Looking Beyond Western Reiki

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In the first three years of practicing Reiki, I was practicing Usui Reiki Shiki Ryoho (also known as 'Western Reiki'). During that formative period, I dedicated myself to daily self-healing Reiki and witnessed the profound healing benefits for both myself and my clients. Despite these positive experiences, I reached a point in my practice and spiritual journey where I yearned to delve deeper into the spiritual practice and enhance the effectiveness of my hands-on healing sessions. I had an intuitive feeling that there was more to explore, something missing from my current practice.

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Uncovering Usui's Spiritual Practices​

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In my quest to explore the original teachings of Reiki founder, Mikao Usui, I discovered that he emphasized a set of Spiritual Practices as a foundation for the hands-on healing aspect of Reiki. Surprisingly, these practices were absent from my Usui Reiki Ryoho lineage. I later learned that while Takata Sensei (who was responsible for Western Reiki) removed some of the practices due to their spiritual nature and the dangers they may have attracted given the hostilities between the West and Japan (Buddhist monks were being arrested around the time of World War II) and so Takata Sensei, removed any practices thought to appear too Japanese.  She also modified elements of the hands-on healing practice, to streamline it in a way that didn't require practitioners to attain skills to sense where the Reiki was most needed.  Beyond that, I discovered that there was a whole set of advanced healing techniques that had almost been removed, in order to further simplify the practice.

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Exploring Different Reiki Traditions

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Eager to embrace these Spiritual aspects of Reiki and additional practices, I explored several Reiki systems classified as Traditional Japanese Reiki. After extensive research, I discovered three Japanese systems of Reiki which all seemed to teach the 'traditional practices':  Gendai Reiki, Komyo ReikiDo and Jikiden Reiki.

 

GENDAI REIKI

 

Initially, I was drawn to Gendai Reiki because of its impressive lineage. At the time, it appeared to be the only Reiki system with a lineage that traced directly back to the Usui Reiki Gakkai (the Association founded by Mikao Usui), which is now closed to the public. Feeling this might be an opportunity to learn the original teachings as practised within the Gakkai, I trained in Levels I and II.

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The course definitely expanded my understanding of the traditional system, and in a way was a nice bridge between the Western and Japanese systems, but I found that much of the material was heavily Western-based, using Western symbols, Western Reiju and a long list of new-age, non-traditional practices. I came to learn that Hiroshi Doi, the founder of Gendai Reiki, had been trained by Mieko Mitsui in the Barbara Ray lineage, Radiance Technique (a Western system) and, due to the secrecy requirements of the Gakkai, was not permitted to teach the practices as they were used within the Association. As he could not teach the traditional system, he modified the traditional practices, and leaned heavily on the Western ones.  It should be said, that Hiroshi Doi does acknowledge that his system a hybrid of Western and Japanese Reiki even though he heavily emphasis the lineage tracing back to the Gakkai.

 

KOMYO REIKIDO

 

Komyo ReikiDo and Jikiden Reiki share the same lineage through Japanese native, Chiyoko Yamaguchi. From everything I had read, Komyo ReikiDo appeared to teach the traditional practices of Reiki, and I was excited to learn them! I trained in Komyo ReikiDo for several years, eventually becoming a full Shihan under its founder, Hyakuten Inamoto and I truly believed that there were the practices taught by Chiyoko Yamaguchi, as she learned from Hayashi, unchanged.

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The spiritual focus of the practice as a pathway to happiness, inner peace and enlightenment, transformed both my practice and myself. It felt like the missing aspect of the practice from my Western Reiki training. Komyo ReikiDo also briefly introduced me to the concept of Byosen, the energetic feedback in the hands that signals areas of need, trouble or disease.  It taught a very simple version of it, encouraging Practitioners to follow the Byosen rather than set hand positions (which took me a while to adjust to!) but there was no specific technique, associated symbol or much teaching around this (which I was to discover later when learning Jikiden Reiki).  We were encouraged to work intuitively, though there was not much instruction around that either.  In addition, and probably for first time since first learning Reiki, I felt that I learned an accurate history of Reiki, although I still had many questions about the changes Hawayo Takata made to both the practice and the story of Reiki.

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My years practicing Komyo ReikiDo deeply shaped my Reiki path in the sense that it opened me to new aspects of the practice.  For that I remain genuinely grateful. Having said that, there were aspects of the practice I was unsure about, particularly the symbols and the Reiju and aspect of treatments on others. Like my experience with Western Reiki, there was a nagging sense that something was missing or that didn't feel quite right for me. I couldn’t quite put my finger on it, but I didn’t feel completely at peace within the system and teachings.  

