Introduction
The cure by imposition of hands has a millenarian prehistory - well-known today as it indoctrinates primitive of the Reiki- and a history that begins in century XIX with the discovery of the Dr. Usui, continues with its disciples and arrives to the present time.
As we will see, which Usui realized was not a discovery but the rediscovery of a knowledge that had managed to survive through the centuries. Usui becomes then the renovator of the primitive doctrine of the Reiki, when adding to the atavic techniques more modern others.
The history of how Usui is with the primitive doctrine of the Reiki is the result of a series of verified facts and of legend also interwoven by the memories and the imagination of its disciples, by the way so suggestive history that it is worth the pain to know it although per moments becomes very difficult to define the truth of the myth.
On the matter, first that is necessary to clarify it is that everything what today we know on the Reiki comes from a single source: the verbal stories of Hawayo Takata, teacher of Reiki and daughter of the continuant of the Dr. Usui, the Dr. Chujiro Hayashi.
This must to that the documents on the Reiki existing in the country where this was developed, Japan, probably became lost during World War II and the survivors of the Dr. Hayashi lost during the world war the resources that allowed them to continue with the clinic that he founded or perhaps stopped practicing this discipline. Nevertheless, and beyond the doubts on the veracity of the stories of Mrs Takata, the Reiki to a great extent survived thanks to her. This was possible because it learned it to Takata before the war and it was not in Japan during the same, later spreading the Reiki in the United States. If it had not been by her, is very probable that this one curative technique would be had lost for the world.
Perhaps the disappeared documents, particularly the tests that maintained following history, justify the initial skepticism of some people. But the Reiki speaks by itself, since the energy is real and easily experienced. Reason why once one has undergone the energy, the Reiki is always there, demonstrating to its truth and its effectiveness. Further on then of the veracity of the facts of the history that follows next, yes he is unquestionable that the ability to carry out the Reiki so easily comes from some part.
We begin then with the first part of the modern of the Reiki and with the biography of the Dr. Usui, as fascinating history as the same Reiki.

The rediscovery of the Reiki: the search of O-Sensei Usui
Towards aims of century nineteen, the old imperial city of Kioto was still the center of the buddhism and the cultural capital of Japan. There, like in the rest of the Japanese territory, the Christianity and all the foreign religious beliefs they stayed remote. Nevertheless, opposing the traditions, Mikao Usui, that had grown and it had formed in this city and whose natural destiny was to transform itself into Buddhist monk, it also approached the Christianity because it saw in this doctrine a form to serve his faith, being interested in disclosing it. Then Christian priest devoted itself and began to direct a small seminary.
Complementary information also maintains that Usui was in addition adept to a school Tendai, the Japanese tantric Buddhism, loving tradition of the symbols, and that in addition practiced other spiritual disciplines.
Against this background, Japan began progressively to connect with the rest of the world, breaking its insular isolation and receiving all type of foreign influences. But it is integration and its consequent entrance in modernity took place not without sorrows. The conflict enters East and the West, between the traditions of its ancestors and the new values, was crystallized in Usui through an anxious and permanent search would lead that it to be with the knowledge that would give rise to notoriety and to him in the history of the disciplines destined to the healing of the body and the soul.
Meanwhile, before its life gave a definitive upset, product of the effect that caused in him a question of one of its disciples, Usui, plenty of faith and energy, tried to teach to its young students the Christian doctrine in its seminary.

The fecund questions and the lesson of the student
They had celebrated the dominical mass and the sermon had turned on a subject that the Usui teacher had still not mentioned his students: the treatments and the miracles realized by Jesus.
The mere description of the miraculous facts did not satisfy to one with its students, who asked to him if the words of the Bible had to be taken from literal way. Sharp by its faith and devotion, Usui did not doubt in responding affirmatively.
But the student wanted to know more, reason why he asked to him that he explained to him how the miracles and treatments of Jesus Christ were realized, since he wanted to learn to cure to the patients. Doctor Usui was disturbed and in an extremely delicate position: not only he was not able to respond to the requirements of the young person, but this fact also put in doubt its honor like teacher. The concept of the honor in Japan was and is different from how we to it in the West understand: if a teacher is not able to respond to the questions of his students, level implies a loss of his honor. The certain thing is that Usui could answer that question to him neither its student nor itself. The young person was developing to him a crack that was will in the middle of the solidity of its faith.
This would determine the destiny of Usui. As of that moment the way that began to cross to find the truth would be full of obstacles and deviations that, nevertheless would take, it to an accidental end more than favorable.

