Hikkei

How come, if the Hikkei was Usui sensei's, and, he answered questions in which he used the term 'Usui Reiki Ryoho', does it not once mention 'Usui Reiki Ryoho' or 'Reiki Ryoho' in his memorial stone, erected by his students?

Wasn't it Kimiko Koyama who put the book together, although after Usui-sensei's death?

If so, of course there's a chance that some details got mixed up.

Erik Jögimar wrote:Wasn't it Kimiko Koyama who put the book together, although after Usui-sensei's death?

Who told us that?

The answers in the Q & A section of the Hikkei, is purportedly by Usui sensei.

Erik Jögimar wrote:
If so, of course there's a chance that some details got mixed up.

Begs the question, just what is accurate in this 'historical' book.

I can't read Japanese, but on Rick Rivards site, he shows the 'original' Japanese translation. If it does really say Usui sensei used those words, how come his students never referred to it that way?

Take care
wayne

Milarepa wrote:How come, if the Hikkei was Usui sensei's, and, he answered questions in which he used the term 'Usui Reiki Ryoho', does it not once mention 'Usui Reiki Ryoho' or 'Reiki Ryoho' in his memorial stone, erected by his students?

Well, I may not be able to read old Japanese but, looking at the composite photos of the kanji on Usui's memorial stone on Rick Rivard's site, I can see that Reiki Ryoho is mentioned at least twice - and, since it is on Usui's memorial I think we can assume it refers to Usui's Reiki Ryoho.

Unfortunatley, the image server does not appear to be available so I can't upload the images to show you. Interestingly, though, I can't see the kanji for the Reiki Principles in kanji of the memorial but some of the kanji are very indistinct.

James, or anyone else, could you point me to the general area of the memorial where they are? e.g. middle, bottom right etc.

Thanks.

Ai to Hikari
Colin

Colin wrote:

Milarepa wrote:How come, if the Hikkei was Usui sensei's, and, he answered questions in which he used the term 'Usui Reiki Ryoho', does it not once mention 'Usui Reiki Ryoho' or 'Reiki Ryoho' in his memorial stone, erected by his students?

Well, I may not be able to read old Japanese but, looking at the composite photos of the kanji on Usui's memorial stone on Rick Rivard's site, I can see that Reiki Ryoho is mentioned at least twice - and, since it is on Usui's memorial I think we can assume it refers to Usui's Reiki Ryoho.

Does the Kanji you're referring to possibly have other meanings? Like, 'there, their, they're' in English?

I know it mentions 'Reiki', and also 'Reiho'. Neither are 'Reiki Ryoho'.

Take care
wayne

Milarepa wrote:

Does the Kanji you're referring to possibly have other meanings? Like, 'there, their, they're' in English?

I know it mentions 'Reiki', and also 'Reiho'. Neither are 'Reiki Ryoho'.

Take care
wayne

It is possible that they could be interpreted as something Reiki Ryoho, if they appeared separately from each other but since the kanji are next to each other in these examples, i.e. in context, I think it is reasonable to assume it says Reiki Ryoho.

Here is the first instance on the memorial (and yes, there is a mark of some sort between Reiki and Ryoho in this instance but I don't know what it means):



Here is the second example, with no mark inbetween Reiki and Ryoho:



and here is the kanji in a clear form for you to compare with the memorial inscription:



Still can't see the Reiki Principles though and the last part of that is supposed to contain the full name of the system: 'Shin Shin Kaizen Usui Reiki Ryoho'.

Ai to Hikari
Colin

Colin wrote:///Still can't see the Reiki Principles though and the last part of that is supposed to contain the full name of the system: 'Shin Shin Kaizen Usui Reiki Ryoho'.

Hi Colin

The memorial speaks of the principles as 'gokai' (as opposed to 'gainen' - as some name them)

They begin on the crack-line on the stone, and run down the left side of the crack, and then part way down the next column to the left. [And at the top of the column to the left of that one, it mentions "Secret Method of Inviting Blessings" etc.]




My grasp of the old kanji is limited, yet as far as I can see, there is no mention of 'Shin Shin Kaizen Usui Reiki Ryoho'

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Colin wrote:

Milarepa wrote:

Does the Kanji you're referring to possibly have other meanings? Like, 'there, their, they're' in English?

