Usui Memorial

This stone has been erected on Mikao Usui’s grave at Saiho-ji temple in Tokyo, Japan. On this stone is engraved the story of Usui sensei’s life in brief, in ancient Japanese Kanji language. This stone was erected by some of his disciples to commemorate his life.

Following my calling, I have visited the grave site and Mount Kurama where Usui sensei meditated and received his Reiki enlightenment circa 1922, a few times. I have had some great experiences during these journeys which I have shared on another page titled “Usui Pilgrimage”.

The engraving on the memorial stone has been translated into English by others and has been published elsewhere, but usually copyrighted.  It has been my desire to get my own translation done and make it available to everybody without restrictions. I finally managed to solicit the help of Mr.Masahiro Ueda, a Japanese scholar student. I am happy to present below, the translation, which I hope all Reiki channels will appreciate.

Master Parag Pattani

TRANSLATION
by Masahiro Ueda (Sept.,2014)
at the request of Master Parag Pattani, Singapore.

The Monument of the Virtue and Achievement of Usui sensei

 It is virtue (‘toku’「徳」) that people acquire through disciplining themselves strictly, and achievement (‘koh’「功」) is to disseminate the method of salvation and to practice it. Only a person who produces many achievements and cultivates much virtue can be a great founder of a sect/religion/movement. Since olden days, among wise people, philosophers or geniuses, all who developed new academic fields or began new religion are such type (i.e. virtuous and achieved) of people. And, of course, Usui sensei was that very type of person.

Usui Sensei invented an alternative method to heal mind and body by the help of REIKI power of the universe. Because his fame resounded through the country, many people who wanted to learn this method and who sought his therapy came to his place. What a prosperous situation it was!

Sensei’s alias is Mika-o, and his pseudonym is “Gyou-han”. His birthplace was Tani-ai village, Yamagata district of Gifu prefecture. His family lineage originated from Tsune-tane Chiba, a warlord who flourished in the Heian era (12-13th century C.E.).

His father’s name was Tane-uji and his alias was Uzae-mon. His mother married from the Kawai family. Sensei was born in the fifth day of the eighth month of the first year of Kei-oh (the name of Japanese era, 1865 C.E.). From his early age, he struggled his way through school under adverse circumstances as compared to his friends. As he grew up, at times he made a trip to western countries, at other times he studied abroad in China. After a while things never worked out as he expected, sometimes he spent a lot of time worrying about his own life. However, even in his dark and deprived days, he never collapsed under the weight of adversity, on the contrary, he concentrated on self-discipline more than ever.

One day, it occurred to his mind to visit Mt. Kurama[1] in Kyoto. After he meditated for 21 days fasting all day long there, suddenly he felt enormous power of REIKI on his head and clearly comprehended the healing method of REIKI. After this experience, when he tried to put the method in practice for himself and his relatives, he instantly recognized good effects. He thought that it would be better to introduce this method to all the world and to share the benefits rather than to provide therapy only for his relatives. At the fourth month of the eleventh year of Taisho (the name of Japanese era, 1922 C.E.), he took up his residence in Aoyama-Harajuku area in Tokyo, and organized an association named “Usui Reiki Therapy Association” (Usui Reiki Ryo-u-ho Gakkai; 臼井霊気療法学会). Through activities in his association, he taught the method of REIKI and gave therapy. Because so many people gathered from far and near, the entrance of his residence was filled with their shoes all the time.

In the ninth month of the twelfth year of Taisho (1923 C.E.), the big earthquake[2] came and innumerable casualties overflowed in every street. As Usui sensei grieved deeply at this miserable situation, he ran giving injured people therapy in the streets everyday. There were hundreds/thousands of people who received his treatment. This is merely an example of his practice to provide relief to his patients in an emergency.

Meanwhile, because his clinic became too small for the increased number of his followers and patients, in the second month of the fourteenth year of Taisho (1925 C.E.) the clinic was newly built in Nakano area, a suburb of Tokyo.

As his fame increased more and more, he was more often invited from all over the country. He visited Kure, Hiroshima and Saga as and when requested. When he reached Fukuyama, he unexpectedly became ill. He was bed ridden for a while, but he finally passed away at 62 years of age with his life’s ambition still unfulfilled, on the ninth day of the third month of Taisho (1926 C.E.).