 

JIKIDEN REIKI & THE ARJAVA REIKI INSTITUTE

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When I learned that Frank Arjava Petter (known as 'Arjava'), the then vice-principal of Jikiden Reiki, was teaching a Level I and II seminar in New Zealand, I booked my ticket instantly! I was so curious to understand the differences between Komyo ReikiDo and Jikiden Reiki, especially since they shared the same lineage and seemed to teach the practices unchanged. Arjava is an incredible teacher, humble, deeply knowledgeable, possesses a wisdom that only someone might attain after living almost their entire lives immersed and committed to spiritual practice.  He is someone who lives and breathes the practice. And it shows. His presence alone reflects the qualities one hopes for in a Teacher of this lineage but that isn't necessarily so common.

 

Following some time of settling into the practice from Jikiden Reiki, everything felt stronger and there was a clarity and intensity that felt different to me than anything else I had practiced.  The techniques were unchanged from what Hayashi taught, including the symbols and Reiju and it transformed my practice to a level I didn’t know was possible. There was more depth and detail in the teachings, a more comprehensive set of techniques with an in depth focus not only on how to treat oneself and others for healing but also on the inner teachings and deep spiritual path offered by the practice of Reiki.  For me, it felt like coming home. The doubts, the questions, the quiet yearning for “something more” disappeared. This felt like ground zero, the true, unchanged teachings and techniques passed down from Hayashi.  After such a long journey, it was extraordinary to finally land here.

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By learning the traditional practices in Jikiden Reiki, I learned, by default, that Komyo ReikiDo is, in fact, a modified system of Reiki. Some symbols had been removed, others replaced, the traditional Reiju had been changed, many foundational practices had been adapted, some left out, and there was some fundamental teachings that had been left out (you can read more here about the differences between Jikiden Reiki and KomyoReikiDo).  This has since been acknowledged by Hyakuten Inamoto. 

 

Jikiden, by definition, means 'as taught' - its focus was squarely on preserving the Teachings of Hayashi, unchanged.  To, it answered all of my questions and aspects I was previously uncertain about, and I was left feeling like it was a point of totally completion for me.   It was quite the journey, but every step provided me with a lesson or learning and deepening of my understanding and of my own practice, and I was grateful for that journey too.

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A Quick Overview of the word 'Traditional' in Reiki

It is important to note that when we speak of "Traditional Reiki", we are generally referring to the teachings passed down by Chujiro Hayashi, Mikao Usui's last Shihan (Teacher) student. Whilst these teachings are regarded as the closest publicly available representation of Usui's system, Hayashi may have made changes, additions or refinements of his own.

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As the Usui Reiki Ryōhō Gakkai (the association founded by Usui Sensei) has remained closed to the public since World War II, it is not possible to know with certainty what differences may have existed between the teachings practised within the Gakkai and those taught by Hayashi. When Traditional Reiki is referred to on this website, it is with the understanding that it is based on the teachings passed down through Hayashi Sensei and the lineages that descend from him.

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From Jikiden Reiki to the Arjava Reiki Institute

After completing my Jikiden training, when Arjava resigned as vice-principal, I continued studying with him through The Arjava Reiki Institute, where he continues to teach the traditional practices exactly as taught by his late teacher, Chiyoko Yamaguchi, the practices she was taught by Hayashi - unchanged.   Arjava also teaches some additional techniques Chiyoko learned from Hayashi that didn't make it into the Jikiden Reiki syllabus along with additional practices preserved within the Usui Reiki Gakkai (the closed association in Japan founded by Usui himself). 

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How Traditional Japanese Reiki Changed My Practice

 

Since embracing the traditional, non-Westernised Reiki healing and spiritual practices into my daily hands-on Reiki Practice, my Spiritual Path has deepened, and I've noticed a profound increase in the effectiveness of my healing sessions both for myself personally and my clients. Clients report experiencing deeper healing in a shorter space of time (and in fewer sessions), deeper relaxation, emotional release, and an enhanced overall sense of well-being.

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Since then, I found freedom in charting my own path, integrating lessons from all my experiences.  My Reiki practice remains deeply rooted in the lineage of Jikiden Reiki and The Arjava Reiki Institute and I honor the teachings and practices I've learned and remain committed to sharing this transformative journey with others. I am immensely grateful for the opportunity to share its profound impact with others.

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