Reiki and TCM — Shared Roots

Reiki comes from Japan and Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) comes from China. Even so, both speak of an energy that flows through the body, of channels that carry it, and of states in which it flows freely or gets stuck. The words are different, but the understanding behind them is surprisingly close. In this article I'd like to show where the two meet, what they share and where they go different ways.

Qi and Reiki, the same character 氣

The character 氣 is central to both traditions. In Chinese it is read qì and in Japanese ki, and it stands for energy in a broad sense, for breath and vitality. Which kind of energy is meant depends on what the character is combined with. The ki in Reiki 靈氣 is exactly this character, combined with 靈 rei, the spiritual.

In TCM, qi is the basis of all life. It flows through the meridians, in Japanese 經絡 keiraku, and supplies the organs. When qi flows freely, a person is in balance, and when it stagnates, imbalances arise.

Reiki works with a different kind of energy, and the access is different too. The rei 靈 in its name tells you that spiritual life energy is meant. TCM uses needles, herbs and pressure on certain points, while in Reiki the hands are the channel. Through the initiation you take in spiritual life energy through the crown of your head, it is channeled through you and comes out of your hands, guided by intention and perception. Put simply, two cultures that have exchanged ideas for many centuries use the same character, but they don't always mean the same energy by it. TCM itself distinguishes several kinds of qi.

Meridians and Reiki hand positions 經絡

If you compare the Reiki hand positions with a meridian chart, you'll notice that many of them lie over meridians or close to important acupuncture points. The head, for example, where many Reiki sessions begin, is a place where several meridians meet.

This isn't surprising when you look at the history. Chinese medicine came to Japan from the sixth century on, partly by way of Korea and partly directly from China, and it shaped Japanese medicine for centuries. In Japan it is called kanpō 漢方, "the method from China". So by the time Mikao Usui developed his practice, the idea of meridians and energy channels was a natural part of Japanese culture.

For Reiki practice this can be helpful. If you feel a dense spot while scanning with your hands, knowing which meridian runs there can give you an idea of what might be going on energetically. Of course, this is not a medical diagnosis.

Godai and the five phases 五大

Both traditions know a system of five basic forces. In TCM these are the five phases (jap.: gogyō 五行): wood, fire, earth, metal and water. They describe cycles of change in nature and in the body.

In Shingon Buddhism there are the five great elements (jap.: godai 五大): earth, water, fire, wind and space. They describe not only nature outside but also the human body as a small mandala. Each element has its own shape, color and Siddham character (Bonji in Japanese), and you can see all five stacked on top of each other in the five-element pagodas (jap.: gorintō) at Japanese graves.

The two systems are not identical, but they are related. Both see the human being as a microcosm that carries the forces of the universe within, and both are about the flow and change of energy. The connection has a history. When Kūkai, the founder of Japanese Shingon, studied in China at the beginning of the 9th century, Chinese ideas about the body and energy had long been part of the Buddhism practiced there. Esoteric Buddhism brought Indian and Chinese elements together, and that is how both came to Japan.

Where Reiki and TCM differ 違い

The most important difference lies in the approach. TCM works diagnostically. The practitioner takes the pulse, looks at the tongue, asks about the history and then chooses points, herbs or techniques. It is a precise, analytical system.

Reiki works more intuitively. The practitioner doesn't make a diagnosis. They perceive with their hands, for example through byōsen, and let the energy flow where it is needed.

I don't see that as a contradiction. You could say they are two perspectives on the same reality. TCM asks what is out of balance and how to restore it. Reiki asks where the energy wants to go and how to open the way for it. Some practitioners combine both, for example by using knowledge of the meridians to better understand what they perceive with their hands.

Have you had experience with acupuncture or other forms of TCM, and did you notice anything similar to Reiki?