As more and more information emerges about the Japanese origins of Reiki, it is now becoming clear that Dr. Usui was not a Christian, but very clearly was a Buddhist. Anyone familiar with Buddhist Insight (or Vipassana) meditation and philosophy will recognise the connection with the beautiful Reiki precepts.

The Eastern way of teaching has always been to impart knowledge according to the level of development of the student. Therefore, when Hawayo Takata - a Western woman - came to Japan around 1935 with a desire and commitment to learn Reiki, she would likely have been trained by Dr.Hayashi in a very different way to a Japanese man.

A BRIEF HISTORY OF "JIN KEI DO"
Dr. Hayashi is known to have trained around 12 masters. One of his students was a Buddhist monk, Venerable Takeuchi. In turn, Takeuchi trained his novice monk, Seiji Takamori, who - convinced there was still more to be discovered about Reiki - sought and gained permission to leave Japan and embark on a journey to Nepal and Tibert to research the origins of this technique.

There he found an order of monks practising the Buddho system, of which Reiki is a simplified form. He spent some years with these monks, and in later years travelled in the West, where he offered healing in this system. Only in the final years of his life did he offer teaching to his only student and inheritor, Dr. Ranga Premaratna.

I consider myself priveliged in that I was recently accepted to undertake training to master level in the "Jin Kei Do" form of "Usui Shin Kai" with this incredible man.

WHAT DO THE WORDS MEAN?
"Jin Kei Do" is the name given to this lineage by the present lineage bearer (and my teacher) - Dr. Ranga Premaratna". Translated from Japanese, these words mean:

"Jin" = "compassion", "Kei" = "wisdom", "Do" = "path" or "way of life".

"Ursui Shin Kai" - the name given to the form - means "the core teachings of Usui".

WHAT ARE THE DIFFERENCES BETWEEN THE TWO SYSTEMS?
The most significant difference between "Usui Shin Kai" (the Eastern form) and "Usui Shiki Ryoho" (the Western form which is widely taught and practised throughout the world) is in the emphasis on compassion. Obviously Reiki and compassion are linked, but the "Usui Shin Kai" form of the "Jin Kei Do" lineage teaches compassion as the cornerstone of the system.

Simple meditations and breathing practices are taught in this system, and these enhance development of compassion for the self and others, while also helping to create an awareness of energy. The routines of hand positions in this form are more specific in that they focus on the body's system of energy centers (chakras), energy channels (nadis) and energy concentration points (marmas).

Throughout my training with Dr. Ranga Premaratna, I was amazed at the detail of information, the obvious authenticity of the system, and the sincerity and integrity with which "Jin Kei Do" was taught by him.

I have always been totally committed to the origins and simplicity of Reiki, and training in "Jin Kei Do" has not lessened that commitment. On the contrary, I feel I have deepened my experience by accessing the origins of the form as practised and taught for hundreds of years in the country of its origin, Tibet.

TRAINING IN THE "JIN KEI DO" SYSTEM
Training in the first stage is given over 4 sessions, each of around 3 hours. When the student has worked with the practice regularly for at least 3 months - and preferably longer - 2nd stage training may be taken. This second level of training involves a further three sessions covering, in total, some 8 to 9 hours.