The Nature of Reality: through the lens of Usui Reiki Ryoho

In the early 20th century, Mikao Usui experienced a profound spiritual awakening on Mt Kurama that would forever change the landscape of energy healing. What he discovered wasn't just a method of healing, it was a doorway into understanding the fundamental nature of reality itself. Through Usui Reiki Ryoho, we glimpse a worldview that challenges our conventional understanding of existence, energy, and consciousness.

At its core, Usui Reiki Ryoho operates on a simple yet profound premise: reality is fundamentally energetic. The word "Reiki" itself tells this story—"Rei" representing the universal life force, and "Ki" the vital energy that flows through all living things. This isn't merely a metaphorical concept in traditional reiki practice; it's the lens through which we view all of existence.

From this perspective, what we perceive as solid matter is actually a manifestation of energy in different states of vibration. The wood of a tree, the stone of a mountain, the flesh of our bodies, all are expressions of the same fundamental energy dancing at different frequencies.

Usui Reiki Ryoho teaches us that separation is an illusion. Through the practice of energy transmission, we learn experientially that we are all connected through the same universal life force. When a reiki practitioner places their hands on another person, they're not transferring their own energy, they're facilitating the flow of universal energy that already connects all beings.

This interconnectedness has profound implications for how we understand reality. If we are all part of one energy field, then our actions ripple outward, affecting the whole. The Japanese concept of "Musubi"  speaks to this creative, connecting energy that binds the universe together. Every thought, every action, every moment of compassion or anger creates waves in this shared ocean of existence.

One of the most revolutionary aspects of Usui Reiki Ryoho's worldview is the role of intention in shaping reality. Usui himself emphasised that mental and emotional states could be both cause and effect of physical manifestations. The traditional reiki principles - "Just for today, do not anger, do not worry, be grateful, work diligently, be kind to others" - aren't merely ethical guidelines; they're instructions for conscious reality creation.

Now let’s look at the multidimensional nature of existence. Traditional Usui Reiki Ryoho acknowledges multiple levels of reality. Beyond the physical realm (the body) lie the emotional, mental, and spiritual dimensions. These aren't separate but interpenetrating aspects of one unified whole. When a reiki practitioner channels energy, they're working across all these dimensions simultaneously.

This multidimensional understanding offers a more complete picture of reality than our typical three-dimensional perspective. It suggests that what we experience in the physical world is merely one layer of a much richer, more complex tapestry of existence. Dreams, intuition, synchronicities, and healing miracles all become more explicable when we acknowledge these other dimensions of reality.

So with that in mind let’s consider time and non-linear reality. In Okuden, level 2 of reiki, practitioners learn to send energy across time and space through the distance healing symbol. This practice challenges our linear understanding of time and space, suggesting that reality operates according to different principles than those we typically assume. From the reiki perspective, past, present, and future are not strictly sequential but exist simultaneously in the eternal now. Healing can be sent to past traumas or to support future events, implying that time itself is more fluid and malleable than our everyday experience suggests.

Usui Reiki Ryoho also gently guides practitioners toward a fundamental realisation: the self is not a fixed entity but a dynamic process. Through regular practice, we can experience firsthand how energy constantly flows and changes within and around us. The rigid boundaries we typically draw between self and other, inside and outside, begin to soften.

This understanding resonates with Buddhist concepts of non-self (anatta) and impermanence (anicca), which were part of the cultural backdrop of Usui's time. Yet reiki practitioners discover this not through philosophical study but through direct experience. As they become conduits for universal energy, the illusion of being a separate, isolated individual naturally dissolves.

We accept that the universe itself is a vast, living intelligence—not mechanical or random, but purposeful and conscious. From this perspective, we're not separate from this intelligence but expressions of it, like waves in an ocean that temporarily believe they're separate from the water.

So what if our healing is a return to wholeness?

In the traditional Usui system, healing isn't understood as fixing something broken but as removing blocks to the natural flow of life energy. This implies that our essential nature is already whole and perfect; disease and suffering arise when we're disconnected from our true nature and the universal life force.

This view of healing has profound implications for how we understand reality. If our natural state is wholeness and connection, then separation and suffering are temporary aberrations rather than fundamental facts of existence. Every healing, no matter how small, is a return to the truth of our being and therefore a revelation of the true nature of reality itself.

Our daily reiki practice then becomes more than a healing technique, it becomes a portal into direct experience of reality's true nature. Through the simple act of placing hands and allowing energy to flow, practitioners pierce the veil of ordinary perception. The profound peace, the sense of oneness, the spontaneous insights that arise during practice aren't merely pleasant side effects but glimpses into the fabric of existence itself.

Ultimately, Usui Reiki Ryoho offers not just a philosophy about the nature of reality but a lived experience of it. As we integrate reiki into our daily lives, we begin to see the world differently. The sacred isn't confined to formal practice sessions but permeates every moment. Washing dishes becomes an opportunity to channel loving-kindness, walking in nature becomes communion with the universal life force, and even challenging relationships become invitations to practice the reiki principles.

While Usui Reiki Ryoho offers profound insights into the nature of reality, it ultimately leads us toward an ever-deepening appreciation of mystery. The more we practice, the more we realise how little we truly know and how vast the universe really is. This humility before the great mystery is itself a sign of spiritual maturity and a prerequisite for continued growth.

Through the gentle practice of hand positions and the cultivation of presence, Usui Reiki Ryoho reveals reality as an interconnected web of energy, consciousness, and love. It shows us that we are not separate from the universe but intimate expressions of its creative intelligence. In this recognition lies the possibility of profound healing, not just for ourselves but for our planet and all beings who share this miraculous dance of existence.

As we continue to explore the depths of reiki practice, we discover that the nature of reality is not something to be grasped intellectually but experienced directly, moment by moment, breath by breath. In this simple, profound practice, we touch the infinite and find that the infinite has always been touching us.