|
TO THE ROOTS OF REIKI RYŌHŌ...
clicca qui per la versione italiana
I post for your
attention an article I wrote on Taireido, an ancient Japanese doctrine
that, in my opinion, should stir the interest and curiosity of every Reiki
Ryoho practitioner.
By a series of
peculiar circumstances, accidental events, and with some ‘sacrifices’ I
came into possession of an old book dated 1920 (and today almost
impossible to find) that contains all the information regarding the system
founded by Morihei Tanaka (that is, the Taireido).
Carefully
translating and reading this book, I found proof of what previously had
only been hinted at in some publications on the origins of Reiki...
...With high
probability Mikao Usui was one of Morihei Tanaka’s disciples or, at least,
he was strongly influenced by his teachings.
If you don’t believe
me, just keep reading!
Morihei
Tanaka and the doctrine of "Tai Rei Do"
(太霊道)
Morihei
Tanaka
(田中守平)
was born on the 8th of September 1884 in the Ena district, a
Gifu-prefect of Japan
[1].
It
seems that, thanks to his precocious skills, from a very early stage he
was regarded as an extraordinarily gifted child.
His
first working experiences were as primary school teacher and in the press
office of the Ministry of Finance in Tokyo.
He was
involved in controversial political activities and for this reason he was
arrested, sent back to his village and put under house arrest.
Soon
after his life unexpectedly changed...
It is
said that, after four months of fasting and isolation on a mountain,
Morihei Tanaka developed some special powers (Reishiryoku) that
helped him become a renowned healer and attract many groups of followers
[2].
This is
how Tanaka founded TAI REI
[3]
DO (The Way of the Great Spirit), a discipline which is older than
Reiki but still incredibly close to it both on a theoretical and on
a practical level
[4].
In
1910 he completed his work ‘Taireido Jiten’ (The Code of the
Way of the Great Spirit) and the following year he established the
Reiri Gakkai Tokyo (Tokyo Spiritualist Society).
Later,
Tanaka founded several centres throughout Japan where people were given
the opportunity to study the theory at the basis of his doctrine, and to
practice the ‘Reishi’ techniques
[5] (aka
Reishijutsu 霊子術: the art of
Reishi).
By the
term Reishi we mean Vital Energy, force emanating from the Great
Spirit (Tai Rei): every phenomenon of life and universe is the
result of the incessant work of Reishi.
The
Taireido teachings state that through the conscious channelling of
Reishi it is possible to achieve many goals. Among them: healing of
illness, developing the intellect, reforming bad habits, and even
empowering one’s martial art skills.
During
the Taishō Period (1912-1926) the doctrine of Taireido spread not
only throughout Japan but also through China and Mongolia
[6].
In
1916 Tanaka established the Honin Taireido (the main temple of
Taireido) in the Kojimachi area of Tokyo: here he devoted himself to
training its practitioners.
In
1920 the Ena Dai Honin (The Great Monastery of Ena) was erected
in a little town which probably was Morihei Tanaka’s birthplace: the
village Takenami. Over fifty thousand people visited the monastery, which
was pyramidal in shape and on six levels. Due to the high number of
visits, a post office, a train station and some housing were built to
assist in the guests and in the relation with the public. An accidental
fire destroyed the monastery in the Shōwa Period.
It was
still in 1920 that Tanaka published ‘Taireido – A new revelation
for the spiritual, mental and physical salvation of mankind’: a sort
of compendium (455 pages) on the theory and practice of his doctrine,
complete with illustrations. The idea beyond the book was to reach every
human being; for this reason the book was also published in English
[7].
“Choso”
[8] Tanaka Morihei died on the 17th of December 1928 of a heart attack
[9]. Today no trace of his group remains.
|
 |
 |
|
Another beautiful image of Morihei Tanaka |
Morihei Tanaka observes one of his disciples
practising ‘Reishi’ on a wooden board |
What is
Taireido (The Way of the Great Spirit)?
Tai Rei,
Source and Ruling Spirit of all things, is beyond time and space, beyond
existence and non-existence: all things emanate from Him and all things
return to Him, ad infinitum. It is through Reishi (the Force of the
Spirit), which is incessantly profused by Tai Rei, that all the
phenomena of life and universe exist.
Tai Rei
is perfection, truth and love: His Great Substance, which has neither
birth nor death, is everywhere present, at all times.
The
doctrine of Taireido (The Way of the Great Spirit) includes and
transcends every philosophy, religion and moral principle.
|
 |
 |
|
Giuseppe
Paterniti showing Morihei Tanaka’s signature on the book ‘Taireido’ |
‘Taireido’
Kanji by Morihei Tanaka |
The
Taireido teachings includes:
[Each
topic listed below is extensively discussed in the book ‘Taireido – a
new revelation for the spiritual, mental and physical salvation of
humankind’, see note 6]
-
The
Tai Rei philosophy;
[10]
-
The
external Reishi practice;
[11]
-
The
internal Reishi practice in physical treatments;
[12]
-
The
self-treatment practice;
-
Various techniques for performing treatments: with the palms of the
hands and with the fingers, through pressure and through massage;
-
Practical treatments for the mind or for reforming bad habits;
-
Distance treatments;
-
Group
treatments;
-
Practical exercises for the development of the internal Reishi;
[13]
-
Reiyu;
-
Reishi
as a
method to achieve many goals: self-defence and martial arts skills,
weight control, development of intellectual faculties, control of the
body temperature, improvement of communication skills, etc.;
-
Reiri-Gaku:
the principles of Taireido.
In the
light of what has been said so far... it seems quite clear that Mikao Usui
Sensei’s ‘Reiki Ryoho’ was largely influenced by Morihei Tanaka’s
‘Taireido’...
After
two years of testing, I have integrated my personal Reiki Ryoho practice
with the Tairedo teachings. This has widely enriched and completed my
practical knowledge of Usui Sensei’s method; in particular, it has offered
me a deep understanding of ‘Rei’, the Spirit which sustains the Universe.
This
new understanding, together with all my other recent achievements, can now
be shared with everyone during my workshops on
Reiki 'Seki Ji Do':
my own Traditional Reiki Ryoho technique.
© 2009 - Giuseppe
Paterniti
www.reikitradizionale.it
Notes:
|
