(IN)FREQUENTLY
ASKED QUESTIONS -
page 8
Copyright
© 2009 James Deacon
Is
it best to learn Reiki with a Japanese master, or at least a Westerner
who is a master of Japanese Reiki? I want to learn Reiki like
Usui and Hayashi taught it, not with all the add-ons, changes
and confusion I'm told exists in western Reiki...
Well,
IMO, the only way for you to be absolutely certain you are learning
Reiki "like Usui and Hayashi taught it"; would be for
you to invent a time machine, travel back in time and study with
them directly.
And
as for "add-ons, changes
and confusion", contrary to what many would have
us believe, this is not something unique to styles of Reiki originating
in the West.
On
closer inspection of 'Japanese' Reiki, we can see that all is
not exactly as authentic, add-on free, and brimming with clarity
as the hype would have us believe.
To
begin with, even today, probably the greater majority of Reiki
masters in Japan practice and teach styles of Reiki which originated
in the west at a time after Takata-sensei's passing, or
alternatively, practice and teach styles which are derived
from (or at very least are heavily influenced by) modern,
western, Reiki styles.
Many
Japanese Reiki Masters teach Karuna Reiki, or Seichim, or other
Western styles which are only loosely based on Usui Shiki Ryoho.
And even those who do teach Reiki under the name 'Usui Shiki Ryoho',
generally tend to teach the modern-day version as commonly
taught in the west (Something which, with all its talk of chakras,
and crystals, and Reiki Guides and 21-day cleansing periods, etc.,etc.,
Takata-sensei herself might have a hard time recognising as Usui
Shiki Ryoho...)
Although,
Takata-sensei tells us that she taught Usui Shiki Ryoho classes
in Japan in the mid 1970's (see here),
it was not until the mid 1980's that the first classes in a modified
form of Reiki (devised by one of Takata-sensei's students)
were taught in Japan and as a result, Reiki (in this modified
form) gradually began to become known on the Japanese 'New Age'
scene.
At
least a couple of 'home grown' Japanese Reiki styles have evolved
out of this particular modern Western Reiki style (though these
Western influences are usually played down, with much being made
of formative influences apparently having been drawn from obscure
Japanese sources...)
And
it is fair to say that, just as in the west, in Japan you will
also find Reiki practitioners who are not averse to creating new
symbols, adding new practices, and otherwise modifying and embellishing
things to suit their personal views and beliefs...
And
of those who claim to teach 'traditional' Japanese Reiki, well
it seems there is more than a little confusion and misunderstanding
as to what actually constitute the 'traditional' teachings.
Take
the Reiki symbols for example:
First
we were told that originally there weren't any symbols used in
Reiki, that they were something added - almost as an afterthought,
it seems - supposedly as a means of helping people with poor levels
of sensitivity to feel the 'energy' - that they were of no real
importance (though if this was the case, just how drawing some
unimportant 'squiggles' would help improve sensitivity, was
never explained...)
Then
it was claimed that the four symbols (referred to as 'shirushi'[1])
were no longer taught as part of 'Japanese' Reiki, yet that they
were still shown to students out of historical interest.[2]
Apparently
the symbols did not have names; they were simply referred to as
Symbol 1, Symbol, Symbol 3, and Symbol 4.
However,
later, we were told the symbols did indeed have names. Oh, and
there were only three, not four....
Yet
at least one of those Japanese practitioners who claim there were
only three symbols, actually teach and use four
symbols themselves...
And then, apparently - whereas in Usui Shiki Ryoho (as originally
taught by Takata-sensei) the names of the symbols were also mantras
used in conjunction with the drawn symbols – well it seems
in 'Japanese' Reiki the symbol names were not mantras;
we were asked to believe that the symbols had separate mantras,
in addition to the names (which er, they apparently didn't
have, or...?!)
And
while for a time at least, we were told that the phrases we in
the west knew as the name/mantras accompanying each symbol were
indeed the symbol mantras (but not their names), apparently
some great mystical occurrence took place outside the range of
our awareness, as, suddenly the phrases we in the west knew as
the name/mantras accompanying each symbol, which had indeed been
the symbol mantras (but not their names), were now no longer –
had never been - the symbol mantras (or their names...)