I know it mentions 'Reiki', and also 'Reiho'. Neither are 'Reiki Ryoho'.

Take care
wayne

It is possible that they could be interpreted as something Reiki Ryoho, if they appeared separately from each other but since the kanji are next to each other in these examples, i.e. in context, I think it is reasonable to assume it says Reiki Ryoho.

Here is the first instance on the memorial (and yes, there is a mark of some sort between Reiki and Ryoho in this instance but I don't know what it means):



Here is the second example, with no mark inbetween Reiki and Ryoho:



and here is the kanji in a clear form for you to compare with the memorial inscription:



Still can't see the Reiki Principles though and the last part of that is supposed to contain the full name of the system: 'Shin Shin Kaizen Usui Reiki Ryoho'.

Ai to Hikari
Colin

you mean to say i've made a mistake?! Holy bat-crap!

Rlei_ki wrote:

Colin wrote:///Still can't see the Reiki Principles though and the last part of that is supposed to contain the full name of the system: 'Shin Shin Kaizen Usui Reiki Ryoho'.

Hi Colin

The memorial speaks of the principles as 'gokai' (as opposed to 'gainen' - as some name them)

They begin on the crack-line on the stone, and run down the left side of the crack, and then part way down the next column to the left. [And at the top of the column to the left of that one, it mentions "Secret Method of Inviting Blessings" etc.]




My grasp of the old kanji is limited, yet as far as I can see, there is no mention of 'Shin Shin Kaizen Usui Reiki Ryoho'

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Ok, who wrote the english words on the memorial then? Since you know everything, hehe.

My bet's on Doi, or RJ, since they get the blame of everything else!

By 'RJ' i don't mean ReikiJimm btw!

Here is the first instance on the memorial (and yes, there is a mark of some sort between Reiki and Ryoho in this instance but I don't know what it means)

Looks like they just chose to write it as "Reiki no Ryoho" in this instance... same meaning.

Ahem, hehe. Let Mr. Clanger here 'rephrase' this topic slightly...

How come, in the Hikkei , Usui sensei is meant to have referred to 'Usui Reiki Ryoho' and 'Reiki Ryoho', when his students erected a memorial in which they said Usui sensei was the 'founder of Reiho'?

Not the 'founder of Usui Reiki Ryoho', or the 'founder of Reiki Ryoho'.

Milarepa,

Where does the idea that Koyama-sensei put together the Hikkei come from?
Dare i guess it's something that Hiroshi Doi shared, or are there (an)other
source for this piece of information?

Erik Jögimar wrote:Milarepa,

Where does the idea that Koyama-sensei put together the Hikkei come from?
Dare i guess it's something that Hiroshi Doi shared, or are there (an)other
source for this piece of information?

yeah, hehe, i hate to say it, but Hiroshi gave us all the information about the Gakkai, Koyama, and the Hikkei.

None of it substantiated, imo. . I feel it is more likely that Hiroshi put together the Hikkei, 'resurected mentally' the Gakkai, and picked the name Koyama, hehe. It's certainly just as plausible as what he's said.

Take care
Wayne

Last i saw somewhere (James site, i think), there is a list of previous and even the possibly current Kaicho for Gakkai. Have there been any attempts of contacting him/her, and what were the results?

Erik Jögimar wrote:Last i saw somewhere (James site, i think), there is a list of previous and even the possibly current Kaicho for Gakkai. Have there been any attempts of contacting him/her, and what were the results?

I think James has gave the information, as his site does. Don't think he was endorsing the story neccessarily, though he can speak for himself, .

dunno bout attempts to contact. It's meant to be a secretive society. Which either means it is secretive, or, it doesn't exist.

take care
Wayne

Colin wrote:Still can't see the Reiki Principles though ...

meant to say, probably the reason you are having difficulty seeing them is that the wording is not the same as in the more familiar 'paper & ink' depictions. Also the memorial stone uses a combination of kanji and the katakana phonetic script, whereas the more usual depictions generally use kanji and the hiragana phonetic script.

