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Excerpted from The Japanese Art of Reiki:

Description

Above is a translation of the five precepts as taught in the system of Reiki. A precept is a code of practice. Usui taught them to support his students on their spiritual path of self-healing - they are the baseline to the complete system. These precepts are the teachings of Usui, the roots to what has become the system of Reiki. If one were to practice the precepts alone, the spiritual journey would be swift and triumphant. Their deceiving simplicity undercuts the struggle that is relentlessly experienced when working with them. Though the precepts may lie at the heart of the teachings, the enormity of this challenge prompted Usui to create other methods to support practitioners: these are the other four elements of the system of Reiki.

Apart from the five precepts found in the Japanese text, this creed of Usui also includes a brief introduction, directions for use and background informationii. The creed is in fact a set of fundamental beliefs and directions guiding practitioners on their spiritual journey.

Source

The word ‘precept’ generally means ‘rule of conduct’ and there are many of these in Buddhism, some for monks and nuns and others for lay people. In Japanese Buddhism, there are five precepts or gokai. They exhort a Buddhist practitioner not to: kill, steal, commit adultery, tell lies, and not to drink intoxicants. These precepts, however, must not be confused with the system of Reiki’s gokai even though some of the sentiments are similar.

Usui, as he was want to do, took a component of a well-established form and created his own non-religious version. It is more likely that the precepts are the layperson’s version of the eight-fold path from Buddhism. The eight-fold path states that a practitioner must hold: right views, right thinking, right speech, right action, right way of life, right endeavor, right mindfulness and right meditation. The word ‘right’ according to Buddhist interpretation has specific connotations for a practitioner. Once a practitioner follows either the eight-fold path or the Reiki precepts the same quality of life can be experienced.

The first precepts taught by Usui were translated into his own words from an older set of Buddhist precepts. These precepts were initially from the early 9th century and were used daily in the practice of Shugendô - according to Suzuki san. They were a part of his first teachings that were then adjusted to become the five precepts - as we know them today. Usui is believed to have taught precepts from as early as 1915.

Within the context of Buddhism, at this time it was common for students to sit and write word for word their teacher’s commentaries and contemplations. This appears to have also been the case with the precepts.i It is generally believed that the act of writing is yet another method to help internalize the text’s meanings.

Apart from precepts there were also gyosei, waka (short poems) written by the Shinto Meiji Emperor (1852-1912), which were taught and practiced in similar ways to Usui’s precepts. It is thought that their inclusion may well have been relevant to the times that Usui lived in. Today they are not widely studied - if at all. During the Meiji Emperor’s reign, as well as using the Buddhist influenced Reiki precepts, the Shinto influenced waka would have been politically correct to use.

LINK to an essay on the 5 Elements of Reiki - one of which is the Gokia

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IHR: "Precepts - The Foundation of the System of Reiki"

by BRONWEN AND FRANS STIENE on JULY 14, 2008

As you know, the Reiki Precepts are one of five elements of the system of Reiki.

A precept, however, is NOT an affirmation. There has been confusion about their use since great books like Louise Hay’s ‘You Can Heal Your Life’, which includes affirmation work, became popular.

Affirmation work has certain guidelines and usages that are unrelated to precepts (such as the use of the term ‘do not’). Perhaps these simple definitions below will help clarify their differences for you.

Definition of precept (on-line dictionary): A rule or principle prescribing a particular course of action or conduct.
Definition of affirmation (on-line dictionary): Something declared to be true; a positive statement or judgment.

Precepts have been used as guidelines for conduct for centuries in many spiritual and religious practices. The popularity of affirmations should not cloud the benefits or strengths of working with precepts.

So, now that you know what a precept is, let’s look at their usage. Interestingly the precepts, apart from being one of the five major elements of the system of Reiki, are also its foundation.

In essence the precepts are the key to the other four elements. These elements are meditations, hands on healing, symbols/mantras and the reiju (attunement). If a practitioner looks deep enough within each of these elements the precepts can be found. 

Without the precepts the whole system would fall apart. 

Let’s look at one example in the Japanese system of Reiki, the technique of kenyoku ho. The literal translation of kenyoku ho is ‘dry bathing’. Bathing in Japan is seen as a form of purification often called misogi. This type of purification focuses on cleansing our negative thought patterns like fear, worry and anger.

When we perform kenyoku ho we begin to feel clearer and more open to receive whatever we require. 

This technique is often practiced by a practitioner before and after a hands-on healing session. Don’t be mistaken, it is not performed to protect the practitioner, or clear away any ‘negative’ energy that may have been picked up from the client. (As an aside… what is negative anyway?) Kenyoku ho is performed instead to help you become more open and grounded. 

When feeling more open and grounded, fear and worry disappear. And if that is the case, then there is no need for protection - the need to protect oneself is only ever performed out of fear and worry. 

So at the base of kenyoku ho is the precept - Do not worry.

Each element and practice within the system of Reiki has at its base the precepts, and if we take away the base a complete and effective system will no longer exist. 

Thus it is of utmost importance for Reiki practitioners and teachers to understand the precepts and lay them at the foundation of their teachings.