The trip towards an answer
As he were a consequent man and by his eagerness to reach permanent a spiritual and moral integrity it did not allow to be deceived itself, the happened thing to its disciple had consequences that took to Usui to make a drastic decision. Without delay, it left his position in the seminary and undertook a trip to the United States with the intention to study theology in the University of Chicago. There Ph.D. in Theology and soon was returned to Japan, still without finding the answers to the doubts that the young student had seeded in him. To be able to explain the secret of the miraculous treatments of Jesus and its disciples who described themselves in the Bible, had been transformed into its obsessive goal.
Embarked in the search it gives a satisfactory answer, one was with the testimonies that told that also Buddha had carried out treatments, and began to study and to investigate in the life of this teacher. With this one objective a great amount of monasteries traveled by all the country, visiting zen in order to study the translations to the Japanese of sutras.
As it did not obtain to progress some, it decided to study Chinese to be able to accede to much more old sources: Chinese translations of sutras. But by this way it did not obtain his assignment either. Neither the Chinese sacred texts nor the Christian texts contained indication some of how Jesus Christ and Buddha had realized their miraculous treatments.
Discouraged, but not rendered, Usui thought that if sometimes something had been possible, it had to continue being it.
Their following decisions were to study Sanskrit - the millenarian language sacred of the Hindus to be able to read sutras in their original language, and undertook next a trip to Tibet and India.

The essential inner trip
Usui returned to Japan seven years after to have begun its length journey in search of the wished wisdom. Of accidental way, it discovered in a Buddhist monastery manuscripts of 2,500 years of antiquity, written by a disciple of Buddha,that apparently contained the key to respond to their questions.
Understanding that he enters to know and to include/understand is a long stretch, doctor Usui met with the superior of the monastery and the wise person and old monk advised to him that he retired to the sacred mountain of Kuriyama to meditate and to fasting during twenty-one days. When blunting the sun in the following morning, Usui started off for the mountain.
As soon as it arrived at his destiny, placed twenty-one small stones in front of his cabin, to be retiring one every day. His days were only for fasting, oration and meditation but, although it iron fulfilled the discipline that had prevailed, did not obtain that no knowledge superior was revealed to him. Until number twenty-one arrived the day. Its last day in the mountain.
Like towards daily, Usui fasting, said and meditated. When the morning routine arrived at its aim, before leaving its position, the priest begged that it arrived to him so longed for revelation. And finally, their requests were listened to. In the place in which the Hindus locate the call third eye - in center of the Usui forehead it felt suddenly the impact of a powerful and shining light. Thinking that it had died or that was undergoing hallucinations product of the fasting, it began to perceive a rainbow formed by thousands of small bubbles of colors. It saw then symbols of old sutra of lotus that already knew and repeated aloud: “Yes, memory”, realizing to it at that moment that what it happened to him was absolutely real. Usui had begun to come near to - his so longed for goal. It already was near rediscover the Reiki.
Once concluded the revelation and its consequences, it started off immediately for the monastery eager to tell his extraordinary experience to the old monk, not without first to say a gratefulness oration. But before arriving, in its way they waited for a series to it of miracles that would confirm that already the force of the Reiki was in him.

The miracles of the Reiki are pronounced
It hardly undertook the march and in spite of having been fasting during three weeks, Usui realized of which it felt like more fort and young person than ever. The first miracle or the first effect of the Reiki in him was this one.
It lowered as fast mountain as it could, but with so bad luck that encountered a stone and a foot was hurt. The wound bled abundantly. When placing very instinctively its hand on the wound saw as the hemorrhage stopped and the wound were closed. This it was the second experience that it had of the Reiki in his own body.
Usui arrived soon at a tavern to take a collation. While he ate, the owner of the place told him that her granddaughter suffered very many by a dental pain. When seeing it the reason for as much suffering was evident: impressive flemón swelled the cheek to him. The innkeeper could not occur the luxury to take to his granddaughter to Kioto so that he took care of a dentist and it was evident that the girl suffered horrible pains. Usui placed then its hand on the cheek of the girl and after some minutes the inflammation and the pains had stopped. The Reiki had built his third miracle.
One knows that after a prolonged fasting it is necessary to accustom very progressively to the body to the food, ingesting small amounts that are due progressively to increase and never to eat until the satiety because it can be very dangerous. But in the tavern, Usui committed an error that could have lethal result for its health.
Ignoring the repeated warnings of the proprietor of the boardinghouse that knew of the risks that its conduct could carry, doctor Usui ate in excess until satiating itself, victim of an enormous appetite product of its fasting of twenty-one days. Nevertheless nothing bad happened and it went very satisfied without feeling no annoyance or ailment. The Reiki had made the fourth miracle in him.
The Reiki and its force had been pronounced in a day in four occasions. The calls miracles as surely also the witnesses described as those incomprehensible events, were not another thing that the powerful curative capacity of the Reiki pronouncing itself through somebody, doctor Usui that already were “channel”, still without knowing it.
When arriving at the monastery, Usui found to the old monk laid down in its bed, suffering strong pains by arthritis. The monk kindly listened to the story of the experiences undergone by Usui, while this he gave to Reiki placing his hands him on the affected joints. Again the result was amazing: the pains were diluted progressively until disappearing.

