Definition: What Reiki Is

Reiki, (pronounced "ray - kee"), written with a lower case "r", is a Japanese compound word consisting of "rei" and "ki", together meaning "universal life force energy". Reiki Master Don Burns writes, "It is defined as being that power which acts and lives in all created matter... "rei" describes the universal, boundless aspect of this energy while "ki" is the vital force energy which flows through all living beings. "Ki" means the same as "Chi" in Chinese, "Prana" in Sanskrit and "Mana" in Hawaiian."

Reiki Master Marsha Burak includes the following information about the Japanese writing of the word "reiki" in the chapter: "Reflections on the written origins of Rei Ki" in her book Reiki - Healing Yourself and Others.

"Rei - the first ideograph is composed of three parts. The first sign means rain, that comes down from heaven and gives life to our planet, The second represents mouth/breath or prayer/mantra. With our breath and mouths we give voice to our deepest desires and truths. The third signifies king, that which rules, or the ruler or master within each of us. Blessings from heaven, of a kingly nature, rain down upon us, responding to our word.

"ki -- the second ideograph has two parts. In the oldest known Chinese script, carved on turtle shell and bone, Ki is represented as a monolithic square or cube composed of three horizontal lines equally supported by three vertical lines. For me this square expresses the simple, profound balance between the energies of heaven and earth, space and time, and other basic dualities. In the seal script style the top appears like a flux of energy (wave) or the ethers, the energy that srrounds us. The bottom part depicts a grain of rice. Rice is a main food supply and energy source. Rice is depicted as a cross with four lines moving toward and away from it. The horizontal line of the cross represents the horizon line of the earth, symbolizing change, giving us our sense of time, and the vertical line represents the moment, in which all space, all beingness, opens up. The cross reminds me of the very heart of the matter, the heart of the moment, a space of stillness where all healing takes place. The four lines signify the four directions -- north, south, east and west -- symbolizing all of creation."

"Ki represents energy on the physical plane. Even before modern physics this ideograph had accurately intuited the fundamental nature of ennergy, which act both as a particle and a wave. The energy source of divine life resides both within and without the physical form."

"Reiki - Heavenly blessings of an almighty power (the void, ether) rain down upon us, responding to our prayers and mantras, nourishing the seed of divine life within each of us."

Reiki, with a capitol "R", is a specific healing support system, divided into three levels or degrees, which has been passed along from teacher (Reiki Master) to student for the past hundred years since its rediscovery by Dr. Mikao Usui. It is based on Tibetan Buddhist traditions begun thousands of years ago. Reiki Master Diane Stein writes"...what is today known as Reiki was known in India  from the time of Gautama Siddartha. It was partly described in the Buddhist Sutras (holy books), but more likely it was transmitted through oral teaching..." However, as Reiki Master Randall A. Hayward writes: "Reiki is not a religion or dogma. It enhances the appreciation and understanding of all religions and philosophies by adding greater natural light to comprehension and practice of each one's chosen pathway..."

"The Usui system of Reiki is not only a very simple and natural healing method, but it is also the most effective way of transferring this universal life energy. Once a person has been opened up to become a channel for Reiki, concentrated life energy will flow through his or her hands of it's own accord. This ability is retained for the rest of his or her life."

"The attunement is the difference between other touch-healing systems and Reiki. Other systems may use hand positions over the chakras and work with Ki energy, but only Reiki has the extraordinary benefit of the attunement process."