Reiki vis-a-vis the religions - same ends ?

hi all

being into reiki, it is almost paramount that we start getting taste of spiritualism (if not before) and some would say we get to know our 'own spark of divinity' (thanks Wayne ) it has become sort of a 'gospel truth' that reiki invites spiritualism, and if we could wrap around us the complete package that includes the percepts of reiki, reiki undoubtfully leads ways to a new lifestyle--a change which religions are best known to have brought about in people !!

religions, here and there, tend to provide a complete package of how to spend life... they start by giving concepts about God, (or Gods), and step down further to enumerate general principles that can instill such a culture in the followers, that they would then find easy to adopt the detailed teachings in respect of do's and donot's, and this unfolds further into details, in a step by step fashion, untill the followers of a religion come to catch upon a complete "code"...

almost all the religions, therefore, have one basic essential element to start with... and that is : the concept about God (or Gods) which is soon translated into ancilliary concepts of spiritualism, spiritual elevation, development, recognition, light, wisdom and so on....

i might be wrong, but i have observed that practicing reiki has the potential to challange the religious attachment of people.. thats why religious lords often are seen to look down upon reiki, to lament it, to oppose it, and to say that reiki is all evil, as a matter of last recourse this raises a question, that why they feel alarmed in respect of reiki... what potentials reiki holds, that could cause a 'disturbance' in the age-old established systems of sayings-followings... do reiligious people feel reiki as a threat ? and since we clearly know various instances of such attitudes shown by religious lords, we have to answer question ourselves, or in this august forum, that does reiki hold a semblance to something that could be called a religion ??

interesting that reiki started from Usui Sensei, in a way striking similar to the way various religions are known to be 'born' a self-discipline, pious person, seeking seclusion, seeking guidance, seeking light and wisdom gets a revelation of something hitherto unknown to him and to rest of the public... he is astonished on the magical exhibition of wonders of reiki while he is way back descending from Mount Kurana... so bestownment of reiki was not ever foreseen by Usui perhaps... it was something he did not had an earlier idea...does this not hold a striking similarity to the birth of variuos religions known to us ?

by reading these lines, if respected readers jump to a conclusion that i wish or have any tendency to 'declare' or 'officialise' reiki as a religion, this might be totally against my intentions i have quite opposite in my mind owing to my lack of enough knowledge, i find it appropriate to question like a layman, or like a naive student... my intentions, and my question is, "how do we include reiki in our religious practices in a way that there is no usurpation and more specifically if we feel that practicing reiki is overlapping some religious practice or ritual, for which we have deep reverence and attachment, how do we reconcile the two, so that we dont anytime feel we are adopting one at the cost of abandoning another ??

and finally, an open question : 'Do you have ever felt that reiki is an 'unfinished or un-declared religion ??


if my words have gone far in disturbing, offending, or irritating some readers in their religious inclinations, i m more than most sorry, and apolgise from my heart..it was a discussion writing, and not an assertion believes and nor it was a preaching whatsoever... please forgive!


take care

salman

LOVE the topic!!!!!!

and finally, an open question : 'Do you have ever felt that reiki is an 'unfinished or un-declared religion ??

I would venture to say that some other religious leaders do see Reiki as something that competes with their beliefs/teachings and consider it to function as a kind of undeclared religion. I can also understand why they might think that, although I believe their thinking to be incorrect in some of the assumptions they make.

I personally do not see Reiki as a religion, but it is definitely a spiritual practice, one that can and frequently does bring us closer to the Source of all light and love. There is no real dogma associated with Reiki, which is what differentiates it from most organized religions. The Five Reiki Ideals are the closest things Reiki has to dogma, but they are broad tenets shared with other religions, and there is no expectation of worship of any particular deity or teacher as there is with organized religions.

Dragonfly wrote:

and finally, an open question : 'Do you have ever felt that reiki is an 'unfinished or un-declared religion ??

