There are very few historical facts about Usui's teachings that can claim authenticity through verification. That is not to say that there aren't a great many stories told about Usui and his teachings - there are.
The most straightforward information to be found is that from Usui Mikao's Memorial Stone. This was written just one year after his death and therefore leaves little leeway for the historical information to have changed drastically. Recently it has been claimed that the students who wrote this information never consulted Usui's family and therefore may have left out information that would be relevant in a truly comprehensive memorial to Usui.
It is said that Mikao Usui (the founder of the system of Reiki [http://www.shibumireiki.org]) was a Tendai Buddhist practitioner.
Let's see what influences this may have had upon his teachings...
Tendai practitioners work with the Lotus Sutra, it is one of the teachings most important sutras. A sutra is a canonical scripture generally based upon ancient oral teachings. Tendai originated from the Chinese Tiantai or the Lotus Sutra School, which is Mahayana Buddhism - one of two main existing forms of Buddhism.
Two main teachings of the Lotus Sutra are that, first, we can all realize Buddhahood in this lifetime (as it is innate within us) and, secondly, to have a direct experience that the self and others are all of one substance. In brief the Lotus Sutra discusses and explains the concept of non-duality.
Within the system of Reiki non-duality is symbolized by the Shinpiden Reiki Level III mantra DKM!
Sutras in Japan are often chanted or copied, this is done many times to induce the state of which the particular sutra relates. Dokyo means the chanting of a sutra and Shakyo means the copying of a sutra in Japanese.
One of the best translations of the Lotus Sutra is by Burton Watson.
Extract from the Lotus Sutra by Burton Watson:
The Lotus Sutra is one of the most important and influential of all the sutras or sacred scriptures of Mahayana Buddhism, revered by almost all branches of the Mahayana teachings, and over many centuries the object of intense veneration among Buddhist believers throughout China, Korea, Japan, and other regions of eastern Asia.
[http://www.mandala.hr/3/lotus-sutra.html]
More information on the Lotus Sutra:
http://www.geocities.com/chris_holte/Buddhism/LotusSutra/index.html
Buddhist Teacher Thich Nhat Hanh wrote a wonderful book on the Lotus Sutra called Opening the Heart of the Cosmos: Insights on the Lotus Sutra:
http://www.amazon.com/Opening-Heart-Cosmos-Insights-Lotus/dp/1888375337
The Shibumi Historical Reiki Research Team aims to conduct more research into this topic!
The most straightforward information to be found is that from Usui Mikao's Memorial Stone. This was written just one year after his death and therefore leaves little leeway for the historical information to have changed drastically. Recently it has been claimed that the students who wrote this information never consulted Usui's family and therefore may have left out information that would be relevant in a truly comprehensive memorial to Usui.
It is said that Mikao Usui (the founder of the system of Reiki [http://www.shibumireiki.org]) was a Tendai Buddhist practitioner.
Let's see what influences this may have had upon his teachings...
Tendai practitioners work with the Lotus Sutra, it is one of the teachings most important sutras. A sutra is a canonical scripture generally based upon ancient oral teachings. Tendai originated from the Chinese Tiantai or the Lotus Sutra School, which is Mahayana Buddhism - one of two main existing forms of Buddhism.
Two main teachings of the Lotus Sutra are that, first, we can all realize Buddhahood in this lifetime (as it is innate within us) and, secondly, to have a direct experience that the self and others are all of one substance. In brief the Lotus Sutra discusses and explains the concept of non-duality.
Within the system of Reiki non-duality is symbolized by the Shinpiden Reiki Level III mantra DKM!
Sutras in Japan are often chanted or copied, this is done many times to induce the state of which the particular sutra relates. Dokyo means the chanting of a sutra and Shakyo means the copying of a sutra in Japanese.
One of the best translations of the Lotus Sutra is by Burton Watson.
Extract from the Lotus Sutra by Burton Watson:
The Lotus Sutra is one of the most important and influential of all the sutras or sacred scriptures of Mahayana Buddhism, revered by almost all branches of the Mahayana teachings, and over many centuries the object of intense veneration among Buddhist believers throughout China, Korea, Japan, and other regions of eastern Asia.
[http://www.mandala.hr/3/lotus-sutra.html]
More information on the Lotus Sutra:
http://www.geocities.com/chris_holte/Buddhism/LotusSutra/index.html
Buddhist Teacher Thich Nhat Hanh wrote a wonderful book on the Lotus Sutra called Opening the Heart of the Cosmos: Insights on the Lotus Sutra:
http://www.amazon.com/Opening-Heart-Cosmos-Insights-Lotus/dp/1888375337
The Shibumi Historical Reiki Research Team aims to conduct more research into this topic!