Reiki - Intro

       Reiki  is a form of alternative medicine developed in 1922 by Japanese Buddhist Mikao Usui.Since originating in Japan, Reiki has been adapted into varying cultural traditions across the world. Reiki practitioners use a technique they call palm healing orhands-on healing by which a "universal energy" is allegedly transferred through the palms of the practitioner to a patient in order to encourage healing.

Reiki is considered pseudoscience.It is based on qi ("chi"), which practitioners say is a universal life force, although there is no empirical evidence that such a life force exists.Clinical research has not shown Reiki to be effective as a medical treatment for any medical condition. The American Cancer Society, Cancer Research UK, and the National Center for Complementary and Integrative Health state that Reiki should not be a replacement for conventional treatment.

     According to the OED, the English alternative medicine word reiki or Reikiis etymologically from Japanese reiki (霊気) "mysterious atmosphere, miraculous sign" (first recorded in 1001), combiningrei "soul, spirit" and ki "vital energy"—theSino-Japanese reading of Chinese língqì (靈氣) "numinous atmosphere".[8]The earliest recorded English usage dates to 1975.

         The Japanese reiki is commonly written as レイキ in katakana syllabary or as 霊気 in shinjitai "new character form" kanji. It compounds the words rei (霊: "spirit, miraculous, divine") and ki (気; qi: "gas, vital energy, breath of life, consciousness"). Ki is additionally defined as "... spirits; one's feelings, mood, frame of mind; temperament, temper, disposition, one's nature, character; mind to do something, intention, will; care, attention, precaution". Some reiki translation equivalents from Japanese-English dictionaries are: "feeling of mystery","an atmosphere (feeling) of mystery",and "an ethereal atmosphere (that prevails in the sacred precincts of a shrine); (feel, sense) a spiritual (divine) presence." Besides the usual Sino-Japanese pronunciation reiki, these kanji 霊気 have an alternate Japanese reading, namely ryōge, meaning "demon; ghost" (especially in spirit possession).

       Chinese língqì 靈氣 was first recorded in the (ca. 320 BCE) Neiye"Inward Training" section of the Guanzi, describing early Daoist meditation techniques. "That mysterious vital energy within the mind: One moment it arrives, the next it departs. So fine, there is nothing within it; so vast, there is nothing outside it. We lose it because of the harm caused by mental agitation." Modern Standard Chinese língqìis translated by Chinese-English dictionaries as: "(of beautiful mountains) spiritual influence or atmosphere"; "1. Intelligence; power of understanding; 2. Supernatural power or force in fairy tales; miraculous power or force"; and "1. Spiritual influence (of mountains/etc.); 2. Ingeniousness; cleverness".

Origins

          According to the inscription on his memorial stone, Usui taught his system of Reiki to over 2000 people during his lifetime. While teaching Reiki in Fukuyama (福山市,Fukuyama-shi), Usui suffered a stroke and died on 9 March 192