.........There is no real dogma associated with Reiki, which is what differentiates it from most organized religions. The Five Reiki Ideals are the closest things Reiki has to dogma, but they are broad tenets shared with other religions, and there is no expectation of worship of any particular deity or teacher as there is with organized religions.

thanks for this precious input

dogma, in the sense we take it today, is a complex mix of original teachings, usages, history, developments and kinda evolution... i would wonder if i find a religion in this world that has been practiced over a long period and it has remained as inert, original, and intact, as it was in the first place.... however, i have quite good reasons to agree with what above you said, particularly, that reiki does not instruct or imply any worship of diety, or whatever, and in that sense we feel safe in excluding reiki from dogmatic and/or dialectic debates..


but, for a moment, if we ignore definitions and instructional parameters, we feel that practicing reiki regularly, we start feeling a divine presence, whether it is our own divinity, or personalized id of universal divinity, or divinity at large.... and as reiki goes on making us acquainted with divine presence, or spiritualism, we come to realization of the divine... and how many steps we are away then from the worship of divine if we had truly realized that there is something in this universe called Divine


moving on this point, reiki sometimes appears as a kindergarten where many of us would culture our mind and spirit, so as to adopt some religion later on, with an asset in hand, that we would be already familiar with the essence of religions i.e., divine


good points, thanks again!

take care

salman

Hi Salman

Thanks for this thread.

Reiki was called by Usui sensei "The Spiritual Medicine".

Now in my opinion there is a lot of unnecessary confusion between spirituality and religion. Religion is adherence to a formal set of rules with the aim of achieving salvation (or nirvana or whatever...). Spirituality is completely different.

It may be the basis for all religions. My view on spirituality is that, if we are spiritual, we recognise our connection with the Divine, and with all things as the Divine is contained within all things (as well as containing all things). The phrase "God is all, and in all, and through all: in whom we live, move and have our being" is relevant here.

Spiritualism, however, is different again. It is the practice of contacting unseen spirits.

It occurred to me that those who practise Reiki using many different "traditional Japanese" practices are turning a spiritual practice into a religion. The venom with which they tell those of us who don't use them that we are wrong would seem to indicate that. Religion dictates a right and a wrong way. Spirituality doesn't.

Now because Reiki is a "spiritual" practice, it will bring us into contact with the spirit world, hence the confusion with spiritualism. In my case, it seems to have opened the doors to mediumistic practice, shamanism... all sorts of unexpected things which I can't explain and can't deny. (I'm not complaining though!)

An interesting topic, Salman!

thanks for sharing your thoughts

reading through your post, i gather three independent concepts viz : religion, spiritualism and spirituality..

while, as you said, spirituality may be the basis of many religions, and that it is not a religion per se, well-said spirituality may better equip us to understand how and which way religions take us lead to the way of salvation, solace, nirvana, (or whatever nomenclature we use to understand that concpet).... to this step spirituality seems to 'aid' religions, but as we proceed further, the spirituality goes to a different definite end which religions may or may not be prescribing... spirituality is the connection to divine, in a way, the connection establishes itself without the pre-thought of teachings, preachings, scripts, sayings, etc. spirituality creates connection as raw, then goes on refining it, and as the connection goes on, spirituality leads us to a state of mind when we apprise, quoting your words, "God is all, and in all, and through all: in whom we live, move and have our being" this is the aim or the highest accomplishement of spirituality, but this point of achievement sometimes comes in direct conflict with prescriptions of many religions... the religions prescribe the worship, which presupposes the articulate identitification (and separation) between worshipper and the God, and the said separation goes melted indigenously during spiritual uplift, thereby bringing spirituality in direct confrontation with religions in many noted cases from history ! and perhaps this leads to clues that why religious people sometimes dont like reiki too!

spiritualism, as you have given me the idea, is the story of the unseeen realm, of the metaphysical world, of the supernatural domains, and of which spirits, mediumship, cross-realm contacts, constitue an important part... spiritualims is not confined to mediumship or contacting spirits, rather it contains these concepts, inter alia !


