I cannot claim to know much except for the fact maybe that I choose to follow what I am comfortable with. I cannot follow any ritualistic path to spirituality, but what is right by me is what I like to stay on. So does that mean, I only do what I wish? That maybe one way to look at it. But on the other hand if I say, I do not know anything about God, but that I believe in an Universal Energy that guides all our lives that could be the best possible explanation I can come up with.
The only way I could answer Andy, was - Tibetans have their own variant, they basically follow what is known as Tantric Buddhism. They have adapted heavily from Tantric Hinduism and till date follow a lot of those rituals as part of their religious beliefs. What is followed in Japan (in very small pockets of the country, because they have now moved more to Shintoism) is still much purer a form, where he is not treated as God-like, his followers choose to follow him at will and they are flexible enough to allow for different aspects of Buddhist practices to emerge. Which is where Reiki is derived from, Mikao Usui was a Buddhist professor of science, who never set out to begin a revolution in terms of beliefs or norms, he simply used the script he knew( katakana) and devised apparently effective symbols to use while healing. These symbols were based on what he expected to deal with during his healing, as in emotions, distance, strength of healing powers and the master symbol which only a veteran practitioner was allowed. So what does this mean, that Buddhism has allowed a person to take from its realm aspects that may be used for healing. Even in Reiki, we believe that we are not the healers, The Universal Energy is! We are mere channels for that energy to flow through when we invoke it. It may be our hands that heal, but they too are only a medium for the energy to pass through. That is the lesson we as Reiki practitioners pass on to our students. So, where is it varying from the original form of Buddhism.
Why do I quote my discussion with Andy, is because he makes me think aloud and onto the written form, my thoughts and practical approach to spirituality. Were it not for his badgering, I'm not sure I'd get about to discussing about these core beliefs of mine. So maybe my journey on writing about Reiki has begun at last..........
