“Watch your thoughts, for
they become words. Choose your words, for they become
actions. Understand your actions, for they become habits.
Study your habits, for they will become your character.
Develop your character, for it becomes your
destiny.”
Anonymous
THE 5
REIKI PRINCIPLES
Just for
today, I shall trust... Just for today, I shall do my work
honestly... Just for today, I shall accept my many blessings...
Just for today, I shall be at peace... Just for today, I will
respect the rights of all life forms.
Reiki
Therapy - The 5 Principals:
1) Just For Today, I Shall Trust
- This principle teaches us to let go of worries and to think
positively
2) Just for Today, I Shall Do My Work Honestly
- This principle teaches us not only to be honest with
ourselves, but with others, and to live by what you tell others
they should live by
3) Just For Today, I Shall Accept My Many Blessings
- We must be able to receive in order for the Universe go give
to us
4) Just For Today, I Shall Be At Peace
- When we radiate peace and love, peace and love is returned to
us
5) Just For Today, I Shall Respect the Rights of All Life Forms
- We must honor ALL life and allow everyone to life his/her own
truth.
Another
version
(There are
many "schools" of Reiki but the basic principles
Reiki practitioners try to abide by are pretty much
universal.)
Reiki Therapy - The 5
Principals:
1)Just
for today, I will not worry
2)Just for today, I will not be angry
3)Just for today, I will give thanks for my many
blessings
4)Just for today, I will do my work honestly
5)Just for today, I will be kind to every living
thing
Reiki
Therapy - What is it? How does it heal?

The Significance of
the Gakai or
Principles
Many people believe that the
Gakai - the Five Principles or
Precepts - are an important key to the system
that is Usui Reiki Ryoho.
Perhaps it is that
they are not just 'important' but rather 'VITAL' - that
they are the very CORE of Usui-sensei's system - that the
Precepts themselves are:
"The secret
method of inviting blessings, the spiritual medicine of many
illnesses" spoken of in the introductory statement which comes
directly before the Precepts
themselves.
The Precepts
themselves are 'keys' or strategies to apply to
life.
In fact, at
least two of the Precepts clearly fall in
the cartegory of straight-forward, direct 'preventative
medicine'.
Different versions of the Principles?
As you will be
seen
below, there are
numerous slightly different paraphrased translations of
each of the five principles.
In a couple of
renditions of the principles, no's 3 and 4 are merged
together (and in one case,
principles 1 and 2 are also combined into a single
principle yet whatever the version, these
differenty-worded translations still essentially all deal
of the same five
concepts:
anger, worry,
gratitude, work, kindness
"Honour your
parents..."
Some people have
commented why one version of the principles has 'Honour
your parents, teachers and elders' where the majority of
others have the 'gratitude'
principle
On several
occasions Takata-sensei expressed the principles in
slightly different wording - in an attempt to clarify the
core sentiment for the students present at the time - and
this is partly why different people use slightly variant
wordings.
It was common for
Takata sensei to state the 'gratitude' principle as "We
will count our blessings" or "... be grateful for our
many blessings" and to qualify this by explaining
gratitude included honouring our fathers and mothers,
teachers and neighbours - and even our
food.
To Takata sensei,
the greatest of the five was Gratitude.
"Mornings and
evenings..."
"Mornings and evenings sit in the gassho
position and repeat these words out loud or in your
heart"
And as a result,
many people seem to consider the
Gakai as being something to
only use in this way - seeing them
simply as a set of 'positive-thinking' affirmations - or
alternatively, as some form of, as it were, 'magic
incantation'.
Yes, we
may practice
Gakai sansho (repeating the five principles
three times) both on rising and on going to bed - and
this can help to imprint them on our
subconscious - but I feel too much emphasis is placed
on chanting them, and possibly not enough
on living
by them.
Stronger feeling when recited in English or
Japanese?
Some people claim
to get a stronger feeling whilst reciting one paraphrased
English (or other language) version of the principles;
yet others, while reciting the 'formal' Japanese version;
but in my opinion, the real power of the
Gakai only truly manifests in the
instances of their application in the midst of daily
life.
Examples of some
of the slightly different paraphrased translations of
each of the five principles.
Just for
today [i.e. focus
in the here-and-now]:
Principle
1 has been
variously stated as:
Do not anger
Don't get
angry
Thou shall not
anger
I will not be
angry
I will let go of
anger
Principle
2 has been
variously stated as:
Do not worry
Don't be
anxious
Thou shall not
worry
I will not
worry
I will let go of
worry
Principle
3 has been
variously stated as:
Be grateful
Show
appreciation
Thou shall be grateful
for the many blessings
I will give thanks for my
many blessings
I will count my many
blessings
Express your
thanks
Show gratitude to every
living thing
Honor your parents,
teachers and elders
Principle
4 has been
variously stated as:
Work hard
Study
diligently
Devote yourself to your
work
Earn thy livelihood with
honest labor
I will do my work
honestly
Be diligent in your
business
Principle
5 has been
variously stated as:
Be kind to
people
Be kind to
others
Be kind to thy
neighbors
I will be kind to every
living thing
I will be kind to every
living creature
Show compassion to every
living thing
* * * * *

"Just for today
...
Do not rise to
anger
Do not succumb to
worry
Express Gratitude for all your
blessings
Apply yourself
diligently
Manifest compassion to all
beings"
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