Reiju, a Spiritual Blessing

A beautiful article by Frans Stiene, Reiki Teacher and Founder of the International House of Reiki. I received an initiation and learned about the Reiju in 2014 while in France. I felt deeply touched by it. It is only afterward, a few months later, that I understood its deeper meaning …. and this article explains it well as “Giving and Receiving Together as One”.  Thank you Frans. www.moonstonesanctuary.con

Often this is seen as a one-way experience from teacher to student, with the student being the one who is benefitting from this Reiju. However, I never have taught it this way because for me it is a union, a union of the teacher, student, and the universe in which all will benefit.

The kanji of ju (授) points this out as well. Ju is mostly translated as ‘to give’.

But Zen Master Jakusho Kwong, in his book No Beginning, No End – The Intimate Heart of Zen, states that: “This word ju [授], is very good. ‘To cut’” ‘to open,’ ‘to empty,’ and ‘to receive’ are all expressed by ju.”

For me, these words describe exactly what I experience when I perform a Reiju. The empty state of mind, that I also receive at the same time, and that the whole process is about openness because the ego temporarily is cut away. I wanted to investigate this a bit more.

I consulted a Japanese friend who is an international calligraphist and who looks deeply into kanji and its meanings. She came back with a wonderful explanation that put the phrase “receiving Reiju” in a whole new light.

“The kanji 授 means “Receive” which is used when you receive something very special and very valuable (but you can’t buy) from god or respectable people (even nature). Just regular kanji for “receive” is 受. ”

Her explanation made so much sense because during Reiju both teacher and student receive ‘grace of the universe,’ ‘grace of our True Self’, ‘grace of nature’, which is very special and very valuable indeed. This grace of course is unification, which Oxford Dictionary defines as the “process of being united or made into a whole.” So the word ‘receive’ is not to be taken literally. It is an expedient means to a simple explanation of Reiju.

The deepest state of Reiju is that there is nothing to receive, nothing to give, and no gift. This is symbolized by the kanji of Rei 霊 spiritual.

To sum this all up: when the teacher performs a spiritual (Rei 霊) blessing (Ju 授,) he/she is giving and receiving at the same time. Therefore this also means that for a teacher, performing Reiju is a spiritual meditative practice for remembering his/her own True Self.

Now we can start to see why Shinpiden Reiki Level III is not just about becoming a teacher. It is about learning to empower yourself through performing Reiju. Shinpiden (meaning “mystery teachings”) is all about rediscovering the mystery of our non-dual state of mind where receiving and giving happens simultaneously, where “teacher” and “student” are receiving and giving, together as one.

Source: http://www.ihreiki.com/blog/article/reiju_-_giving_and_receiving_together_as_one