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Lineage
Mikao Usui Chujiro Hayashi Sensei Takeuchi Seiji Takamori Ranga Premaratna Gordon & Dorothy Bell Steve Gooch
The name 'Reiki Jin Kei Do' was coined by Ranga Premaratna - the Lineage Head - in an effort to more precisely define what it is that the lineage stands for and to encapsulate the essence of the teachings which it contains. The name reflects the fundamental philosophy of the teachings and the orientation of the lineage to the practice of Reiki. To understand this philosophy we need to break the name down into its component parts and examine what these mean.
Jin is the Japanese word for ' compassion ' and represents the Buddhist concept of universal compassion for all beings. This is known as karuna in Sanskrit and is one of the products or fruits of deep and committed spiritual training.
Kei is the Japanese for ' wisdom ' and represents the Buddhist understanding of universal wisdom and again is the product of deep spiritual practice. Wisdom is known as prajna in Sanskrit.
Do is the Japanese for ' way ' or ' path ' (translated as Tao in Chinese). This links the concepts of compassion and wisdom with the healing aspects of Reiki, so that Reiki is seen as a path of spiritual development that integrates healing with sustained meditation practice. It is a path or a way of life that is lead through the expression and natural outflow of universal compassion and wisdom, and thus healing, in a balanced way. By emphasizing the practice of self-treatment with a feeling of compassion for oneself and by developing awareness of the energy flow through focusing on the upper four chakras and palms (meditating with the hands) we begin to generate the quality of unconditional love for ourselves. This is a critical part of the healing process. As we continue to work with Reiki, the feelings of compassion that we have begun to develop for ourselves are enhanced. As this feeling grows it then allows for the opportunity to extend the feeling of love and universal compassion to others through our practice of Reiki. The flow of Reiki is magnified significantly by this feeling of compassion in our own heart. We need to empower our Reiki hands with compassion from the heart. Meditation and the consequent development of wisdom is another important aspect of the practice within RJKD. Following the 1st Degree attunements, basic instructions in a simple meditation method are provided. This meditation is to enable students to develop awareness to the Reiki energy flow in their bodies and through the chakra and nadi system. During the process of meditation, as the mind enters deeper states, the vibrational frequencies increase dramatically. As a student progresses through the levels of training they are given further instructions and guidance to help them increase their sensitivity to this flow and to become aware of the way in which the energy constantly fluctuates in the physical body. As the student develops their sense of awareness they begin to see how thoughts constantly arise and pass away in a rapid and ceaseless succession. The mind's ability to clearly see the changing thought process is promoted by its increasing awareness of and sensitivity to the energy flux. This ultimately leads to the development of insight and wisdom. Eventually, with the regular practice of meditation, particularly when the Reiki symbols are incorporated, it is possible to realize non-self, non-duality. This is the ultimate realization of our energetic state of oneness with the Universal Energy Field or God. As we achieve this state our ego-centeredness is melted away as we lose our sense of being an individual entity, and so we begin to see and recognize ourselves in every being. It is simply a shift in our mind's awareness. This recognition of our commonality with every other being promotes a feeling of universal compassion and a deep and profound wisdom into the nature of everything, and it is at this point that we can become truly free of all that has shackled us throughout our lives. Compassion and wisdom are interwoven threads within the same garment. Wisdom comes from our intellectual or comprehending side of our nature, whilst compassion comes from our emotional or feeling side. When we wear this garment, we achieve a state of happiness and serenity that cannot be broken or dented by the 'slings and arrows' of the world around us. As our practice of meditation continues and we loosen the ties that bind us to the illusion of duality, separation and dependence, we begin to see not only the impermanent nature of all things, and the fact that nothing impermanent can give us permanent happiness, but also that we are truly interdependent with all other beings and that as we suffer so do they. Ranga Premaratna has noted: "...through observation of our own mind and body, insight wisdom arises. Simultaneously, with the understanding of the nature of reality within us as well as the external world, the interdependent and inter-connected nature of our being becomes clear. With that realization one's heart opens with unconditional love or true Compassion to all beings." The process that Ranga is describing automatically gives rise to compassion, which when suffused with wisdom enables us to let go of notions of how things 'should be' and what is 'right' for any situation or person. Without wisdom, compassion will not work. Wisdom allows us to be unconditioned and unbiased in our expression of compassion. So we let go of what we think is right so that we can clearly see what is actually helpful. It is the qualities of compassion and wisdom that we try to develop through the practice of the teachings contained within RJKD. The path of RJKD is one of integrating the wisdom mind of meditation with the compassion of Reiki and making this one's way of life and this is ultimately the path to enlightenment. Some Thoughts on Lineage
The lineage vessel is however also very much empowered by and in part defined by the energetic matrix that is built around it and through it by the vibrational qualities of the personalities who have carried it. When we talk about a lineage as a line of people what we are really talking about is our energetic connection to them, passed on via the attunement process, which remains as a permanent part of our own energy profile. Many people involved in the practice of Reiki may have experienced this energetic connection to their line of teachers for themselves. This may be as a student receiving the attunement, or as a teacher in giving the attunement. In the lineage of Reiki Jin Kei Do, in common with all other traditions of Reiki, we begin our line with Mikao Usui. However, within this tradition the former lineage head; Seiji Takamori is considered to be of great significance due to his efforts in uncovering much of the origination material from which Usui's Reiki was derived or on which it was based. My own Reiki Masters; Gordon and Dorothy Bell trained with Seiji's student and successor; Dr Ranga Premaratna.
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The Lineage & Philosophy of Reiki Jin Kei Do 
Lineage is not just about personalities; it is most importantly about the vessel that these people carry. Indeed, the vessel is the lineage. We define a lineage for ease through the naming of key people who have carried it for us or made a significant contribution to it. Individuals may at times put something extra into the lineage vessel, or even take something out, but this is done with a sense of awareness of what is and what is not appropriate at any given moment or in any given situation - the sum of this process being to enhance that which they already hold, and thus have something of increased value to pass on to others. Thus wisdom is accumulated. These people serve as protectors of the teachings as indeed we all do as representatives of a lineage but with a sense of awareness of the love and compassion that has gone into not only the forging of the vessel, but also the distilling of universal truths by our spiritual forebears and contemporaries that add to the sum total of the teachings; the contents of the vessel. To be a part of a lineage is to accept the responsibility in helping to shoulder the sacred load and carry it for future students and subsequent generations to access for the ultimate betterment of all humankind.