Rule of the Order - Part Eleven

To Take Precepts and become a Monk of the Reiki Peace Order

The monk should be taught the basics of all three levels of Reiki according to the tradition of his/her teacher. The lineage for the monk will be transmitted through their teacher and it is important for the teacher to provide the monk with a solid foundation in the process of preparation for ordination. What follows is the basic content that should be transmitted by the teacher to the initiate prior to taking vows.

The Reiki Story - Myth and Fact

The Reiki story or the story of how Usui Reiki Ryoho came to the west is somewhat of a conundrum. There is the traditional story as taught by Takata and passed on to students with each successive generation of lineage. It is a wonderful story filled with just the sort of mythic qualities that make for good spiritual teaching. The story is not factually true but it is in a real sense mythically true and therefore valuable to the monks of the Reiki Peace Order as a central myth of our beginnings.

There are also the facts that are being published in the west by those who have taken the time to delve more deeply into the origins of reiki and the life of Mikao Usui. The monk should be familiar with both and should be able to tell the traditional story.

The Three levels of Reiki

Each monk shall be instructed in the three levels of western Reiki. The content for each level may vary from teacher to teacher but should contain the following:

Level I - Discussion of Reiki energy and healing. The Reiki story. Meditation instruction. the Five Principles. Hand placements for self-treatment and treating others. Morning and Evening practice. Healing Bowl practice.

Level II - Further discussion of Reiki energy and healing. Three Level II symbols and their uses. Distance healing. Seated treatments. Ethics and Logistics of giving treatments. Practice of scanning and listening to one's intuition. Morning and Evening practice. Discussion on the Five principles.

Level III - Further discussion of Reiki healing energy and what it means to commit one's self to Spiritual Healing as a practice. The Master's Level symbols and their uses. Passing of attunements. Reiki mala practice.

Discourses on the Five Precepts

Each initiate will write discourses on the Five Principles. These discourses shall be short and reflective in nature. The initiate shall consider each principle and share how she feels it may be applied to her life. What does the principle mean to her as a guiding ethos? How does it fit into her spiritual life? There are no right and wrong answers. There is no single truth to be told. This is not a test but an exercise in contemplation of the principles by which the initiate agrees to live her life. These discourses are to be presented to the teacher. The teacher is to read them and thank the student for her insight and wisdom. The initiate's discourses are to be read at her ordination into the Order and sent to the Abbott General for archiving. The discourses shall be the collected wisdom of the order.

To become a monk

The Seeker should sit with his/her Teacher to work out the details of engaging and working through the process. The process is a shared experience. The Teacher must make a commitment to support the initiate through the process; to do nothing to impede the initiate's progress; and to assist the initiate throughout the process. After the ordination the Teacher should be available to the new monk for one year to encourage, provide additional instruction and to be generally supportive. I will post an outline of the procedure for becoming a monk in the Reiki Peace Order.