Reiki History: Fairy tales or fact?

 

While browsing the internet lately, I see that several Reiki web sites have adopted a ‘watch this space for breaking news’ angle (eg Deacon, 200; Reiki.nu 2000, 2004) as more theories and research into Usui Mikao’s life are rapidly  emerging.  It’s an exciting time, watching new research strategies bear fruit.  

 

While enjoying such an active scene, I am concerned about the amount of plagiarism and lack of referencing that goes on.  Just as Reiki is considered an intelligent energy, so I believe are its students and practitioners.  It would be wonderful if such interesting articles enable them to reason for themselves rather than simply be asked to accept stories from ‘experts’. 

 

If information, however uncertain, that is not the experience or sole thought of the author is made public a basic step is to reference its origin.  There are very good reasons for this, even those on a fairly informal medium such as the internet.  I am suggesting that by not acknowledging:  people you have spoken to, opinions heard (even your mate in the pub), books & documents read and other artefacts seen, copyright can be infringed - a serious matter.  Plagiarism is also illegal and when discovered can seriously undermine the culpable author’s credibility.  It’s also not very fair (on the mate in the pub especially) to disregard other people’s hard work.

 

Additionally, for those of us surfing the net, ‘…there is an issue about the status of knowledge… If an opinion or an argument is presented unreferenced….it might be made to appear as fact. This disempowers the reader, who is not given even the vaguest chance of engaging with the material and coming to their own conclusion…sources should always be referenced in some way, to allow a reader to engage with the argument being made, and if they desire to follow it up with their own research into the matter.’ (Fontein, 2008 Jan 2, personal email to author).

 

Although obviously few Reiki writers are professional researchers, it is appropriate to begin citing more sources.  My aim here is not to denigrate what seem to be fine achievements in Reiki research but to encourage better methods.  To do so would be beneficial for the unity of the Reiki community, not to mention saving hours of labour replicating the same research just to authenticate it.

 

Readers should expect to see at the very least, sources acknowledged in a bibliography.  Preferably however, standard referencing methods, for example the Harvard or Chicago university systems should be used.

http://www.education.ex.ac.uk/dll/studyskills/harvard_referencing.htm

http://library.uncg.edu/depts/ref/handouts/chicago.asp

 

 It doesn’t matter what style is adopted as long as it is consistent through out the work.  I suspect many Reiki history articles on the internet have been written from internet research alone, but even then, the source URLs, when it was last updated and the date seen should be made clear to the reader,  in some way. 

 

Here are examples from some well intentioned and prominent web sites.  They possibly do not infringe copyright, but better referencing would make their presentation more credible.

 

A/  ReikiZone UK, has a lovely, well designed website (2004).  However, on the Reiki History page it is not evident what sources were used (i.e. from teachers etc) or if permission was gained, as no acknowledgment is made even in passing.

 

For example,

‘….Reiki originated in ancient Tibet thousands of years ago.  The Reiki calligraphy, in Sanskrit, was used in meditation in Tibetan monasteries.….

What is now called Reiki was re-discovered in the 1870's by Dr. Mikao Usui. As the story goes, Dr. Usui, the president of a small Christian University in Japan...’

 

This quote raises a few interesting questions; among them, what is the writer’s source of authority with regard to Usui’s form of  Reiki originating in Tibet as this has been disputed elsewhere and which story in ‘…As the story goes…’, is the writer referring to? 

 

B/ The International House of Reiki’s Historical inconsistencies (2005) web page does warn the reader of believing history without proof.   Advice given after Frans Steine of the International House of Reiki and Inamoto Hyakuten undertook a research trip to Hiei zan (Mt Hiei) in 2005.  They discovered that several of the Tendai Buddhist nuns quoted by Dave King and Chris Marsh, (two Reiki history researchers) were not found on the authorative Tendai Buddhist register, which dates back over 100 years.   Perhaps as a result, the Steine’s  I.H.R.website is comparatively wonderfully referenced compared to other sites.  

I would however, like to consider a quote from this page, Usui Mikao (1865-1926)  (2005), where referencing would have given these interesting facts more solidity,

 

‘Early students had never heard of the word Reiki in relation to the entirety of Usui Mikao's teachings. It was also often used in conjunction with Usui Mikao's teachings but not as the name of them merely in its literal form meaning 'spiritual energy'. Only once it came to the West was the word 'Reiki' turned into the name for a system. The creation of this name can be seen in Alice Takata's Gray Book.’

 

It is great to see a section of the Gray, scanned and linked to the article

The relevant quote from this source is,

‘ I shall call it “Reiki”, because I studied under that expression.’

This quote suggests but does not prove that Reiki as a name, was Takata’s adoption. and unfortunately does not add insight to the statement that, ‘ Early students had never heard of the word Reiki in relation to the entirety of Usui Mikao;s teachings or that “‘ Only once it came to the West was the word ‘Reiki’’’ used for the system...  I understand points can possibly be verified (see Rand,  What is Reiki history, 1990 2008), but their origin clearly stated would help us make up our own minds. 

 

Harper (lecture 2008,Jan 8) refers to  Foucault’s  (1980) contention that, there may be no such thing as truth in a pure sense, but how it is used is very important.  Considering this issue, Karen Workman (2008 Jan 8, personal email to author) suggests that perhaps  ‘[Reiki] history is…  just sorting itself out … [We] must move with the energy with… reverence and respect.’

 

Echoing Rand, Inamoto sensei says that, Reiki is to share with the world.  Indeed Rand sees the history of Reiki as one means ‘to unite Reiki lineages with differing but orthodox and fixed styles’ (1997, Discovering the Roots of Reiki).  