According
to one Japanese practitioner, the name for what, in Usui Shiki
Ryoho, had been referred to as the 'power symbol', was not 'Choku
rei', but Zui-un[3]
However,
according to another, the name was Kumo[4]
Yet
another teaches that the name is/was Un[4]
Some
Japanese Practitioners draw the actual 'power symbol' itself very
similarly to the way in which Takata-sensei was taught to draw
it by Hayashi-sensei; though somewhat disconcertingly, the version
used and taught by a couple of prominent Japanese practitioners
is suspiciously similar to a modern alternative version of the
power symbol, created in the late 1980's by an 'independent' Reiki
master of Austrian(?) origin.
Some
teach the 'power symbol' at level 2, as Takata-sensei was taught
to do by Hayashi-sensei, yet others teach their version of this
symbol at level 1.
Some
teach the 'power symbol' as a means of intensifying the Reiki-flow;
others, merely as a way of increasing byosen sensitivity.
As
to the accompanying mantras (which, may - or may not - have originally
been referred to as 'jumon'[5] in
Japanese):
Well,
some claimed that the 'power symbol' - this Zui-un, or Kumo, or
Un - didn't actually have an associated jumon.[6]
However,
according to others it did.
One
claims the jumon was... 'Un'.
Though
this 'Un' used as the jumon or mantra apparently isn't
the same 'Un' as the 'Un' used by others as the name of
the symbol (depending, that is, on who you ask)...
It
seems that in a desperate case of 'clutching at straws', certain
Japanese Reiki practitioners had been attempting to manufacture
a link between the Reiki symbols and symbols used by the Kurama
Kokyo sect (based at the temple on mount Kurama since 1949).
The
Kurama Kokyo worship a triune deity: Sonten - the three aspects
of which are represented by the deities Mao-son, Bishamon-ten,
and Senju-Kannon.
Now,
in this trinity, Mao-son is seen as representing 'the power of
Sonten'.
Mao-son's
emblem is the Sanscrit character 'hum'. In Japan this is pronounced
'Un'. And as Mao-son is seen as the 'power', it would seem it
was only a short (if uncreative and misguided) jump to the conclusion
that the emblem of Mao-son was most likely associated with the
Reiki 'power symbol'.
Hence,
the jumon associated with the 'power symbol' must have obviously
have been 'Un' all along...
Some,
went further than this, claiming that not only was the word 'Un'
the jumon of the 'power symbol' but that the visual depiction
of this Sanscrit character 'Hum'/'Un' was actually the original
form of the 'power symbol'; and that two further Sanscrit
characters - representing Senju-Kannon and Bishamon-ten - were
respectively the original forms of the 'mental/emotional' and
'distance' symbols...
Of
course, it seems others had created different 'truths'...
Some
claim that the 'mental/emotional' symbol (which didn't have a
name?) was apparently originally called Muryou-ju,[7]
or depending on who you ask: Mugen Muryou-ju [7]
Some
claim its jumon is Fukuju[8]; though
others claim Fukuju is its name, not its jumon...
Though
yet others have said the jumon is actually a 'modified' version
of the more familiar 'Seiheki'.
And
some say the 'mental/emotional' symbol does not have a jumon.
While
some use the 'mental/emotional' symbol in conjunction with recitation
of the Gokai ('Reiki Principles').
Some
Japanese Practitioners draw the actual 'mental/emotional' symbol
itself very similarly to the way in which Takata-sensei was taught
to draw it by Hayashi-sensei; however, others use what can only
be described as a partial/incomplete version of the symbol; and
yet others still, use a modified form of this latter incomplete
version.
As
to what is referred to as the 'Distance symbol' in Usui Shiki
Ryoho:
Well,
most Japanese Practitioners, it seems, draw the actual 'distance
symbol' symbol itself very similarly to the way in which Takata-sensei
was taught to draw it by Hayashi-sensei, with minor variation
in the number of strokes used (some use 21, some 22).
According
to some Japanese Practitioners, the jumon is pronounced Hon Ja
Ze Sho Nen (the Ja is another 'reading' of the kanji pronounced
as Sha in the more familiar form: Hon Sha Ze Sho Nen).
