Oasis
Reiki e-Newsletter
Volume III Number 1
Feb 11, 2005
A digital Tibetan Prayer Wheel
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We place your wellbeing directly into your own hands.
Hello Subscribers!
In this issue:
GREETINGS & NEWS
INSPIRATION
"REIKI AS AS A SPIRITUAL PRACTICE: The Role of Spirituality in Complete Health" by Pamir Kiciman
GREETINGS & NEWS There are so many resources available to understand how to live and to encourage us. We continue to offer our in-depth training in Japanese Reiki, and have added services. I'm on staff at Imperial Point Medical Center now as a Hypnotherapist, as well as Reiki Master Teacher. See all the most recent developments The next Shoden or Reiki I Training at Imperial Point Medical Center in Fort Lauderdale, Florida is on February 26 & 27 . For registration, or private Reiki and hypnotherapy sessions, call Elaine at 954-776-8748 Tuesday--Friday, 10--8 p.m. There's an Okuden or Reiki II Training on February 23 & 25 at our Hollywood, Florida location. Please contact me for registration at 954-661-4263. Part II Ki: Life Energy In the business world 'best practices' is a term used to describe processes, practices, and systems identified in organizations that perform exceptionally well and are widely recognized as improving an organization's performance and efficiency in specific areas. Similarly 'spirituality' is a best practice for the human organization. According to Miriam-Webster online, spirituality is "the quality or state of being spiritual." Spiritual is then defined as, "of, relating to, consisting of, or affecting the spirit." Finally, spirit is described as, "an animating or vital principle held to give life to physical organisms; the immaterial intelligent or sentient part of a person." The etymology of the word spirit is from Latin spiritus, literally, breath, from spirare to blow, breathe. No matter our inclination and disposition, we all breathe, have to breathe. This is so for animals and plants too. Spirituality is as accessible and close as our breath. Many people are unsure how they feel about spirituality and its significance, especially when it comes to health. This is mainly because it's intangible and invisible. It can, however, be experienced. The foundational training of Reiki teaches two meditations based on the universality of Ki (Rei Ki) and its direct accessibility through the breath. Ki is the basic unit of life. Ultimately everything is made up of Ki; life energy or vitality. The Universe was one, then two forces appeared and the relative world was created. For the reasons explained in Part I, we think that the relative world is the only one, unaware of its origin. Breathing Respiration gives us more than oxygen, and releases more than carbon dioxide. At a subtle level, breathing is a primary reflex that brings in fresh Ki. Life energy is also available in sunshine, water and food. Without Ki, all the normal elements that keep us alive, such as air, water, food and heartbeat, would not only be useless, they simply wouldn't exist. The chemical, organic and mechanical functions of the body have to be powered somehow. We understand how the visible parts of our body work fairly well. At the microscopic level, we also have knowledge about how the much smaller components work. But what makes cells run and subatomic particles function? Koichi Tohei, a great martial arts teacher, has this to say: "What were you before your birth? A fetus in your mother's womb. Before that? A union of the father's sperm and the mother's egg, of course. But what about before that? Your parents possessed no sperm, no egg before they reached puberty. Where did you fit in then?" It's a great question to ponder! If we rely only on the information the five senses impart, that question is unanswerable and it leads to meaninglessness. We are then in a random world with no rhyme or reason, ruled by fear and of course vulnerably mortal. Fortunately we have the built-in ability to experience subtle phenomena such as Ki. This is the appeal of spiritual practice. Reiki's Meditations The meditations of Reiki are at the center of such a spiritual practice. These short and simple methods have a far-reaching effect and benefit based on meditative breathing, allowing the Ki of the Universe to replenish and refresh your personal Ki. As Ki is the subtle factor that powers all body parts and functions, all-around health is directly related to the quality of Ki you have flowing throughout your body. The lifestyle choices you make and the multiple stresses of living in this technological, high-speed era usually diminish your Ki and even block its natural flow. Ki is energy. Energy isn't limited to physical parts. Thoughts and emotions are a form of energy too. As the body is restored through meditative breathing, the incoming, pure Ki has a chance to clear out your emotions and thoughts, empowering you and creating balance, and bolstering you for whatever you'll be facing that day. The Hara Hara literally means belly. Physically it's the center gravity for your body. Energetically it's a center of vital energy that positively affects the entire organism. Spiritually it's a seat of broad consciousness, a primordial connection to the Universe, a still- or one-point which exists and sustains you before and after the umbilical cord. We are all innately buddhas. The goal of Reiki training and practice is to uncover this shining jewel, encrusted as it is with the accumulation of suffering, disease and delusion. Our human experience is limited, bound by time and space. Our spiritual experience is just the opposite; limitless, on a continuum and fully functional in the entire spectrum of Universal energy. Science studies the human body structurally, based on scientific observation and quantifiable data. This has led to a systemic approach in which the body is made up of various major systems, such as the nervous system, circulatory system, skeletal system, etc. Consciousness too has been mostly relegated to the electro-chemical activity of the brain. Eastern understanding is based on ancient philosophical/spiritual systems and views the body as a complex of life-sustaining processes, preserved and nourished by the circulation of essential fluids and vital energies. Similarly, primordial spiritual awareness is seen as the only enduring, continuous aspect of the human psyche, functioning in the brain and throughout the