Researchers however are unable to unite on the subject of Reiki history while opinions and research are unsubstantiated and for example, The Usui Reki Ryoho Gakkai cannot rely on the authenticity of Western teachers’ findings. (Inamoto, 2008 Jan, per. com.)

 

I truly hope that research into Reiki history continues at a pace and on a more professional level, thereby generating productive debate and discourse on the internet.  I can imagine a little more sharing could exponentially produce much more usable, durable information of wider interest.  Information would be less confusing and more reliable for people wanting to know the truth about Reiki history.

 

Jennifer Lyons

Jenny is Gendai Reiki Teacher attuned by Doi sensei, and has recently returned from living in Japan for 3 years.  She is currently studying towards a MSc Social Anthropology at Edinburgh University (2007 -2009) and can be contacted at jennylyons9@yahoo.com.au

 

Notes:

 

 

a.  Deacon (2002-2005 http://www.aetw.org/reiki_history_tl.html). He  does a good job at separating hard fact from opinion but forgets to do so in the  1925 -106 entries.

 

b. The International House of Reiki 2005, Mikao Usui (1865 – 1926) http://www.reiki.net.au/copy.asp?id=HistoryMikao

Very useful information on the historical inaccuracies of Reiki.  The Reiki History page however uses unverified information in a confusing manner but this is mostly clarified elsewhere on their site. 

 

Deacon’s site at http://www.aetw.org/tic.htm

 

 

References:

 

Foucault, Michael 1980 Ed & translated by Colin Gordon, Power/knowledge: selected interviews and other writings, 1972-1977, Brighton: Harvester Press    

 

 Miller, Jessica   2007      Reiki’s Birthplace, Sedona, Arizona: Infinite Light Healing Studies Centre, Inc.

 

World Wide Web Page:

 

Becket, Jon 2006 7th Edition  An Exploration of Usui Reiki and Beyond   [Online e-book] Available:

http://new-reiki-books.johreiki.net/new-reiki-books.php 

[accessed 14 Jan 2008]

 

Bowling, Andrew 2001- 2006 Andrew Bowling’s Reiki History Archives  [Online] Available: http://www.threshold.ca/reiki/home.html [accessed 14 Jan 2008]

 

Burton Crutchfield, John 2007 Guide to Chicago Reference Lists  [Online] http://library.uncg.edu/depts/ref/handouts/chicago.asp, [accessed 13 Jan 2008]

 

Casey, Kevin 2005 (on King, Taggart 2007) Thoughts on Usui Reiki form an American Tendai Buddhist, [Online] Available: http://reiki-evolution.co.uk/reiki-articles-casey-01.htm [accessed 6 Jan 2008]

 

Dahn, Samantha 2001 Referencing – The Harvard System [Online] Available: http://www.education.ex.ac.uk/dll/studyskills/harvard_referencing.htm [accessed 13 Jan 2008]

 

Deacon, James 2002-2005 Reiki History Time-Line [Online] Available:  http://www.aetw.org/reiki_history_tl.html [accessed 6 Jan 2008]

 

Deacon, James 2002 The History of Reiki, [Online} Available:

http://www.aetw.org/reiki_history.html [accessed 6 Jan 2008]

 

International House of Reiki 2005 Historical Inaccuracies [Online] Available: http://www.reiki.net.au/copy.asp?id=HistoryHistorical [accessed 6 Jan 2008]

 

International House of Reiki 2005 Usui Mikao (1865-1926) [Online] Available:

http://www.reiki.net.au/copy.asp?id=HistoryMikao [accessed 13 Jan 2008]

 

International House of Reiki 2005 Usui’s Students [Online] Available: http://www.reiki.net.au/copy.asp?id=HistoryStudents [accessed 6 Jan 2008]

 

King, Dave 1971-2005 (/updated 14 May 2007) [Online] Available: threshold.ca/usui-do/stories.shtml [accessed 14 Jan 2008]

 

Light and Adonea 2000Dec 12   Chronological History of Reiki Page 4, [Online] Available:

http://www.geocities.com/HotSprings/9434/history4.html#takata [accessed 14 Jan 2008]

 

Petter, Frank Arjava Reiki dharma About Me,  2000 [Online] Available:

http://reikidharma.com/en/index.html [14 Jan 2008]

 

Rand, William Lee & Gaia, Laurelle Shanti 1997 Discovering the Roots of Reiki   [Online]  Available: http://www.reiki.org/reikinews/rootsreiki.html [accessed  6 Jan 2008]

 

Rand, William 1990 -2008 What is the History of Reiki? [Online] Available:

http://www.reikiinhospitals.net/FAQ/HistoryOfReiki.html [accessed 21 Jan 2008]

 

Rand, William 1997 [Online] Available: http://www.reiki.org/reikinews/memorial.html [accessed 13 Jan 2008]

 

Reiki.nu 2000, 2004  Reiki History in Change  [Online] Available; http://www.reiki.nu/history/history.html [accessed 21Jan 2008]

 

ReikiZone 2004 [Online] Available:  http://www.reikizone.co.uk/history.html

[accessed 21 Jan 2008]

Electronic email:

Doi Hiroshi  2008, Jan 2 Happy New Year, email to J.Lyons jennylyons9@yahoo.com.au [2 Jan 2008]

 

Fontein, Joost 2008, Jan 2 re referencing on the internet, email to J. Lyons: jennylyons9@yahoo.com.au [2 Jan 2008]

 

Workman, Karen 2008, Jan 8  Article Thoughts, email to J. Lyons: jennylyons9@yahoo.com.au

[8 Jan 2008]