Others
do not consider the symbol to actually be a 'symbol' as such -
claiming rather that drawing/writing the visual aspect of what
we deem the 'distant symbol' constitutes part of reciting a jumon...
Some
claim the vocalised element (i.e. the jumon-proper) should
be pronounced Hon Ja Ze Sei Nen (the Sei is another 'reading'
of the kanji pronounced as Sho in the more familiar form: Hon
Sha Ze Sho Nen).
As
for the 'master symbol':
Some
Japanese practitioners would have us believe that the 'master
symbol' was not traditionally part of Reiki at all (but rather
an add-on, originating several years after Usui-sensei's passing!!)...
However,
of those Japanese practitioners who do use and teach the
'master' symbol (and this group actually includes some
of those who claim the 'master' symbol is not a original Reiki
symbol !!), most, it seems, draw the symbol in its regular three-kanji
form.
And,
just as happened in the west after Takata-sensei's passing - where
many and varied new uses were dreamed up for the 'master symbol'
- so too in Japan the symbol is widely used far beyond its sole
original purpose[9]
While
most also tend to use 'Dai Ko Myo' as the jumon, some apparently
vocalise 'Dai Mitsu Mei' instead. [Simply for the sake of being
different, perhaps?].
(Mitsu
is simply another 'reading' of the kanji pronounced as Ko in the
more familiar form: Dai Ko Myo, and Mei is another 'reading' of
the kanji pronounced as Myo).
And
as is the case with the 'distance symbol', no doubt there will
also be some who claim that the 'master symbol' is not a 'symbol'
at all - that drawing/writing the visual aspect (i.e. the three
kanji) merely constitutes part of reciting a jumon...
______
Notes
[1]Shirushi
- a sign, symbol, 'glyph' or graphic visual representation; also
a mark made with a stamp or seal.
[2] Interesting, as at that time
many western practitioners were also no longer using the symbols...
[3] Zui-un translates as 'Auspicious Cloud' ( – a good omen).
It is also the name of a brand of Aloeswood Incense!
[4] Kumo and Un are two alternative
'readings' of, i.e. ways of pronouncing, the same kanji character
meaning 'cloud'
[5] Jumon -
an incantation; a
spell, a charm;
a magic word,
'words of power'/ 'words filled with spirit'.
[6] or at least, they themselves
had not been taught its jumon
[7] Muryo-ju = 'Infinite Felicitation'
or 'Uncountable Blessing' - also the name of a specific manifestation
of Amida Butsu.
Mugen
= Infinity, Infinite Compassion, Infinite Wisdom, Unconditional
Light
[8] Fuku ju means something like
"a long and prosperous life" (used as a toast, it is
much like saying "Cheers!").[It is also the name of a popular brand of sake]
[9] i.e.
as part of the initiation process
On
a web site I read about a Reiki Master who was meant to
be trained by one of Mikao Usui's students still alive today who
is known as the Soke Dai . It said Soke dai is a Buddhist title
for the current lineage bearer, tho someone else said it had to
do with martial arts? The Reiki Master gives his lineage as Usui
Mikao, Soke Dai, and then himself.
Well, I must say
that I personally have previously never heard Soke-dai described
as being a Buddhist title.
The
term Soke-dai is indeed often used today in relation to Japanese
martial arts; however, it seems, many westerners who practice
Japanese martial arts are somewhat confused as to the precise
meaning of the term, and thus use it incorrectly – interestingly
enough, usually believing that it refers to the person considered
to be the current head (or as you put it) 'lineage bearer' of
a particular art.
In order to understand the term Soke-dai we first need to have
an understanding of the term Soke (so-ke)
Traditionally, the term Soke (or more fully Sodenke) has been
used denote the head of a family-(or guild-)based discipline,
skill or art.[1].
The term Soke is
used to refer to the original 'Founding Father' [2]
of the discipline/skill/art, and is also to refer to those
who have succeeded the founder as hereditary/generational
'Family Heads' of that tradition.
It
has long been the Japanese way of things to 'keep it in the family'
with the teaching and practice of specific arts being closely
guarded, regulated and controlled by certain families or 'guilds';
and with the innermost 'secrets' of the art only being shared
from father to son down through the generations.
