Physical health and mental peace through Reiki healingReiki is a Japanese word which means cosmic energy. Reiki healing involves invoking the cosmic energy to enter our bodies for giving vitality and healing sickness. It is in fact a form of spiritual healing. Reiki healing was discovered by a Japanese national by name Mikao Usui. There is some difference of opinion as to what he was doing before realizing Reiki. Many people say he was a businessman. Some say he had studied modern medicine and was practicing it. But there is widespread agreement about how he came to realize the power of Reiki healing. It is said that he was once affected by an epidemic disease and was quite seriously ill. The treating doctors lost hope and opined that he would soon die. At that time he had a strange vision of monks blessing him and of light entering his body. Surprisingly he was completely normal after that strange experience. After consulting several Buddhist monks he went to mount Kurama and meditated there for 21 days without taking any food. At the end of this period he realized the power of Reiki. He then started healing others and teaching Reiki to others. Since then the practice of Reiki healing has spread far and wide and Reiki healers and masters are found in many countries. It is said that the regular practice of Reiki confers special powers and there are reports of abuse of this power also. Hence it is better to be cautious while choosing a Reiki master. In order to understand the basis of Reiki healing it is better to have some knowledge of ancient Indian scriptures as Reiki is closely related to spirituality. The ancient seers of India had clearly understood the oneness of entire creation. Today’s man is in a better position to understand the ancient scriptures because of advances in science. We know for sure that matter and energy are inter-convertible. Hence the entire cosmos including all the visible and invisible planets, stars, satellites, comets, living beings and every other thing we can conceive of and not conceive of is nothing but energy. Matter is condensed energy. It is clear that everything in the entire universe has come out of that and goes back into it. Indian scriptures refer to this ultimate source as Parabrahman. Now arises the interesting question. Does that cosmic energy actually transform itself into this universe? Every change is relative and we cannot perceive a change unless there is a changeless entity. For example every human being is made up of the same basic elements. In this context the basic elements do not change but every human being in different. Going deeper all elements are made up of atoms. The combination of atoms produces different elements. Here the elements change but atoms remain the same. All atoms are made up of elementary particles. The elementary particles remain unchanged but give rise to different atoms. If all particles can be reduced to energy then energy has to remain unchanged. Without a changeless platform we cannot perceive any change. But we are convinced that the entire universe is nothing but energy. If energy cannot change how can creation come into existence?
Indian scriptures point out that the cosmic spirit or Parabrahman through its power causes an illusion of names and forms. It is likened to a dream. The power of the cosmic spirit is known as Maya or Aadi Parashakthi. It is not different from the spirit.
A person walking in semi-darkness can mistake a piece of rope for a snake. In this context the snake never existed. Only the rope existed. The idea of snake arose in the mind of that person. Just as the idea of snake is superimposed on rope the creation is an illusion superimposed on the cosmic spirit. The human mind goes through three states-awakened state, dream state and the state of deep sleep. The experience of the awakened state can be negated in the dream state and vice versa. For example a doctor can dream that he is pilot and flying a plane. His dream plane can crash and at that point of time he can wake up in horror only to realize that he is actually a doctor and all is well with him. Dreams can be very vivid and while dreaming we actually identity ourselves with the dream characters. In the state of deep sleep both these states are non existent and the soul exists all by itself. But a person is not aware of his real nature. Through meditation a person can merge his soul with the cosmic spirit and experience his true nature. This state of existence is known as Samadhi and is referred to as the fourth state. The scriptures point out that the creation is only a projection of the mind. Physiologists know that stimulation of certain areas of brain leads to some sensations like flashes of light or some sound without any external cause. Many examples are given in scriptures to explain the phenomenon of creation. It should however be noted that every example serves only to drive home a particular point. How the cosmic spirit appears to transform itself into creation without undergoing any change is an enigma which can never be fully understood by the human mind. The cosmic spirit is the potential energy and Maya its kinetic form. The two are inseparable. Just as a spider weaves a web out of itself the cosmic spirit brings upon the illusion of the creation. It is the material cause as well as the efficient cause. Our senses have many limitations and the mind depends on sensory input to arrive at conclusions. Hence such knowledge based on senses and mind will always remain incomplete and imperfect. Ancient Indian sages got their wisdom through intuition by directly communicating with the cosmic spirit through meditation. Reiki is the kinetic form of the cosmic spirit, the power which has brought this fabulous universe into existence. By invoking this power it is possible to achieve many things including healing of diseases. The ability to invoke Reiki has to be bestowed upon a person by a competent master through a process known as attunement. Using a series of rituals the master will enable a person to invoke Reiki for healing oneself and others. Skeptics naturally ask whether it is possible to cure any disease with reiki healing. Any claim of Reiki cure will be dismissed as a coincidence. But the relaxing effect of Reiki therapy can be experienced by anyone who practices Reiki properly. In today's world of increasing cost of diagnosis and treatment it may be worth spending about half an hour daily practicing Reiki healing. It may save a few visits to doctors, help in building a healthy family and is devoid of any side effect.
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Page last reviewed on 7th January 2010
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