by Rlei_ki Sat Oct 23, 2010 12:53 am
Hi Moore
Moore wrote:I have read in several places that the Gokai may be written in various buddhist writings, in varying degrees of similiarity.
It seems likely this is simply a case of 'Chinese Whispers'.
Probably every single follower of Japanese Buddhist tradition will be aware of the Gokai ("Five Precepts") - however the Gokai they know are not the
Usui Gokai.
Buddhism has its own
Gokai and the only thing they have in common with the Usui Gokai is the name.
Moore wrote:
I tend to lean heavily toward the idea that the Gokai are a way of layman practice
of buddhist practices.
Actually, the
Buddhist Gokai are a set of rules intended for the layman.
Buddhist Priests, monks, nuns etc have a stricter set of precepts (ten rather than five) to follow than the general Buddhist Gokai set out for ordinary folk.
Moore wrote:
Usui-Sensei started practicing and putting things into a more systemised format in the 1914's after his Satori on Kurama.
This is indeed
one version of the story. Yet even those who ascribe to it tell us that it was not until sometime in the spring of 1921 that Usui-sensei actually composed
his Gokai - or Gainen, as they may or may not have originally been called.
(source: Dave King)
Moore wrote:
I'm asking as i'd like to know if the reiki principles exist in buddhist texts, even if not necessarily identical. Hell, even if it's slightly reminescent of the Gokai it would still be of interest to know about.
Well, the phrasing of at least a couple of the five
Usui principles suggest a
Confucian origin rather than a
Buddhist one....