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Rlei_ki wrote:

Colin wrote:Still can't see the Reiki Principles though ...

meant to say, probably the reason you are having difficulty seeing them is that the wording is not the same as in the more familiar 'paper & ink' depictions. Also the memorial stone uses a combination of kanji and the katakana phonetic script, whereas the more usual depictions generally use kanji and the hiragana phonetic script.

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Thanks, James. I can see some familiar kanji now in that area and I realized that the wording was not the same as the 'paper and ink' depictions. No wonder the memorial stone is difficult even for Japanese people to translate, involving old style kanji and katakana.

For the benefit of those who may not have seen a fairly literal translation of the Reiki Principles section of the memorial, Rick Rivard's website has this:

Looking back, the main purpose of Reiho was not only to heal diseases, but also to have right mind and healthy body so that people would enjoy and experience happiness in life. Therefore when it comes to teaching, first let the student understand well the Meiji Emperor's admonitory, then in the morning and in the evening let them chant and have in mind the five precepts which are:

First we say, today don't get angry.
Secondly we say, don't worry.
Third we say, be thankful.
Fourth we say, endeavor your work.
Fifth we say, be kind to people.
(My friend Emiko Arai was very firm about the above wording.)

This is truly a very important admonitory. This is the same way wisemen and saints disciplined themselves since ancient times. Sensei named these the "secret methods of inviting happiness", "the spiritual medicine of many diseases" to clarify his purpose to teach. Moreover, his intention was that a teaching method should be as simple as possible and not difficult to understand. Every morning and every evening, sit still in silence with your hands in prayer (gassho) and chant the affirmations, then a pure and healthy mind would be nurtured. It was the true meaning of this to practice this in daily life, using it. (i.e. put it into practical use) This is the reason why Reiho became so popular.

Source: http://threshold.ca/reiki

Follow the link for Usui Memorial Translation in the Experienced Reiki practitioner articles section. (Lots of interesting stuff there!)

Any ideas as to where the photograph of the "paper and ink" version, said originally to be in Usui's own hand, came from? Could it really be from a secret shrine to Usui sensei, which contains his original brushing of the Reiki Principles and the original, now ubiquitous, photograph of Mikao Usui? A shrine so secret that only the likes of Dave King and Chris Marsh have been allowed access?

Ai to Hikari
Colin

Colin, you're contact in Japan, or James also. Can you guys find out how common, or acceptable, the practice of bones from one body being sperated, and placed in different graves/shrines. Ask Rick says.. http://www.threshold.ca/reiki/ .

not really acceptable in the west, though that doesn't mean it's same in Japan. Wanna know if possible please, .

Milarepa wrote:Colin, you're contact in Japan, or James also. Can you guys find out how common, or acceptable, the practice of bones from one body being sperated, and placed in different graves/shrines. Ask Rick says.. http://www.threshold.ca/reiki/ .

not really acceptable in the west, though that doesn't mean it's same in Japan. Wanna know if possible please, .

Hi Wayne

I didn't contact anyone in Japan but I did find this, which would tend to confirm that splitting the ashes into more than one urn for taking to different places is certainly not taboo and a distinct possibility:

This is from Wikipedia and the whole article is quite interesting!
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Japanese_funeral

The coffin is placed on a tray in the crematorium. The family witnesses the sliding of the body into the cremation chamber. A cremation usually takes about two hours, and the family returns at a scheduled time when the cremation has been completed. According to the Yamaguchi Saijo Funeral Parlor and Crematorium in Sapporo, it takes about an hour and a half to cremate an adult body, 45 minutes for a child, 15 minutes for a stillborn baby.

The relatives pick the bones out of the ashes and transfer them to the urn using large chopsticks or metal picks, two relatives sometimes holding the same bone at the same time with their chopsticks (or, according to some sources, passing the bones from chopsticks to chopsticks). This is the only time in Japan when it is proper for two people to hold the same item at the same time with chopsticks. At all other times, holding anything with chopsticks by two people at the same time, or passing an item from chopsticks to chopsticks will remind all bystanders of the funeral of a close relative and is considered to be a major social faux pas. The bones of the feet are picked up first, and the bones of the head last. This is to ensure that the deceased is not upside down in the urn. The hyoid bone (a bone located in the neck) is the most significant bone to be put in the urn.

