Reiki is a Japanese healing method that channels life energy into the practitioner’s palms to heal a willing recipient. There are three or four levels of Reiki, with the final level allowing the student to become a Master and teach Reiki to others. The Western tradition has three levels, while the Japanese tradition is more selective and can take 30 to 50 years to reach the rank of Master teacher.
Reiki is a Japanese holistic healing method. It channels ki, a word that translates to life energy, into the practitioner’s palms, where it is used to heal a willing recipient. There are three or four different levels of Reiki depending on which tradition is being respected. Each level brings new training and skills to the Reiki student until he reaches the level of Reiki Master.
There are four levels of traditional Japanese Reiki. There are only three levels of Reiki in the adapted western tradition. Except for the final levels, the levels of each Tradition are almost the same. The first of the Reiki levels, or Reiki 1, begins with the initiation of new students. This stage is known as Shoden in Japanese tradition. At the end of the first level, the professional will be certified to treat himself and others. Initiates are taught to tune in to ki by learning hand positions.
Reiki 1 is followed by a traditional ceremony, performed in the same way it was for Reiki founder Mikao Usui. This ceremony is thought to enhance or increase the practitioner’s natural ki. It is the first step in what is called Reiju, a multi-stage attunement process.
The second level of Reiki is said to give students the ability to practice Reiki over long distances. This process begins with introducing the first three Reiki symbols. With mastery of each symbol comes additional Reiju, further attuning the student to ki.
This second level is known as Okuden in traditional Japanese Reiki. Under Master Usui, this level was only offered to students who were able to deeply sense ki. From what is known about traditional Japanese Reiki, most students who have demonstrated this promise have mastered this level only after decades of practice and tutoring.
Reiki 3, the last of the Reiki levels in the Western tradition, allows the student to reach Master level. In the Western tradition, this means that the student has learned the fourth symbol and is able to teach Reiki to others. This does not mean that the Master has reached a state of enlightenment, just that he has become fully attuned to ki.
The most significant difference between Japanese Reiki and Western Reiki is in the last level of Reiki. In the Japanese tradition, few people can follow Reiki beyond the second level. Graduation from the third level of Reiki means that the student has mastered the fourth symbol, the Usui master symbol, and achieved the rank of Master Practitioner. The rank of Master Master is then only conferred upon completion of an additional level of Reiki, which will allow the Master Practitioner to fully understand ki and be able to attune others to Reiki. This phase is called Shinpiden.
Each Western version stage can be taught in three to four hours over a weekend for a fee, which increases with each level. The traditional Japanese version is much more selective in who initiates. It requires a significant amount of time and devotion to advance from one level to the next. It can take a student of Reiki who follows the Japanese tradition 30 to 50 years or more to reach the rank of master teacher, if allowed to progress that far.
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