how spirituality leads way to spiritualism, and if vice versa can also be held true ? i can only guess around..... when we develop spiritually or when our spirituality goes on developing (though reiki, or any ancient practice, or even when we are good, pious, content, etc. ) we progressively keep lowering the barriers and boundaries... these barriers and boundaries are the part of our identity, we are housed in them... when we transcend these boundaries, we start experiencing merger with the universe, with a unified whole, and since we are no more 'bounded' in our original boundaries, we often happen to contact spirits, unseen entities, dead matter, air, and alike... not because we ever intended for it, but because we happen to be able for such contacts due to our spiritual practices...

so this might conclude me to say that spirituality (as per your description) brings about consequences that we could call spiritualism(as per your descirption, again )although, these consequences were not aimed at or strived for when someone was practicing spirituality.... so this is sort of a bundle-offer or 'pay one, get one free' type of phenomenon.....

and the third concept religion, where does that fit in the picture here ? again, we find an overlaaping of domains... religion possesses spirutality, and is also outside it, like spirituality had contained aspects of religions, and was also outside it

it is utmost necessary that we know and have a good idea of this overlapping, otherwise we may feel ourselves astrayed in the end... if we want to have religion in priority, we have to 'allow' only as much spirituality in us as long as it does not start playing with our 'identities' regarding who is the worshipper and who is the God... and if we prefer spirituality over religion, we must buckle up for a different journey, sometimes quite like a roller coaster

and spiritualism ? well it is an off-shoot, sort of a practical/manifesting aspect of the abilities we develop during our spiritual uplift, and if we take up this aspect as our 'major', we might lose the original track we started in with!


where does reiki fits in all this discussion ? well, i feel, dialectic like above makes us prepared to distinguish what reiki is and what reiki is not... like James says on his website that new 'styles' or reiki are emerging as we breathe, it is paramount to have a well developed thought on the possible 'overlapping' of domains in the case of reiki too... we hear that the world is almost gone crazy in search of 'original' reiki... leaving ego-trips, self-projections, commercialism of reiki professionals aside, there must have been a genuine cause for this search of 'original' reiki... and an overlapping like above guides us why reiki today is not so original

countless styles are being imported into reiki, and those styles are quite confusing for a newbie... (and sometimes even for masters too, who are always in search of new tags to add to their profile)... and this confusion extends in case of religions too, when some practioner start feeling that they ve been making efforts in reiki and in religion for apparently the 'same' ends... which is an initial confusion


reiki, or any field, is not supposed to be closed-ended or stagnant... and since the history of reiki is sometimes so confusing and controversial that we dont know what is original reiki and what is not... in such situations we can go well, if we highlight the phiolosophy or reiki, its fundamentals in the first place, without concurrently indulgin ourselves into reiki style debate... after we get an idea of what reiki (not styles) originally is, we may feel free adding whatever to our practice that we fee suits us, but not at the cost of evading the original compartmentalization made at the start of our journey into this wonderful field called Reiki


thanks for hearing me guys


take care

salman

Pandora wrote:Hi Salman

Thanks for this thread.

Reiki was called by Usui sensei "The Spiritual Medicine".

Now in my opinion there is a lot of unnecessary confusion between spirituality and religion. Religion is adherence to a formal set of rules with the aim of achieving salvation (or nirvana or whatever...). Spirituality is completely different.

It may be the basis for all religions. My view on spirituality is that, if we are spiritual, we recognise our connection with the Divine, and with all things as the Divine is contained within all things (as well as containing all things). The phrase "God is all, and in all, and through all: in whom we live, move and have our being" is relevant here.

Spiritualism, however, is different again. It is the practice of contacting unseen spirits.

It occurred to me that those who practise Reiki using many different "traditional Japanese" practices are turning a spiritual practice into a religion. The venom with which they tell those of us who don't use them that we are wrong would seem to indicate that. Religion dictates a right and a wrong way. Spirituality doesn't.

Now because Reiki is a "spiritual" practice, it will bring us into contact with the spirit world, hence the confusion with spiritualism. In my case, it seems to have opened the doors to mediumistic practice, shamanism... all sorts of unexpected things which I can't explain and can't deny. (I'm not complaining though!)

