I have been interested in natural healing since I was in my early 20's. I studied naturopathy in a healing school in Sydney, along with Swedish Massage and other subjects, but never practiced as a naturopath. Later, I studied homeopathy and then qualified as a homeopathic doctor. I have been working with Reiki now for about 14 years and have been teaching Reiki worldwide for the last eleven years.

I never wanted to teach Reiki, but somehow, it happened! I will tell you the short story of how: I was studying Tibetan language in Kathmandu University and an Israeli guy called Eyal (who is an excellent healer) told me his mother was coming to Nepal to visit and that she wanted to learn second level Reiki.

He asked me whether I taught Reiki and I said that I didn't. I was attuned to the Master Level but had never taught, so Eyal said, you will teach my mother and even though I kept saying I couldn't, he insisted and that was it! I did and I enjoyed it so much that I have been teaching ever since. People ask me why I teach Reiki when there is Buddhism and I give this answer "In Buddhism we have the aspiration to benefit others, but Reiki is something you can do right now!" I have heard and seen of so many changes in people after learning first level Reiki that I can absolutely say nobody is ever the same afterwards - in a good way of course!

The power of prayer is a much discussed subject these days. We often see or hear of the benefits received from prayers. What makes the prayers more powerful is the motivation behind the prayers, the action done in accordance with that motivation and then dedication, in other words offering the benefit of the prayers to the person, people or animal who need help.

Reiki is a positive healing energy, utilizing "Universal Energy" which is the energy all around us. The practitioner gathers that energy and then directs it with clear, positive intention towards anybody needing help.

Natural healing is incredibly popular these days and as far as Reiki is concerned, very easy to learn, if you want to participate in one of my courses, please look at my calendar of dates.   There are three levels, Reiki One is the basis and then you should wait for six months at least before taking Reiki Two which intensifies emotional and mental healing and introduces distant healing. Reiki Three is spiritual healing and how to teach Reiki. Reiki Three can be divided into two parts.

Reiki      

Many people ask me why, as a Buddhist monk I teach and practice Reiki. My usual answer is that as Mahayana Buddhists we have made a promise to alleviate and eventually remove all suffering of all beings. Therefore, helping somebody to learn and then practice Reiki is just one more way of reconnecting with ourselves with kindness and love. Then, that same love and kindness can be used towards others. Isn’t this what we call skillful means?

There are two lineages of Reiki, the Japanese lineage and the Tibetan lineage. The difference in the two is mainly with the attunements (or initiations as some people call them). The Japanese lineage gives four separate attunements over four days, whereas the Tibetan lineage gives one attunement. I prefer the Tibetan lineage method, as most people are very busy these days and don’t have time for longer courses. Secondly, they often don’t have the level of concentration needed for the four attunements.

The result is the same, the ability to transmit Reiki energy through one’s hands. Anybody can learn this basic level of Reiki, young or old and the in-between! It is not difficult to learn, but what is required is a period of at least six months after the attunement, to practice self and other Reiki. You might look on this period as an apprenticeship. I usually recommend six months to a year between attunements in order to deepen one’s experience at the basic level before going on to working with stronger energy.

During my basic course, I talk briefly about the history of Reiki and Dr. Usui who re-discovered Reiki. There is an explanation about chakras and their relationship to natural healing. I also teach the hand positions for giving Reiki to oneself and others, and of course I give the Reiki Attunement. Courses are usually held over two days for Reiki One. A completion certificate and manual are given at each level.

Reiki Two is an explanation of distant Reiki and particularly giving an explanation of the symbols used for increasing the power of the treatment and for giving distant Reiki. Reiki Two focuses on emotional and mental healing. Reiki Three is the level of spiritual healing and so more advanced and definitely one needs a much greater commitment to self-healing practices at this level.

I rarely teach Reiki Three as I find most people are not willing to totally commit their lives to the amount of spiritual work necessary to maintain this level. It is also the teaching level for Reiki and so requires the teacher to be responsible for the student’s welfare.

In addition to teaching Reiki, I have been trained as a homeopathic doctor, but I do not use the title of Doctor as I am not in full time practice. However, I like this system of healing very much and highly recommend it as an adjunct to Reiki.