Reiki - A Definition

Some people become confused when they hear of different kinds of Reiki as they believe that Reiki is what Dr. Usui channeled and any other kind of healing technique should not be called Reiki, but should have another name. However, we need to remember that when Dr. Usui was given the new healing technique, the word Reiki was already in use in Japan. This is why Dr. Usui did not call his technique Reiki. He called it Usui Reiki Ryoho to make sure people understood that this was a unique kind of Reiki. With the channeling of other healing methods similar to Usui Reiki Ryoho, but with different vibrations and effects, it has become clear that there is a whole class of healing methods that can appropriately be called Reiki.

With this in mind, how can one tell what is a Reiki technique and what is not? By analyzing the Reiki given to Dr. Usui, we can discover four unique qualities that identify the class of healing techniques appropriately called Reiki.

These four qualities of Reiki are:

1. The ability to do Reiki comes from receiving an attunement, rather than developing the ability over time though the use of meditation or other exercises.
2. All Reiki techniques are part of a lineage. This means that the technique has been passed on from teacher to student through an attunement process starting with the one who first channeled the technique.
3. Reiki does not require that one guide the energy with the mind, as it is guided by the higher power and knows where to go and how to act all on its own.
4. Because of this, Reiki can do no harm.

If a healing technique has these four qualities, then it can be considered to be a Reiki technique.