An interesting topic, Salman!

Pandora wrote:
It occurred to me that those who practise Reiki using many different "traditional Japanese" practices are turning a spiritual practice into a religion. The venom with which they tell those of us who don't use them that we are wrong would seem to indicate that. Religion dictates a right and a wrong way. Spirituality doesn't.

This is a very good point, Pandora. Well said.

Hiya buddy!
Great to see you posting again, . sorry i havn't responded to your email sooner, things have been very hectic, but very great of late, i'll respond prob tomorrow.

Lambs-Wool wrote:hi all
being into reiki, it is almost paramount that we start getting taste of spiritualism (if not before) and some would say we get to know our 'own spark of divinity' (thanks Wayne )

Yeah, Reiki is in part interacting, and expereincing our spirit, our divine essence. We also have Reiji ho, being guided by spirit. And Hatsurei ho, generate spirit. It all is to do with spirit, our spirit, .

Lambs-Wool wrote:
it has become sort of a 'gospel truth' that reiki invites spiritualism, and if we could wrap around us the complete package that includes the percepts of reiki, reiki undoubtfully leads ways to a new lifestyle--a change which religions are best known to have brought about in people !!

For sure, Reiki invites spiritulism as in our own spirit, or, divinity. Yeah, the best aspects of religion also do do this.

Lambs-Wool wrote:
i might be wrong, but i have observed that practicing reiki has the potential to challange the religious attachment of people.. thats why religious lords often are seen to look down upon reiki, to lament it, to oppose it, and to say that reiki is all evil, as a matter of last recourse this raises a question, that why they feel alarmed in respect of reiki...

This might be a reason, for sure. It might also be that folks will fear something that they don't understand, and something that may seem to 'challenge' their current beliefs.

Lambs-Wool wrote:
what potentials reiki holds, that could cause a 'disturbance' in the age-old established systems of sayings-followings... do reiligious people feel reiki as a threat ? and since we clearly know various instances of such attitudes shown by religious lords, we have to answer question ourselves, or in this august forum, that does reiki hold a semblance to something that could be called a religion ??

You've kinda already showed how similar ingredients Reiki has to what religion has. Here's the first lines from wikipedia on religion..

A religion is an organized approach to human spirituality which usually encompasses a set of narratives, symbols, beliefs and practices, often with a supernatural or transcendent quality, that give meaning to the practitioner's experiences of life through reference to a higher power, God or gods, or ultimate truth.

Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Religion .

It's quite clear Reiki may fall under that category. Whether one would care to recoqnise it or not is really up to the individual. I like religion, i like all religions, but i don't see the need to say Reiki is a religion. Even though i always look to the positive effects of religion, i couldn't help but feel it would have a negative impact on a spiritual path that is enjoying much freedom of expression, .

Lambs-Wool wrote:
by reading these lines, if respected readers jump to a conclusion that i wish or have any tendency to 'declare' or 'officialise' reiki as a religion, this might be totally against my intentions

No fear brother, it's clear you didn't mean that, .

Lambs-Wool wrote:
my intentions, and my question is, "how do we include reiki in our religious practices in a way that there is no usurpation and more specifically if we feel that practicing reiki is overlapping some religious practice or ritual, for which we have deep reverence and attachment, how do we reconcile the two, so that we dont anytime feel we are adopting one at the cost of abandoning another ??

Your religion is everything to you Salman. Keep your religion your primary importance, but also have Reiki in your life as much as is comfortable. Reiki will mould into whatever size you wish it to.

I do feel that Usui sensei might well have followed various aspects of variosu religions. And that he also didn't promote one religion in Reiki. Is there one way to expereince God?

I'm near sure even Islam teaches things about Christianity & Judaism that the other two wouldn't consider. Such as giving them immense respect in the Holy Qu'ran, and not permitting any bad talk about them. I seem to remember, from my days as a practicing muslim, that also Islam does teach that Christians will also go to paradise. I can look that up if asked, .

