Rituals in Reiki

Many people associate Reiki mainly with laying on hands, and that's the part you see from the outside. But the traditions Usui drew on are full of ritual. In the esoteric Buddhism of Shingon, in Shugendō, Shintō and shamanic Daoism, mantras, hand gestures, fire rituals and initiations are simply part of the picture. In this article I'd like to introduce four of these rituals and explain how they connect with Reiki.

The three mysteries 三密

Almost every ritual in Shingon rests on these three mysteries. The body expresses itself through the hand gesture (Sanskrit: mudrā), speech through the mantra, and mind through inner focus, for example on a Siddham character (Bonji in Japanese) or the figure of a Buddha. What's special is that all three happen at the same time. In Kūkai's understanding, a person's body, speech and mind aren't fundamentally separate from those of the Buddha, and ritual makes this connection something you can experience. The hand gestures of Kuji Kiri, by the way, come from the same tradition. More in the article What is Shingon.

The goma fire ritual 護摩

Of all Shingon rituals, goma 護摩 is perhaps the most striking. An open fire burns on an altar, and wooden sticks inscribed with wishes and prayers are fed into the flames. At the center there's usually Fudō Myōō 不動明王, the Immovable Wisdom King, surrounded by flames and holding a sword and a rope. The word goma is a transliteration of the Sanskrit homa, the Vedic fire offering of India. The ritual came to Japan by way of China, and it's still practiced there today in Shingon, in Tendai and by the mountain ascetics of Shugendō. The fire stands for wisdom, in which obstacles and cravings burn away.

I've taken part in goma rituals in Japan myself. You'll find more on how the ritual unfolds and on its history in the article on the goma fire ritual.

Kaji 加持

Kaji 加持 is made up of ka 加 (to add) and ji 持 (to hold). Kūkai explains it with a lovely image: the sun of the Buddha is reflected in the water of the human heart, and that's ka. That the water of the heart can take in and hold the light is ji. In other words, it takes both the power that comes and the person who receives it.

If you know Reiki, you'll spot the parallel right away. In Reiki, too, the power flows through the giver, and here too the openness of the person receiving matters. In everyday Japanese, by the way, kaji is still used today for blessings and prayers at temples, for example when a priest prays for someone.

Kuji Kiri and kanjō 九字・灌頂

Kuji Kiri 九字切, literally "cutting the nine syllables," is familiar to many people from anime and ninja films. The earliest sources come from China. It reached Japan in several waves over centuries and was developed there over further centuries into a system that exists only in Japan, a blend of Daoism, Japanese folk magic and Shingon Mikkyō. More in the article on Kuji Kiri.

Finally, kanjō 灌頂, literally "pouring onto the crown," is the initiation rite of esoteric Buddhism. Kūkai received it in China in 805 from his master Huiguo. Through it a lineage comes alive that's handed on from master to successor. I explain how Reiki initiation can be understood from it in the article on Reiki initiations.

Rituals in Shingon Reiki 儀式

In Shingon Reiki, initiations, mantras and rituals are part of the path, at the live events and in the community's monthly gatherings. How to carry out the individual rituals belongs there, because you experience them in a shared space and can ask questions. Which of these rituals would you most like to experience yourself?