body and our life experience. The Ki Spectrum This brings us to two primary poles of Universal energy: Earth Ki and Celestial Ki. Spiritual wisdom states that the union of these two energies creates all that is: the cosmos, planets, nature and its life forms, and human beings. It's important to realize that these are not two different types of energy, but two complementary poles of the same primordial energy. The whole range is spiritual, whether we split it in our perception as 'divine' and 'earthly.' There are specific ways to embody, feel and integrate these energies in the course of Reiki training. Once proficient, a third state is born. This can be described as "oneness" or compassion. When the two poles are understood and realized by the practitioner, a blending occurs that creates unity, i.e., oneness. When you feel 'one' with yourself, others, your environment, nature and the cosmos, compassion arises because it leads to a deeper, visceral empathy with life. From this you progress to a level of higher enlightenment of realizing true unity consciousness. Earth Ki is a frequency of energy that helps the body heal and makes the mind strong. It helps to settle you in your center, creating a solid base to handle all manner of challenges, bringing order and power to your being and life. Celestial Ki is a subtler, more refined energy that helps to align you spiritually. It repairs spiritual disconnection and takes you to a higher consciousness. Your intuition becomes more and more reliable, and mental/emotional healing takes place. As these two frequencies blend within you, wholeness is created. Fragmentation and self-defeating patterns are made whole. Being able to viscerally relate to the Earth you live on, and the various dimensions of spiritual consciousness leads to a direct understanding and realization of "oneness." Your life becomes more meaningful and valuable because you feel that you're part of a grand web that is intricate, precise, purposeful and benevolent. Thus greater caring and compassion is engendered. As you evolve to states of nonphysical consciousness, where pure love, bliss, joy and wisdom exist, your spirit is harmonized, leading to mental, emotional and physical health. You resonate clearly with the Universe. The net effect of your personal journey is that the spirit of the world is also healed and spiritualized. This description of Reiki as a spiritual practice outlines only some of its core principles and does so in a simple, brief way. As you can see, hands-on healing is a significant but only partial element of the teachings of Reiki. These ideas and practices and further benefits therein can only be grasped by experience. Fortunately, experience is readily available for anyone willing to embrace it. © 2005 Pamir KicimanHopefully this finds you well and seizing the moment. Each moment is rich with possibility. Although our world is challenged in many areas, and personal lives are also facing unique situations, there's an incredible opportunity for growth, expansion, compassion and spiritual wisdom to take root, forever changing how we live and operate.
Reiki fosters spiritual evolution, bodily, mental, and emotional health; has uses for water, food, environment, relationships and career. Meditation, intuition, vision, channeling and creativity are magnified.
Reiki also enhances such areas as enhanced learning, social projects, global thinking, environmentalism, care giving, animal and pet care.
PAMIR KICIMAN, RM, CHt
OASIS REIKI INSTITUTE
info@reikihelp.com works for all correspondence
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INSPIRATION
We feature quotes from Morihei Ueshiba (1883-1969), the founder of Aikido which he called the Art of Peace. He was probably the world's greatest martial artist, but also a deeply spiritual and metaphysical man, both very wise and loving.
"The Divine is not something high above us. It is in heaven, it is in earth, it is inside us."
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"REIKI AS AS A SPIRITUAL PRACTICE: The Role of Spirituality in Complete Health" by Pamir Kiciman
Read Part I from previous newsletter
The experience goes further. It touches you at a core, most refined level. Your spiritual self is eternal, unconfined, permeating all other aspects of your being and can also be felt in the breath, as well as a myriad of other ways. Breathe out so that your breath travels infinitely to the ends of the Universe; breathe in so that your breath reaches your hara and continues infinitely there."The figure of the Buddha seated on his lotus throne-serene, stable, all-knowing and all-encompassing, radiating boundless light and compassion-is the foremost example of hara expressed through perfect enlightenment." -Philip Kapleau
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© Pamir Kiciman 1999-2004
© Oasis Reiki Institute 1999-2004
All Rights Reserved
Tibetan Buddhists believe that saying the mantra (prayer) Om Mani Padme Hum, invites the blessings of Chenrezig, the embodiment of compassion. They also believe you can produce the same effect by spinning the written form of the mantra around in a prayer wheel (called "Mani wheels" by the Tibetans). The effect is said to be multiplied when more copies of the mantra are included, and spinning the Mani wheels faster increases the benefit as well.
His Holiness, the Dalai Lama, has said that having the mantra on your computer works the same as a traditional Mani wheel. As the digital image spins around on your hard drive, it sends the peaceful prayer of compassion to all directions and purifies the area.
Deb Platt suggests:
"To set your very own prayer wheel in motion, all you have to do is download this mantra to your computer's hard disk. Once downloaded, your hard disk drive will spin the mantra for you. Nowadays hard disk drives spin their disks somewhere between 3600 and 7200 revolutions per minute, with a typical rate of 5400 rpm. Given those rotation speeds, you'll soon be purifying loads of negative karma."
She suggests that you simply save the text "OM MANI PADME HUM," or use the Tibetan characters, which you can save by clicking on the image below, and then selecting the "Save As" option from the "File" menu in your browser:
If you use the default filename for
the image file, om-mani-padma-hum.gif,
you'll be storing the mantra twice.
--from www.dharma-haven.org
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