My point is, folks on earth make rules on how to experience God. Sometimes, they also make rules on how to protect their path via membership. I've read things in Islam, that are so refreshing, indicating Islam recoqnises their is more than one way. Really, it's 1000's of year ahead of it's time. So, Reiki is another way to supplement, and accentuate, our experience with God.

Lambs-Wool wrote:
and finally, an open question : 'Do you have ever felt that reiki is an 'unfinished or un-declared religion ??

Not at all, . I feel Usui sensei taught it to Hayashi sensei, and it was passed the way it was to Takata sensei, for a reason. God is emphasised in it, so is our spirit, but it's the universality of the divine. That all encompassing presence, that predates any manmade path, that predates any human.

Lambs-Wool wrote:
if my words have gone far in disturbing, offending, or irritating some readers in their religious inclinations, i m more than most sorry, and apolgise from my heart..it was a discussion writing, and not an assertion believes and nor it was a preaching whatsoever... please forgive!

Your words and posts are most welcome, as always, .

Take care
Wayne

Pandora wrote:

It occurred to me that those who practise Reiki using many different "traditional Japanese" practices are turning a spiritual practice into a religion. The venom with which they tell those of us who don't use them that we are wrong would seem to indicate that. Religion dictates a right and a wrong way. Spirituality doesn't.

Excellant point Chris! The words 'traditional' and 'Japanese' don't neccessarily mean 'Reiki'. Any Japanese technique isn't Reiki, and 'traditional' seems to certianly not mean 'original'.

take care
Wayne

dear friends,

If i say reiki is real, spirituality of all religion work on the root of reiki and add spiritual person put their own thoughts and feeling and make the new religion but reiki puriest spirituality or you can say shortest way to understand sprituality.

so i can say those who want to knew religion just learned reiki and fellow the path he will understand .

people make the thing according to their group or society for make people togather in some thoughts due to that they put lot ristration or but this restrication make thing more complicated and also divided the people that reason when we talk about religion we thing according own religion but that is not right.

In my opinion religion is that or real spirituality is that who make all world one without any restrication or omni present.

i feel reiki has that reason i fellow it because it is as pure as my soul or our souls that resaon i enjoyed it


take care
slam
vj

vijaybali wrote:dear friends,

If i say reiki is real, spirituality of all religion work on the root of reiki and add spiritual person put their own thoughts and feeling and make the new religion but reiki puriest spirituality or you can say shortest way to understand sprituality.

so i can say those who want to knew religion just learned reiki and fellow the path he will understand .

people make the thing according to their group or society for make people togather in some thoughts due to that they put lot ristration or but this restrication make thing more complicated and also divided the people that reason when we talk about religion we thing according own religion but that is not right.

In my opinion religion is that or real spirituality is that who make all world one without any restrication or omni present.

i feel reiki has that reason i fellow it because it is as pure as my soul or our souls that resaon i enjoyed it


take care
slam
vj

Vijay, what a lovely post! And I wholeheartedly agree. Blessings!

hi Wayne thanks for your nourishing answer, as ever

Milarepa wrote:
Your religion is everything to you Salman. Keep your religion your primary importance, but also have Reiki in your life as much as is comfortable. Reiki will mould into whatever size you wish it to.

i m focussing these days on what is the supposed objective of this life... what if we were not created ab initio.... more so, as Quran says, this life is a preparatory leave for an endless life afterwards, i m searching around the reasons why we were not sent to that life direct...religion, in a way, is a textbook curriculum to pass this tough exam, but what was the rationale of exam itself in the first place... not that i doubt anything, but i wish to find reasons, and this approach is what Quran asks to adopt every human being whatever, wherever...

if our spirituality is an end itself, why would there be so many religions, and does that a religion springs from inner, or is an outer sleeve made wrapped around us, or both... you well know Wayne from your philosophical studies, that these questions have bothered all the people over ages... and to keep trying find the answer, is a practice that makes the directions set to right ends...

