Takata sensei never taught it as a religious system,
. She did emphasise God, though as we all can see, God existed before religion, and no one religion has claim over him, irrespective of what
they think.
It was spirituality that was emphasised.
Also, the assumption Takata sensei made certain 'aspects' of things up to be more palatable to US citizens doesn't make sense when looked at closely..
It has been suggested that Takata-sensei made up the story about Usui-sensei being a Christian (actually, there is still no 'hard' evidence to prove he wasn't a Christian! [3] ) in order to make the idea of Reiki more palatable to Americans who were potentially still Anti-Japanese as a result of the Pacific War - and supposedly wouldn't accept the idea of Usui-sensei being a Buddhist?[4]
But is there actually any logic in this? Especially when we consider that at the time Takata-sensei was introducing Reiki to an American audience, Buddhism - in one form or another - was becoming very popular. Japanese Buddhism, primarily represented by the Zen school, was particularly 'big' at the time...
Also, if - as we are expected to believe - Takata-sensei was responsible for 'reworking' the Reiki Story to make it more acceptable to supposed American sensitivities, why then labour the point that Usui-sensei had no success in uncovering the secrets of healing ability in Western religions, philosophies or related spiritual practice (which, according to the Reiki Story, he is said to have studied in America)?
And why also labour the point that, on returning to Japan, he eventually discovered the 'secret' (:a formula for accessing healing - not the Reiki symbols, as some seem to believe) in Buddhist Texts - and that he was gifted with the Reiki Phenomenon while undertaking meditative austerities of a particularly Japanese nature, on a holy Japanese mountain sacred to both Buddhists and followers of Shinto alike?
Reading between the lines of the Reiki Story, it seems to me that, rather than having been reworked by Takata-sensei for an American market, the Reiki Story may have existed in this form for quite some time before she herself learnt it from Hayashi-sensei.
Is it possible that, rather than being reworked so as to be acceptable to potential Western students, the Reiki Story was actually intended for the Japanese 'home market' as it were?
Could it be that there is in fact a subtly anti-western sentiment to the tale?
That it speaks to the belief held by many Japanese even during the early decades of the 20thC, that the Japanese people should 'stay within their own culture' - that there was little to be gained from the gaijin (foreigners) and their ways?
Afterall, is not the sub-text of the Reiki Story (at least of the first part of the story) the account of a Japanese minister of a gaijin religion (i.e. Christianity), who, on being challenged by some of his students to demonstrate the healing abilites he believed Jesus and his disciples possessed, was unable to fulfil their request (in itself, something that would entail a degree of 'loss of face', and possibly reflect poorly on his Christian faith)?
And who, in setting out on a quest to find the way to manifest this 'New Testament' healing ability, was unable to discover how to do so - even in the great America?
How, after studying the Christian faith more deeply in America, he had even searched for the secret of healing in the writings of the other great religions of the West - yet to no avail?
And that it was only on returning to his homeland - and searching amidst the spiritual traditions of his own culture, that he eventually discovered a 'secret formula' - a Buddhist, rather than Christian, formula which would enable him to manifest a great healing gift?
Source: Excerpt from : -
http://www.aetw.org/reiki_myth.htmtake care
Wayne
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