The 4th symbol

In the latest ReikiDharma newsletter (#34) Frank Arjava Petter wrote:

"In traditional Reiki this symbol does not exist and there is no need for a “master symbol” because the title “master” is not used. What is used instead is the title “Shihan”, which means teacher/instructor and has strictly technical connotations.
The so- called master symbol is and was neither used by the Usui Reiki Ryoho Gakkai, nor in the Hayashi Reiki Institute. I showed the symbol to one of the six Shihans of the Usui Reiki Ryoho Gakkai, Ogawa Sensei in 1995, and he had never seen it. Later on Chiyoko Sensei confirmed the same. Hayashi Sensei did not teach it.

It is possible that the master symbol was introduced to Reiki by Iris Ishikuro Sensei, a cousin of Takata Sensei who was a member of the Johre fellowship. Originally the symbol is a Zen Buddhist term and is widely used in Japanese spirituality, but as I said earlier it has no relevance in Reiki."

I know that FAP teaches Jikiden Reiki nowadays and that school of reiki does not use the 4th symbol. However, I have always appreciated FAP as a reiki researcher and teacher and this statement sounds to me a bit too categorical.

If I've understood correctly, Chiyoko Yamaguchi was not initiated to Shinpiden level by Hayashi Sensei so she would not have received the 4th symbol. Ogawa Sensei, if he is a Shihan in Usui Reiki Gakkai, should know the symbol, however - but as the Gakkai seems to be quite secretive, I wouldn't be surprised if he denied knowing the symbol nevertheless.

The claim that the 4th symbol is introduced by Iris Ishikuro does not sound credible because, as FAP says, it is a traditional Japanese Buddhist symbol. All the (other) additional Western reiki symbols are new inventions, whereas the (other) three original symbols have strong roots in Japanese Buddhist tradition.

On the other hand, the 4th symbol seems a bit "too straightforward," simply consisting of the three kanji that spell out the 4th jumon or mantra.

I'd like to hear the educated opinions of the respectable authorities on this forum about the topic, please! (And, in case some of you don't consider yourself belonging to this category, I'd like to hear any other opinions just as well )

Which one?

http://aetw.org/reiki_dkm_various.htm

LightBody wrote:Which one?

http://aetw.org/reiki_dkm_various.htm

The first two are close to the symbol I was taught.

Personally, I believe the others are just transformed forms of the same due to the fact that people are not familiar with kanji and the early reiki generations believed in "oral tradition," which required that the symbols were supposed to be learned by heart only, without notes - and probably were not always perfectly duplicated - and then there are of course the "Tibetan" DKM versions which have nothing to do with the 4th symbol...

MattiT wrote:In the latest ReikiDharma newsletter (#34) Frank Arjava Petter wrote:

"In traditional Reiki this symbol does not exist and there is no need for a “master symbol” because the title “master” is not used. What is used instead is the title “Shihan”, which means teacher/instructor and has strictly technical connotations.
The so- called master symbol is and was neither used by the Usui Reiki Ryoho Gakkai, nor in the Hayashi Reiki Institute. I showed the symbol to one of the six Shihans of the Usui Reiki Ryoho Gakkai, Ogawa Sensei in 1995, and he had never seen it. Later on Chiyoko Sensei confirmed the same. Hayashi Sensei did not teach it.

It is possible that the master symbol was introduced to Reiki by Iris Ishikuro Sensei, a cousin of Takata Sensei who was a member of the Johre fellowship. Originally the symbol is a Zen Buddhist term and is widely used in Japanese spirituality, but as I said earlier it has no relevance in Reiki."

I know that FAP teaches Jikiden Reiki nowadays and that school of reiki does not use the 4th symbol. However, I have always appreciated FAP as a reiki researcher and teacher and this statement sounds to me a bit too categorical.

If I've understood correctly, Chiyoko Yamaguchi was not initiated to Shinpiden level by Hayashi Sensei so she would not have received the 4th symbol. Ogawa Sensei, if he is a Shihan in Usui Reiki Gakkai, should know the symbol, however - but as the Gakkai seems to be quite secretive, I wouldn't be surprised if he denied knowing the symbol nevertheless.

The claim that the 4th symbol is introduced by Iris Ishikuro does not sound credible because, as FAP says, it is a traditional Japanese Buddhist symbol. All the (other) additional Western reiki symbols are new inventions, whereas the (other) three original symbols have strong roots in Japanese Buddhist tradition.

On the other hand, the 4th symbol seems a bit "too straightforward," simply consisting of the three kanji that spell out the 4th jumon or mantra.

I'd like to hear the educated opinions of the respectable authorities on this forum about the topic, please! (And, in case some of you don't consider yourself belonging to this category, I'd like to hear any other opinions just as well )

I was wondering when someone was going to bring this up!

Frank's latest newsletter has some things that are very controversial in the general Reiki community

You said:

If I've understood correctly, Chiyoko Yamaguchi was not initiated to Shinpiden level by Hayashi Sensei so she would not have received the 4th symbol.

It is correct that Chiyoko Yamaguchi was not initiated as a Shihan by Chujiro Hayashi (only Shoden/Okuden). It was her uncle, Wasaburo Sugano, who was initiated by Chujiro Hayashi to Dai Shihan level (able to initiate other Shihan), who initiated Chiyoko Sensei to Shihan level. This means she was able to perform Reiju/initiations/attunements and was therefore taught all that is needed to know to do this.

As a Jikiden Reiki Shihan-Kaku practitioner, I have to be very careful what I can say in a public forum about topics such as this but I can say that I have received believable information about how DKM came to be included in Reiki when taught in the West. From my own research, NOT directly from Jikiden Teachings, I know it is certainly used in several of the New Religions that were (and are) popular in Japan and Hawaii, including Johrei and Shumei. It is also a symbol of the Cosmic Buddha, Dainichi Nyorai, the Great Light (and Hayashi first told Takata about Reiki in his clinic that it was a Great Light in the Universe,a Cosmic Energy, according to one of her tapes). Since what DKM symbolises, the Great Bright Light, is also important in understanding the true nature of Reiki (as well as ourselves) it could well have been adopted by Takata or recommended to her by students who were also practitioners of Johrei or Shumei as a symbol that represents the culmination of Reiki practice and our true nature, embodying the concepts of the other Reiki symbols and therefore acting as a Master symbol.

if i can add something also with Colin's caveat - cant elaborate - ... Iris may get the rap for many things wrongly.

Milarepa wrote:if i can add something also with Colin's caveat - cant elaborate - ... Iris may get the rap for many things wrongly.

I agree. For example, I believe it was one of her students, Arthur Robertson, who played a major part in introducing a Tibetan "origin" of Reiki and some extra symbols, including the Antakharana, Raku, Tibetan Fire Serpent (Nin Giz), Dumo (Tibetan DKM).

However, it is interesting that Iris herself was a prominent member of the Johrei Fellowship, as can be discovered on several websites, including this one, which also mentions Arthur Robertson:
http://vajra-reiki.tripod.com/Johrei_TM.html

i'm not sure if it means anything with regard to Iris's expression of Reiki. You & I have both learned other things. Yet, these may or may not have influenced our expression of Reiki.