In some cases, the ashes may be divided between more than one urn, for example if part of the ashes are to go to a family grave, and another part to the temple , or even to a company grave or a burial in space. Many companies have company graves in the largest graveyard in Japan, Okuno-In on Mount Kōya, burial place of Kūkai (774 - 835). These graves are for former company employees and their relatives, and often have a gravestone related to the company business. For example, the coffee company UCC has a gravestone in the shape of a coffee cup, and a metal rocket sits on top of the gravesite of an aeronautics company.[citation needed]

Depending on the local custom the urn may stay at the family home for a number of days, or be taken directly to the graveyard.

Ai to Hikari
Colin

thanks for that Buddy! just goes to show how much cultures can be different!

Historically Wayne, in English culture, it was common for parts of bodies to be buried in different places, usually places that held special significance for that person. There is a story of a queen who kept the heart of her husband in a special container which she carried with her everywhere. She called it her "sweet heart and faithful companion" and is the source of our word "sweetheart". I'll try and find out who it was.

Ahh, thanks Chris, i never knew that!

Pandora wrote:Historically Wayne, in English culture, it was common for parts of bodies to be buried in different places, usually places that held special significance for that person. There is a story of a queen who kept the heart of her husband in a special container which she carried with her everywhere. She called it her "sweet heart and faithful companion" and is the source of our word "sweetheart". I'll try and find out who it was.

I found a link to the story:

http://www.scotland.org.uk/guide/Devorguilla_Balliol

thnaks! will check ot out now!

Hi everybody!

One of my traditional reiki friends sent me a hungarian translation of the 'questions and answers' section from the Hikkei. I know the text from Petter's book and from James Deacon's fantastic pages. This reiki guy (Master Gyorgy Fodor, Hungary) and his followers have a strong relationship to the Gakkai in Tokio. He often goes to Japan and learns reiki straight from the Gakkai masters. They spent a lot of money on translating the Hikkei text to hungarian, which they own.

The text is basically the same which can be found on Deancon's page and in Petter's book. BUT! There is an important section, where it differs from the formers. In the answer of the question 'How does Usui Reiki Ryoho work?' the last sentence 'One day, there will be a scientific explanation.' is completely missing.

Another difference can be found in 'What does the government think?'

Deacon's text (which is similar to Petter's) is the following:

'On February 6th 1922, Parliamentary Representative Teiji Matsushita, asked the Budget Committee about the government's position on therapists practicing spiritual and psycho-therapy without a medical practitioner's licence.

Mr Ushio, a Committee member replied "Little more than a decade ago hypnosis and similar practices were considered demonic, but nowadays, after proper research these practices are effectively used to treat psychiatric patients. It is difficult to try to solve all human problems with medical science. Physicians adhere to scientific medical practices in order to treat disease. The Medical Faculty does not consider touch therapy or electro-therapy to be medical practices."'

While Fodor's text (I mean the English translation) is:

'On February 6th 1922, a member of House of Representatives of the Japanese Empire, Dr. Omamatsu (member of the Budget Committee) asked that there are a numbers of spiritual and mental healing methods developed not by physicians, these methods give their health back to a lot of people, when will they receive official acceptance? The Budget Committee officer replied that little more than a decade ago hypnosis and similar practices were considered demonic, but nowadays, after proper research these practices are effectively used to treat psychiatric patients.

[New line] It is very difficult to solve human intellect with just science. Doctors follow the instruction how to treat patients by medical science, but it’s not a medical treatment such as electric therapy or just touching with hands to all illnesses. So our healing system basically differs from the modern medicine, the acupuncture or moxa therapy.'

(Sorry for the poor English, but the main problems can apparently be seen without academic style.)

Problems:

Matsushita vs. Omamatsu. The name of Mr Ushio is missing. The quotations are not marked. It is confusing that who is the speaker in the final section...

Is it possible that the Gakkai manipulates the text of the Hikkei continuously? Is it possible that there are different editions of the Hikkei containing a bit different content?

Thanks!

yuki