His wife married from Suzuki family and her forename was Teyi. She gave birth to one son and daughter. The name of the son was Fuji/Funi and he succeeded to his lineage.

Usui Sensei had a mild character and a natural humility and never dissembled. He was physically well built, and his face was always lit by a smile. Whenever he undertook a task, he made elaborate preparations for it and accomplished it patiently with unflinching courage. He was blessed with very much talent. He liked reading and was well versed in all learning, such as history, biographies of great people, books on medical science, Buddhism, Christianity, psychology, Taoism, magic, the art of ancient Chinese divination, physiognomy and so on. There is no room for doubt that his remarkable talent in his literary and artistic accomplishments contributed greatly to his strict discipline, furthermore, his discipline has borne fruit in the method of REIKI.

In my opinion, the main purpose of the therapy of REIKI is not only to heal an illness but also to maintain our mind and body in a healthy state by the help of the spiritual power of universe and to enjoy happiness in life. Hence, first of all, people who take lessons of REIKI should keep respectfully “the teachings of the Emperor Meiji”[3] in their mind and chant the five vows every morning and evening with all their hearts.

The five vows are following;

1. Just for today do not anger
2. Just for today do not worry
3. Just for today be grateful
4. Just for today do your duty
5. Just for today be kind to others

These are really significant aphorisms, which are the same as what wise people in old time stated in order to improve and discipline their mind . Hence, it should be obvious the reason why Usui sensei regarded these aphorisms as the innermost secret to bring in good fortune and the panacea to heal all illness.

Moreover, Usui Sensei aimed at making the manner of teaching as easy as possible. His teaching was never difficult to practice, that is to say, he encouraged only two things; one is to cultivate a healthy spirit through meditating, praying, and chanting those five statements every morning and evening and the other is to perform a daily life properly. That is why people can easily learn and spread the method of REIKI.

Nowadays, the whole society evolves quickly and, accordingly, the whole thought/ideology is changing completely. If this method of REIKI will spread through world, it must be the great help to make up for deficiencies in people’s life and mind. This is because REIKI is not only the method for healing their chronic disease.

His disciples have already numbered in two thousands. Among them, some high disciples in Tokyo remain at sensei’s clinic and succeed to his profession, others in the provinces spread the method of REIKI. Though Sensei passed away, his teachings must be inherited forever. What a wonderful thing it was that he mastered the method of REIKI and taught it to people.

Now, as a result of discussion, his pupils decided to build the stone monument at Saiho-ji temple in praise of his great achievements and in order to make it widely known to the whole world for a long time. Therefore, they asked me to write this inscription. I, deeply impressed by his great achievements and by his pupils’ behavior to value relationships between master and pupil, shall presume to make a summary of Usui sensei’s life. I wish that people of the future will admire and respect Usui sensei’s work as well as us forever.

Second month of the second year of Showa (1927 C.E.)

Edited by “ju-san-i” Dr.(Lit) Masayuki Okada

Written by Navy Rear Admiral, “ju-san-i kun-san-tou ko-yon-kyu” (subordinate 3rd rank, Junior Third Court (Rank) – an honour title, Mr. Juzaburo Ushida

This inscription has been translated from ancient Japanese Kanji to English by Mr. Masahiro Ueda at the request of Master Parag Pattani, Singapore. The following reference foot notes have been provided by Mr. Ueda for better understanding and are not part of the original inscription.

Foot notes

[1] It has been popular as a sacred mountain especially among Japanese tantric mountaineering ascetics.

2 The Great Kanto earthquake of 1923. It struck the Kanto region including Tokyo, the port city of Yokohama, and the surrounding prefectures of Chiba, Kanagawa, and Shizuoka. Estimated casualties totaled about 142,800 deaths.

3 It indicates one certain document named “The Imperial Rescript on Education（Kyo-iku Choku-go)” which is issued in 1890 to illustrate the moral principles that each citizen should follow. This document was read aloud at all important events/situations, and people were required to study and memorize it as common sense. Therefore, Usui sensei regarded this as important . After World War II, the American occupation authorities forbade the formal reading of the Imperial Rescript in schools, and the Diet of Japan officially abolished it on 19 June 1948

Here’s the video that I recorded at this site on 8th June 2015.