Reiki: Mindfulness and Compassion

				forgiving ourselves we start to release our anger
In this article I want to talk about Mindfulness and				and our worry, and move towards a state of
Compassion, which I believe are two essential				contentment in the moment.
components of Reiki practice. Whether we are				The original system was a spiritual path, a path to
treating others, working on ourselves,				enlightenment, and the precepts were what Usui
empowering others or living our lives with Reiki,				Sensei’s system was all about. These
we should grow to embody those two states,				principles are a foundation for everything we do
the essence of the Reiki precepts.				with Reiki: the states of mindfulness and
Mindfulness				compassion arise from following the precepts and
According to Usui Sensei’s surviving students,				from working with Reiki.
Mikao Usui introduced his students to the practice				For example, how do we feel when we carry out
of mindfulness at First Degree level, and				a Reiki treatment? Treating someone with Reiki is
emphasised this more at Second Degree level.				a special, special gift. We feel a closeness, an
According to the Concise Oxford Dictionary (9th				intimacy, a merging with the recipient; we receive
Edition), to be mindful is to take heed or care, to				trust and we experience compassion. Ideally we
be conscious. Mindfulness or being mindful is being				should just be there in the moment, with the
aware of your present moment. You are not				energy, with the recipient, with no expectations.
judging, reflecting or thinking. You are simply				We do not treat someone with the intention to
observing the moment in which you find yourself,				resolve their health problem or eliminate their
fully aware. Moments are like a breath. Each				headache. We just merge with the energy and
breath is replaced by the next breath. You are				allow Reiki to do its work; we create a sacred
there with no other purpose than being awake				space for healing to occur. If our mind wanders,
and aware of that moment.				as it may do, then we notice this and gently but
So mindfulness is a state of living in the moment,				firmly bring our attention back to the present and
of being relaxed, calm and fully engaged in what				what we are doing. We become one with the
we are doing. Mindfulness is being fully aware of				energy as it flows through us, we become one
what is happening right now and giving ourselves				with the recipient, and we experience that blissful
completely to our task without distraction. By				contentment in the moment. When we treat we
learning how to enjoy and be in the present				are mindful: we are an observer, not a participant.
moment we can find peace within ourselves.				Though some are taught that you can hold a
Like precepts, mindfulness is largely associated				conversation with someone as you treat, or
with Buddhism and it is a meditative practice that				watch television at the same time, this really will
is not reserved for special meditation sessions: it				not lead to the best being given to the recipient.
is a practice that you can embrace as part of				To be the most effective channel we can be, we
your daily life and when carrying out routine and				need to be there with the energy, fully and gently
mundane tasks.				engaged in our work, giving ourselves fully to the
The best guide that I have found to the use of				task without distraction.
mindfulness as part of your daily life is the				Those same principles apply when working on
following book, written by Thich Nhat Hanh:				ourselves, whether carrying out Hatsurei ho or
“The Miracle of Mindfulness” and I				self-treating. The state we should seek to achieve
recommend that all Reiki practitioners and				is that of being fully engaged in the endeavour, of
teachers obtain a copy and practise being mindful				being with the energy without distraction, merged,
during their daily activities.				aware and simply existing in the moment, with a
I believe that Mikao Usui’s precepts are all				gentle feeling of forgiveness, love and compassion
about mindfulness, and that when we are				towards ourselves.
exhorted by the precepts to “just for				So both Mindfulness and Compassion are
today” release anger and worry, we are being				fundamental to our life with Reiki, fundamental to
guided to exist as far as we can in a mindful				the Reiki precepts, to working on others and
state. Anger and worry are distractions, you see,				working on ourselves. Not surprisingly they are
and if we can exist in the moment by being				also an essential component of the transmission
mindful then we will not dwell on the past and				of Reiki to another person through carrying out
beat ourselves up for things that did not go the				Reiju empowerments. Reiju is the ‘connection
way we wanted, and we will not dwell on the				ritual’ that Usui Sensei used, and taught to his
future, perhaps worrying about things that have				surviving students. It is simple, elegant and
not yet happened. We can learn to release our				powerful, free from the clutter and detail that
attachments to the past and the future and just				surrounds most Western attunement styles.
“be” now, content and accepting in the				When we perform Reiju we have no
moment, by learning to be mindful.				expectations: we are there in the moment with
Compassion				the energy, following the prescribed movements.
The final precept, that of being				We are relaxed and fully engaged in what we are
“compassionate towards ourselves and				doing, aware of what is happening right now, and
others” is for me an exhortation to be gentle				we give ourselves completely to our task without
with ourselves, to be patient, to be light-hearted,				distraction. That is the essence of Reiju, the
to not take ourselves quite so seriously and				essence of treatments, the essence of the
above all to be forgiving – first of all of				precepts, and the essence of our life with Reiki.
ourselves but also of others. By accepting and