Usui Shiki Ryoho, or Reiki, was developed in Japan by Mikao Usui (15 August 1865 – 9 March 1926), a lifelong adherent of Tendai Buddhism and Shintōism. He underwent training as a Zen Buddhist early in life, and some researchers believe that Reiki was an outgrowth of his personal spiritual practice.
Usui Shiki Ryoho tradition affirms that Usui-sensei achieved a higher state of conscientiousness or enlightenment in 1922 while meditating on Mount Kurama, a mountain sacred to both Buddhism and Shintōism. He asserted that Usui Shiki Ryoho was a spiritual method of healing that was not dependent upon or affiliated with any religious organization, dogma, or doctrine.
Today Reiki is practiced throughout the world by people of many faiths and cultures.