Milarepa wrote:
I do feel that Usui sensei might well have followed various aspects of variosu religions. And that he also didn't promote one religion in Reiki. Is there one way to expereince God?

a religion includes spirituality, and spirutality transcends religion... this is all very confusing i dont know what religion Usui Sensei himself practiced, but it must have been a based on sprituality instead of based on outward teachings/sayings alone... i dunno exactly

and yes sure there is no one way to experience God, and how it could be since God himself is so multi dimensional and multi faceted

Milarepa wrote:
I'm near sure even Islam teaches things about Christianity & Judaism that the other two wouldn't consider. Such as giving them immense respect in the Holy Qu'ran, and not permitting any bad talk about them. I seem to remember, from my days as a practicing muslim, that also Islam does teach that Christians will also go to paradise. I can look that up if asked, .

My point is, folks on earth make rules on how to experience God. Sometimes, they also make rules on how to protect their path via membership. I've read things in Islam, that are so refreshing, indicating Islam recoqnises their is more than one way. Really, it's 1000's of year ahead of it's time. So, Reiki is another way to supplement, and accentuate, our experience with God.

Sure Islam gives immense respect to previous religions like christainity and Juadaism! and we can import the sentiment of tolerance, which unfortunately, going extinct in muslim brotherhood.... Muslims sure need to come back to Quran, if they wish world at large recognizes their religion on the true lines!

you know Wayne, i m remembering one beautiful line of Les here which she posted on reiki-4-all like "spirituality unifies, while religion separates" and i wonder how well-said...

although it directly confronts spirituality with religion, but if we go deep, we know that when we practice religion and truly practice it, we develop spirituality too... and then we feel a gospel love for humanity, transcending the limitation of religions or labelling..

hope we are not disturbing the protocol by disucssing religion here, since our intent is to resolve the things, not to differentiate them as being opposite in any way


take care

salman

vijaybali wrote:dear friends,

so i can say those who want to knew religion just learned reiki and fellow the path he will understand .

In my opinion religion is that or real spirituality is that who make all world one without any restrication or omni present.

i feel reiki has that reason i fellow it because it is as pure as my soul or our souls that resaon i enjoyed it

hi Vijay

what a heart-moving sentiment you have really touching!! much love and blessings for you buddy

take care

salman

hi salman

what a heart-moving sentiment you have really touching!! much love and blessings for you buddy

you and pandora have also same...............


Salman what about baba ji....

slam
keep it up
vj

vijaybali wrote:

Salman what about baba ji....

well babajee has almost secluded himself... he is in his eightees, and i dont know the reasons, but he seldom talks with anybody.... no phone calls, no personal visits entertained... and more so, he is mostly spending his days in yorkshire(england) residence these days....


so a real missing of not finding him available... but spiritually i find him with me whenever i feel he must be


take care

salman

Oh Salman....

You're probably not familiar with the works of Ronnie Barker, who was an English comedian. But the thought of an Eastern mystic being resident in Yorkshire fills me with thoughts of Ronnie Barker as that Eastern mystic, chanting the mantra "Geoffrey Boycott one hundred not out....."!!!!

Great salman,

it is showing he is alright and working for somthing for mankind deeply that reason he is cuttoff fisically with world but interaly he is working for well wishes for world i feel like this. So it is better not disturb him......

Thanks for this information i am little bit worry but after you this mail i relax.

After all all this saint who is guider to us so as much they will live in this world we are more protected and happy.....

so keep it up

Slam to you and charan saparsh to babaji

vj

Pandora wrote: But the thought of an Eastern mystic being resident in Yorkshire fills me with thoughts of .....

hi Chris

as a matter of fact i would have felt the same, if i had not met babaje in person... he is a britisher for last 40 years, an immigrant.. and has a food chain in england.... and all his family members are very well-placed....


Well, on another note, you must have observed that saints and mystics have no identity of place or belonging, so to say, and they are universal wherever they are


take care


salman

dear salman

Well, on another note, you must have observed that saints and mystics have no identity of place or belonging, so to say, and they are universal wherever they are

i love it keep it up..


take care


vijay[/quote]