*daylia* the mans name was Mikao Usui. Legends were made up to make reiki more palatable to western people. He passed his method usui shiki ryuho, or usui natural method to a Dr Hayashi, and also 13 others. Reiki was essentially a mans art of healing, until hawayo takata came and took it back to hawaii and the mainland. usui was never a christian, he never left japan, and he did not teach at a boys catholic school. all those tales are myths and fabrications.

dr hayashi came up with the hand positions, and other things that have been tacked onto reiki in the ensuing years, including the
ridiculous "tradition" that in order to become a true reiki "master" one had to pay 10,000.00 for the final initiation into the method.
that was created by the inevitable greedy people who also show up when something good comes into the world in an effort to make it an exclusive item for the very wealthy.

Usui is buried in japan, and his grave site is a tourist attraction.

I have been involved in healing, reiki, therapeutic touch and waiqi liaofa (external qi healing) for 15 years, and have journaled over 800 healing sessions with hudreds of people with hundreds of issues.
For me, that is enough empiric evidence that it works, and it is good enough for me.

Usui found his enlightenment, and that is how he expressed it. Ueshiba found his enlightenment, and he had his way of expressing it.
I am averse to any form of organized religion, because it then becomes an us vs them thing. the us's always think they are the chosen of whatever god, and the them are the ones who need to be converted, lest their souls burn in hells fire for all eternity,
or some other type of nonsense.

all religions are a form of propaganda, and are meant to be exclusive and divisive. A person should be good, simply because it is the right thing to do. not because some man behind a pulpit tells you it is the right thing to do. Secular humanism has much more to offer people than any organized tribal belief system, and that is why I prefer to be that way.

at our very best, we are all gods and goddesses. at our very worst we are all devils and devilettes. we can create our very own hell or heaven on earth by whichever road of life we happen to choose, IMHO.

those are my rambling thoughts anyways. g'nite y'all.