We understand that the Reiki precepts are about the mind and that they describe the state of mind: anshin ritsume or satori = enlightenment=great bright light (Dai Komyo) = our True Self = Reiki.
Thus with the Reiki precepts Mikao Usui has indicated the direction of our development on the Reiki path.
The what of Reiki so to say, its essence.
Obviously he has also told us how to get there. The set of tools we learn in the System of Reiki is there to assist us on the Reiki path. Here we talk about the rest of the elements: meditations, techniques, symbols and mantras, hands on healing and reiju.
Although if we look carefully, we can see that the right manner of practicing is clearly stated already in the precepts, making the precepts alone a perfect tool for uncovering our True nature.
Let’s have a closer look at the precepts.
After the 5 Reiki precepts there follows a text.
朝夕 合掌 して
morning and evening perform gassho
心 に 念じ
Keep in your mind
口 に 唱へ よ
Chant with your mouth
What exactly is Mikao Usui telling us with these three lines?
body
Gassho is a bodily position.
It gives us focus on a physical aspect.
Gassho tells us how to position our body in a proper way.
If we want to sustain gassho for a longer period, we have to hold the posture correctly: our back should be straight and aligned; our shoulders should not be tensed and stay low; thus the pressure between the palms should be just right. When held correctly, this posture feels stable, natural and easy to maintain for a longer period.
Besides if we practice gassho every morning and evening we train our body to take on the right posture. Automatically the body would be inclined to adjust itself also between the official gassho meditations.
mind
According to Mikao Usui we are to keep the actual precepts in our mind morning and evening.
Keeping the precepts in our mind means staying in the light of our True Self.
Mikao Usui suggests we sit down to officially meditate every morning and every evening, but morning and evening mean continuity, they mean always.
The sun and the moon (Myo) in the Reiki 3 symbol also denote the continuity of clarity of our True Self. We have to remember that the sun is always there even when covered with clouds and the moon is always full, even if we see only a part of it.
How do we evoke the continuous clarity of our True Self?
How do we not get distracted, deluded and clouded?
We have to bring our mind back to the body.
speech
We use our speech or breath to connect our body and our mind and thus to stay clear and present, not distracted.
Initially Mikao Usui suggested we chant the precepts.
What does the chanting actually do?
Chanting is the vocalised speech or breath.
A proper breath (deep breathing in your lower abdomen) is supported by the right posture.
When we mindfully follow each breath all the way down to the hara, we return our mind into the body, and thus create calmness and clarity.
Vocalisation of breath is just an additional focus point.
The more often we practice connecting the body and the mind through breath, the more we get used to it. The more proper the posture and breathing, the clearer the mind becomes. We practice breathing initially with the help of sound, but eventually every silent breath could remind us of the state of clarity and focus that characterise our True Nature.
It is in the state of clarity and focus enhanced through the state of unity of our right body, right mind and right speech that we can loose our fears and worries and uncover our True Self.
