of
Reiki history begins in Japan in the early 1920s, when ainspiration came during a fast on Mount Kurama, the
man named Mikao Usui (the name is reversed inlocation of a Shinto temple lying to the northwest of
Japanese) opened a school or dojo, a Japanese wordKyoto.
that can refer to any training facility, not just one forOne version of Reiki history has Usui teaching Christian
martial arts training. The term literally means "place oftheology at Doshisha University in Kyoto. So, even the
the Way".religion of the man is a matter of some debate. The
Some versions of Reiki history say that the man'sdiscrepancies probably relate to the various religions of
name was Usui Sensei, but sensei is actually athose who came to practice and teach Reiki following
Japanese title of respect, used to refer to a teacher,Usui's death.
doctor or other professional. Misunderstandings of theTenon-in said that the original scroll containing the Reiki
translation of "sensei" may be why some refer to himprinciples still hangs on the wall of a private shrine kept
as Dr. Usui.secret from the public. Secrets are part of the reason
The origin of the Reiki principles is somewhat unclear.that Reiki history is so unclear. According to one
Usui may have been inspired by the writings or poetryauthor, the first line of the scroll containing the Reiki
of the Meiji Emperor, who reigned during most of hisprinciples is a heading that reads, "The secret method
life. In the moral principles outlined in the "Imperialof inviting blessings." Even from the early days, many
Rescript on Education", subjects are instructed to "beReiki masters took this to mean that the method of
good and kind to all".healing with the hands taught by Usui was to be kept
He may have been inspired by a book written in 1914"secret".
by Dr. Bizan Suzuki, in which this phrase is written; "JustIt really makes no difference which version of Reiki
for today, do not get angry, do not feel fear, behistory a person chooses to believe. The energy has
honest, work hard, and be kind to others."been here since the beginning of time, Usui simply gave
According to one account, attributed to a womanthe energy a name; Reiki.