In a nutshell (although a highly contentious one) it is my belief that Reiki is in no way, shape or form a religion. It is either a spiritual path or a healing practice (depending on how traditional you want to be) but there is absolutely nothing religious about it and because of this quality it actually blends quite well with any of the world’s organized religions.
In order to understand where I’m coming from with this we need to have an actual definition for religion from which to work. This is actually where the misunderstandings begin, because there are so many different beliefs as to what a religion actually is in the first place… ranging from broad to concise understandings. Wikipedia defines religion as “a set of beliefs and practices generally organized around supernatural and moral claims, and often codified as prayer, ritual, and religious law. Religion also encompasses ancestral or cultural traditions, writings, history, and mythology, as well as personal faith and mystic experience. The term “religion” refers to both the personal practices related to communal faith and to group rituals and communication stemming from shared conviction.” This is in direct contrast to the typical dictionary definition, such as this one found in the Merriam-Webster Online Dictionary which defines religion as “the service and worship of God or the supernatural”. I believe this broader definition to be more in line with the generally accepted attitude of what a religion is, i.e., the belief in some sort of God… with some divine purpose and/or some degree of power. It is by this definition that I believe a connection between Reiki and Religion is just not found.
In Reiki there is no God, there is no divine plan, there is no set of religious laws which need to be followed, there is no worshiping, there are no tithes to be paid, there is no threat of damnation if the Reiki principles are not adhered to, 🙂 etc., etc., etc. Some people claim that science is a religion, and it certainly fits the Wikipedia definition, as do football and politics (but we won’t go there). Just as is true with the application of the Wiki definition to football, politics or science, many of the Wiki qualifications hold true when applied to Reiki, but I think that when people wonder if Reiki is a religion they are more concerned with the God aspect or interference with whatever religious beliefs they follow, and in that sense, again, Reiki is in no way, shape or form a religion.
2 responses to “Reiki and Religion”
Hi Duane…I view religion as dogma and practice prescribed to a specific group or institution be it christian, jewish, islam, etc. and that group’s dogma must be adhered to by practicing members of the group, in order to remain a member in good standing.
Reiki,on the other hand, I view as a spiritual practice, where there is not a prescribed set of dogma, just 5 general suggested principles to incorporate into your life that culturally are so broad, they can be thought of as universal…in reiki the practitioner channels a higher power or spiritual consciousness, by whatever name one chooses to use…I like Source Energy, many prefer God, the name is just a title and not really that important,compared to the essence. And I do personally believe a divine plan is involved. Source energy knows all, and works to help an individual restore balance and harmony.
I just had someone, who will be taking a Reiki I class, ask me about channeling reiki energy. She was so excited about taking the class and mentioned it to her friend, whom she described as a very devout catholic. Her friend cautioned her to be careful about who’s energy was being summoned…..referring to satan. This person interested in Reiki said she hated it when well meaning people try to burst her bubble. She wanted my thoughts on this.
I have over time come across this question from people considering taking Reiki or receiving Reiki. My response was when someone is questioning about bringing in evil or demonic energy they are talking from a place of fear…not love.
When one speaks with God and brings God into their daily life through whatever practices/religions they choose to follow, do they have the fear of bringing in the energy of the devil? After all…talking with/praying/connecting to God, is very simply put …channeling God into us.
Often what we don’t know- we fear; what we fear we try to control…..Reiki is pure love energy from our Source, otherwise known by many, many names (God). Where there is light and love, darkness can not remain. Also think about The Secret and the Law of Attraction…what we think about, we create…
I agree with you 100% Susan. And you have a wonderful way of expressing yourself, something so difficult to talk about is not always made so clear. Thank you for your comments!!
In Japan, the basic understanding in regard to your thoughts about where the energy is coming from, is that energy itself is neither good or evil… it just is… it is how that energy is used that is important. Similarly, nuclear/atomic energy can be used to power cities or to destroy them, the energy itself has no inclination one way or the other.
I myself was raised Catholic, and I faced similar admonitions when approaching family members with such an alien idea. William Rand wrote an interesting article (which I’ve posted to the article section) discussing whether or not Jesus himself was a Reiki master… since the miracles he produced accessed some foreign energy. And I certainly do not deny the possibility… 🙂