The error to see the man of partial way
After spending some time meditating through advice of the monk, Usui felt that it wanted to help with his new capacity so many people as could. One entirely settled then in one of the humblest districts of Kioto, dedicating itself to help to patients without resources.
During this stage of its life, Usui managed to cure of the diverse ailments and diseases to much people, and re also helped them to that they learned to take a worthy life, being inserted in the society and leaving injurious customs and conducts for its bodies and minds.
Nevertheless, in something it failed. After a time, many of the people to whom it had helped returned to the district of the marginalized ones. Using like unique method maintaining prolonged conversations with the affected ones, Usui was put to investigate why this people backslid in her errors.
The sadness and the desperation seized of doctor Usui when recognizing that in his eagerness to cure the body, it had ignored the necessity of also “curing” the spirit and the moral of the people. Of indiscriminate way it had given Reiki, without considering if the receiver wished or no. truly it Suddenly, his work in the poor districts more lost all sense for him. The result was that, after seven years of uninterrupted work in the zone, it left his task to initiate a new stage in his life, also giving a new and decisive passage in the development of the Reiki.
With that sensation of failure in his backs by not to have considered to the man like totality and unit body-spirit, doctor Usui dedicated itself to teach Reiki, for which he traveled from a place to another one, dictating seminaries and training disciples.
From its experiences and taking into account mainly those points categorically important to obtain a true treatment, Usui established the five vital rules of the way of the Reiki, which appear formulated of different way, according to the different sources and authors.

1. Indeed in this day, you are not angry.
2. Indeed in this day, you do not feel preoccupations.
3. Indeed in this day, I know amiable with your fellow.
4. Indeed in this day, it gains your bread with dignity.
5. Indeed in this day, I am been thankful with the life.

Doctor Usui with his already immense wisdom had detected as they were the forces that are against the development of the man: the anger or the wrath; the preoccupations; the lack of affection, affection, or love; the lack of dignity and the fact of being thankless.
It denominated then Usui-Reiki to the system of treatment of extreme elegance, simplicity and physical and spiritual effectiveness that its learning revealed to him.

Its last years and their inheritance
Usui dedicated to the rest of its life to the formation of its students or disciples, until all of them were transformed into teachers of Reiki. In his seminaries there were no women due to the rigidity of the Japanese patriarchal society, which began to change just from half of century XX. He is that he was not simple to incorporate the then women, since following the old present tradition in many cultures, the students accompanied to the teacher in their trips and lived with him.
Usui carried out very many Reiki treatments and also it trained to many people like therapists, healers or teachers, following a very simple method: sharing first with them its life, and later conforming a quiet circle of meditation, by all ceremony, like initiated teachers of spirit to spirit.
Those were some of these disciples of doctor Mikao Usui that have obtained that the Reiki followed alive and being developed, doing in addition I also contribute to personal close friend of Usui and traveling to other countries. This allowed that the Reiki was known beyond the borders of Japan and very surely was the creator of which survived when emigrating as it indoctrinates before the devastation that meant for this country of origin World War II.

The modern stage of the Reiki
The continuity and the present rediscovery of the Reiki must too much to the great teacher doctor to him Chujiro Hayashi, which happened to doctor Usui, and Mrs. Hawayo Takata.
Hayashi, had several daughters, one of who spread the Reiki in Korea. But its more important function was to have served as “communicating vessel” between Usui and Hawayo Takata, which were one of its disciples.
Beyond many theoretical discussions, Hawayo Takata is the person in charge of two great changes in the history of the Reiki: its spreading in the West and the beginning of a new one was in the transmission of the Reiki to traverse also of the women, who finished with the Japanese patriarchal inheritance that she indicated that only the men could be Sensei (masterful). This last one surely must, besides the operated cultural changes in the world, to the fact that Takata was not Japanese.
Coming from Hawaii, Hawayo Takata had arrived at Japan to treat a disease that came suffering for a long time. When they had already recommended to him to be put under an operation, it obtained so looked for treatment in the clinic of Reiki of Tokyo founded by doctor Hayashi and no longer it was necessary surgery some. Mrs. Takata was consecrated by doctor Hayashi like thirteenth teacher of the Reiki, in 1938, becoming the first woman who reached the degree of teacher of Reiki, so longed for third degree. To his return to Hawaii she founded a center of Reiki and she initiated the present diffusion of the Reiki in the West, by means of his trips to dictate seminaries in the United States and Canada.
During the difficult years of the postwar period, with a sorrow generalized by everything what outside or it seemed to be “Japanese” (Takata was not it, but its last name yes) and with the United States submerged in the macartist persecutions, when all the new and little conventional ideas were repressed, was very hard it flaming teacher to impose his knowledge and to spread them. Nevertheless, far from to occur by won by the difficulties, its strategy went to bet to the future: Takata enabled to a dozen of teachers of Reiki, able to as well consecrate other teachers who would take the miraculous discipline until the borders of the world.
Its dream was realized, since when the great Takata teacher died at the end of years '80, the Reiki was already firmly spread and accepted. The first institutions of Reiki with the intention had also been created more and more to maintain the necessary entailment between the numerous teachers and students.
Between the disciples who would become teachers and soon they would contribute to the diffusion of the Reiki, they were Phyllis Law Furumoto and Barbara Ray.

Extracted of Book
Initiation to the Reiki
Andrew Gideon