What is it that marks out the specific characteristics of the Reiki Jin Kei Do tradition when compared with the other more dominant traditions of this popular healing system? There seems to be one significant difference between Reiki Jin Kei Do (RJKD) and other approaches to the Reiki method. It’s importance is something that would be agreed upon by nearly all practitioners and teachers of the tradition even though they may have their own particular orientation to the practice, teachings and methodology.

RJKD approaches the system of Reiki from the stand point that it is in the first instance a method for the practitioner to engage with for their own inner journey of awakening. Whilst in some ways the greatest outward expression of Reiki is as a therapeutic modality, this is by no means the principle focus of the RJKD method (though paradoxically this can be seen very much as an essential component of the ultimate goal or realization of the system – the giving of healing as a compassionate act).

The modern-day system of Reiki has its roots in an originally nameless system of spiritual practice that was developed in the early part of the 20th Century and came to be known by its first students as ‘Usui Do’. The system was created from an amalgam of methods extracted and teased out of a number of other energy based and spiritual systems by Mikao Usui, a Japanese practitioner of Tendai Buddhism. It is becoming clearer, as research goes on that the founder of the method did not develop or teach an energy therapy. This side of the system which was expanded upon by Usui’s student Dr Chujiro Hayashi was not regarded by Usui as being of any great significance and in recent years there has in fact been a growing acknowledgment of modern Reiki’s mis-orientation as no more than an energy therapy. We can now see more of an emphasis beginning to emerge in exploring Reiki as a method for one’s own personal spiritual development.

In the tradition of RJKD the attaining of the state of enlightenment or spiritual awakening or re-union with the God-force has always been the goal of practice – it is the most urgent of reasons for being involved with Reiki. To this end then there are a number of specific meditation practices that are taught to students as skillful means from which they can develop their connection to the Universal Energy Field (or God, or the state of enlightenment). One of these methods is a meditation called The Six Point Meditation. This method is a simplification of a powerful Vajrayana Buddhist meditation called Buddho which it is thought is the meditation that Usui engaged in during a 21 day retreat on Mt Kurama during the period when he was developing his system. Indeed much of the value of the RJKD approach is derived from its indebtedness to the larger healing system of the Buddho (or Buddho-EnerSense as it is sometimes referred to), the meditation of the same name being the central component within this elaborate system of personal spiritual practice. It is the Buddho/Buddho-EnerSense method which influences and impregnates the entire expression and orientation of the RJKD Reiki system.

So how close does the RJKD approach come to Usui’s own orientation to his system? It is not possible in terms of the specific methods employed to state one way or another whether the RJKD approach is close to or dissimilar to Usui’s. However, given that RJKD has as its central philosophic aim the development of compassion and wisdom as an expression of the individual journey to the state of cosmic-consciousness, then we can say that RJKD and Usui’s method are indeed very similar.

The current head of the RJKD lineage, Dr Ranga Premaratna has stated:

“The Buddho method which is the origin of Reiki Jin Kei Do clearly links the (Reiki) symbols and other teachings to its teachings. The advantage of Jin Kei Do is that it connects you to the teachings before and beyond Japanese Reiki; truly connecting to Sanskrit origins, mantras, yantras, symbols and meditation.”

So while no claim is made that RJKD is the original Usui method there is the sense that RJKD does have a very strong resonance with Usui’s system. This is not just in relation to its philosophic orientation but also because there are elements within the Buddho system that were taken by Usui and used in either whole or modified form in his development of his secular Reiki system. It is known that Usui had access to at least some parts of the Buddho system, most importantly the Buddho meditation itself which was a significant influence on the system’s evolution.

Reiki Jin Kei Do also shares the concern in utilizing the significant potential of the system for the healing of others on all levels via direct application of the Reiki energy. This is largely due to the fact that it has in part a common ancestry with the world’s most dominant lineage; that of Hawayo Takata, through Chujiro Hayashi. Reiki Therapeutics is seen in some respects as one of the culminations of practice. As we develop our innate wisdom mind which automatically gives rise to feelings of compassion for all beings, we develop a strong urge to apply our Reiki ability for the relief of suffering in the world. The most natural expression of this is through the use of Reiki as a hands-on method.

There is a fine distinction here which it is important to recognize. While the use of Reiki as an energy therapy is very much one of the destinations to which we are ultimately led it is important to remember that we need to focus on ourselves first. We need to develop ourselves first and heal ourselves and remove our attachments to the world of suffering (it is our attachments that in large part cause this suffering). Our primary goal in the development of our minds can lead us to the achieving of the state of enlightenment – the most crucial element in the full expression of the RJKD teachings. As we take this journey for our own benefit, we find that we have so much more to give to others. We apply Reiki mindfully, with a sense of compassion and a proactive commitment to making the world a better place for all. We take the path of the Bodhisattva. As we take this path, our work with Reiki Therapeutics becomes itself a central component within our rapidly expanding wisdom mind and heart of compassion. This then reinforces our journey to that state of enlightened being. A symbiotic relationship develops.

In considering what the Reiki Jin Kei Do approach can offer, it is important to recognize that there is not a sense in which it is thought to be better than other approaches to Reiki. It shares many common values with other lineages and of course also shares key people in the transmission of its teachings. It is quite simply a different approach to the system.