Reiki and the precepts

The Precepts within the system of Reiki are probably the most important part of Reiki, they are the foundation of Reiki and was Mikao Usui's preferred method of teaching. Reiki is the precepts and the precepts are Reiki, without them there would be no system of Reiki, they instruct us to be our true selves, we can't embody the precepts if we are not true to our way and our being.

For today only (which literally means, in this moment)

• Do not anger
• Do not worry
• Be grateful
• Be true to our way and your being
• Be compassionate to yourself and others

In the Gakkai practice (a system set up by Mikao Usui, which still exists today, the precepts were chanted three times every day, they instruct us to be fully engaged in the moment. It is, however, simple to recite/chant the precepts, and pat ourselves on the back that we have just done this, but unless we are in the right space they will mean absolutely nothing. In fact, we are externalising them instead of internalising them, we need to put them deeply in our heart and mind, embodying them, being them, becoming them.

So what do the first two precepts mean? No anger, no worry?

Anger comes from within, it is our anger. No one makes us angry we do that all by ourselves. If you really think about it, it's already there, why? Because we are fighting within ourselves, the trigger fires and off we go, anger erupts and away we go, being confrontational, arguing, yelling at the top of our voice. So what are the results of all this anger, more anger? Now other people are involved and more anger again. So Mikao Usui told us to meditate on our anger, through deep breathing, watching the anger dissipate, until we understand that our mind and heart is thinking in a different way, we are softening our anger. 

Worry is another word that describes nothing, we can't live in the past, we live in the present, the future is not here. So looking at worry from a different perspective, meditating on whatever it is we're worried about, we begin to realise there is no point in worrying, it will solve nothing, it will only make us anxious.

The first two precepts lead into being grateful, being true to who we lead us into compassion, we can't show compassion to ourselves and others if we don't embody all the precepts as they are connected to our journey into compassion. If we don't understand them or really feel them, then they are just words.