When the Soke or
Head died (or retired) it was common practice that he would be
replaced by a blood-line descendant, who would in turn assume
the role of 'Family Head'. On occasion, however (for example if
the Soke had no male offspring) the Soke, might designate another
blood-relative to take on the role of Head of Family after his
retirement/death. More rarely, the Soke might designate a non
blood-relative - an 'adopted' son, or even a son-in-law to succeed
him.
This
intended next-generation successor (be it offspring, other blood-relative,
adoptive son or son-in-law) would have been trained to the highest
level - a senior instructor in the given discipline/skill/art,
and would have been made privy to the innermost secrets of the
tradition by the Soke.
It
was quite common that this intended 'inheritor of the lineage'
of the given discipline/skill/art would be referred to by the
title Soke-dai.
However,
as stated, many westerners have misunderstood the meaning and
significance of the term Soke-dai [and likewise, of the term Soke].[3]
Many seem to think that the term Soke refers solely to
the originator of the art, and that Soke-dai means something like
“the originator's current successor” and that the
individual will still be referred to as Soke-dai after the Soke
has retired or died.
Yet
this is not the case.
Now while Soke
is a title for the founder of an art, as mentioned above, it is
also a title for the generational Heads of that art.
And while Soke-dai
is indeed a title (usually) held by the Soke's designated
successor [4],
this latter title does not actually refer directly to the
individual's status as designated next-generation successor per
se.
Rather it refers to their high-ranking status within the art.
As mentioned, the
designated successor would be a senior instructor in the given
discipline/skill/art, trained to the highest level; to all intents
and purposes, an equal to the Soke in all but name.
The term Soke-dai
actually speaks to this fact.
Soke-dai
(which is actually a shortened version of: Soke-dairi)
implies 'in place of the Soke' - a proxy – a stand-in for,
or official representative of, the current Soke.
A
Soke-dai is someone authorised to speak, act and teach on the
current Soke's behalf
when, for whatever reason, the Soke can not be present.
More directly put,
Soke-dai is simply a 'Deputy Soke'.
Sometimes,
within a large family/guild-based art, there may be several Soke-dai
– several Deputies - to assist the Soke with day-to-day
instruction and teaching, administrative duties, meetings, etc,
etc.
Yet
only one Soke-dai will be deemed 'heir apparent'. [5]
And when the current
Soke eventually retires (or dies), this 'heir apparent' will
(barring unforseen circumstance) assume the position of Head of
Family.
From
this point on they are no longer referred to as Soke-dai
for they are no longer the Soke's deputy.
They
now hold the title Soke, and as such will have one or more deputies
(Soke-dai) of their own.
However,
to distinguish them from previous Soke, their title will often
be augmented with an ordinal number.
The
Original Head of Family – the founder of the art –
may be referred to (retrospectively) as Shodai Soke
(i.e.1st
generation
head), his immediate successor, as Nidai Soke (2nd
generation
head). The Nidai Soke's successor, as
Sandai
Soke (3rd
generation
head),
and so on.
Thus I feel it
rather confusing that the term Soke-dai would be used to indicate
the current Head of a given art (at least, that is, by anyone
familiar with traditional Japanese protocol in such matters)
The term Soke-dai
really only has meaning where used in relation to Soke.
For there to be a Soke-dai or deputy, there would of necessity
also have to be someone currently
filling the role of Soke – someone for the Soke-dai to deputise
for.
_______
NOTES:
[1]
While traditionally used in relation to various other arts, the
terms Soke and Soke-dai have only really been used in relation
to martial arts for about 130 years or so.
[2] i.e. one
who has independently developed their own unique art or discipline
(or alternatively, has modified an existing art or discipline
to the extent that it was thus recognised by the individual's
peers as constituting a 'new 'style)
[3] This is commonly
the case with many martial artists who have had no direct contact
with or experience of the particular art as actually practised
in Japan.
[4] While the
Soke is still alive
[5] And,
while all the Soke-dai
will have been highly trained, traditionally, the
Soke will only share the innermost 'secrets' of the art with this
one chosen successor
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