Interview with Arjava

ReikiDharma Newsletter Volume 17, June 17, 2005

Dear Friends!
Hello again and welcome to the 17th Reiki Dharma Newsletter.

It seems like every time I write to you, life has changed its course. The actors in the eternal play have shift- changed; the important players of the past may have retired, and new ones may have taken their place. Some players never change, and the one who is watching the game enjoys him self tremendously. Nothing has ever changed. One day I was a little boy, playing in the sand- box. The next day I am an adult man, pretending to have grown up... What a mystery! The first half of this year has been spiced with all that belongs to life: gain and loss, separation and new beginning, birth and death. A few days ago my father passed away. He has always been the Number One for me: I am his love, his passion and his longing. One of the last things he asked me was what responsibilities he still had to his family. I told him that there was only one: the responsibility to be loved. At about the same time he died, my daughter ate her first spoonful of solid food. It was a blessing that the two of them could meet, even if it was only for a short time. Both were loved and both take this love wherever they go. The fact that often gravity pulls one up towards the Skies and drops the other down on the Earth, makes it easier for the ones that live on. Life and death are so close together, that one may be able to see them as one organic unity at times. At those times one eye may cry, while the other laughs. At those times what becomes apparent is the Essential: that what makes the heart beat, and what keeps everything together...

Today I would like to share some thoughts with you, that were extracted from my heart- brain by the intelligent questions of Tainamaarit, a Reiki- Friend from Finland (http://www. reikisivut.com).

Question: Please tell about your background, your spiritual path in general, and what got you interested in Reiki?

Answer: My background is as confusing as my foreground. I donﾕt know where I am going, and I donﾕt know where I come from. Life has taken me on one unexpected turn after another. When I was a teenager I practiced Raja Yoga and my hearts desire was to join a Zen Monastery in Japan after I finish school. But I never finished school and instead of the Zen Monastery I found myself in India for several years. I ended up at the Osho Ashram in Pune where I received my real education: the education in the art of living. Reiki came into my life "accidentally". My brother offered to teach it to me when I was already living in Japan in 1993. The idea was to do it for my own personal growth. When I told him that I had no desire to teach it to others, he just laughed...

Question: What are your thoughts about Reiki and different religions and cultures? Answer: Reiki is like water. It fits any vessel and assumes the form and shape of the container ever so readily. One does not have to be a Buddhist to learn it. It is the most natural thing in the world, it is everyoneﾕs birthright and thus it belongs to the collective treasure house of human kind.

Question: How would you describe your own beliefs related to religions? Have they changed with Reiki?

Answer: My own beliefs related to religions have changed over the years in the sense that I donﾕt pay attention to beliefs anymore, whether they are my own, or those of someone else. Beliefs are at best second hand information, and the only thing that can propel you on the path to your self is the truth of your own heart: your own experience! So, forget your beliefs and be your self.

Question: What is your opinion about learning Reiki? What about natural, given talent? What is your opinion about the necessity to learn Reikiｫs history, philosophy, techniques and symbols?

Answer: Reiki has the wonderful advantage that it can be learned and it can be taught. The healing skill itself can not be taught; it is a gift from god. Yet we can learn the art of Reiki to a certain extent. Just as not everyone can become a master carpenter, Reiki too is a skill. But we can all do it reasonably well. I donﾕt consider myself as a master of the art, I am just an artesian. Reiki- history is important as it leads to the source of Reiki. When you follow a river back to its spring, you will be able to understand it better. You will understand itﾕs currents and size, itﾕs behavior in spring and summer, and then you can deal with all the challenges it presents you with much more effectively. Techniques and Symbols are tools that may either help or hinder you on this path. It all depends on you and the purity of your heart.

Question: What is the importance in original Japanese Reiki? How do you think about evolution, changes that different Reiki-Masters have made in Western world?

Answer: Once you know the source, the original Japanese way, and you understand the inner space of love, compassion and silence that it is born out of, you can find your own way. Only then can you create your own Reiki- cocktail. Evolution is natural and I am happy that Reiki has entered so many new aspects of life. Yet many changes have been made for the wrong reasons. They have been made to improve upon the system, and to differentiate "your Reiki" from the other teachers. Those consideration are materialistic, not spiritual. Energy can not be improved upon.

Question: How much in your opinion Reiki is a path to spiritual development, and how much it is just a way to heal?

Answer: Reiki is a spiritual path and nothing else. What we call "healing technique" is meant to mean in Usui Sensei's own words: "The secret art of inviting happiness. The spiritual cure for all diseases. "

Question: Should Reiki-symbols be secret, or free to publish for anyone? Why?

Answer: Reiki is not a secret, but some aspects of the teaching are. They are meant to be reserved for those who practice the art. Traditionally speaking the Reiki- Symbols are supposed to be kept secret. My opinion about this is divided. The Reiki- Symbols are part of the Japanese culture and language and there is no point for a Japanese to write these symbols down. But we are not Japanese and can not remember complicated characters if we donﾕt write them down... So I let my students write them down, but ask them not to publish them on the internet etc. This is not because any harm can be done, but because an attunement is needed to activate a Reiki Symbol. Someone who sees it in a book or finds it on a website will just be confused.

Question: There are well over 100 different systems today carrying "Reiki" as part of their name. Do you have an opinion on this?

Answer: Out of the 100 system carrying the name Reiki, 90 percent or more don't deserve it.

Question: It has been said that Reiki has cured millions of people around the world from different, even very serious illnesses. What is your view on that? Would you like to tell your personal experiences?

Answer: Reiki does not cure anyone. It is the body that heals itself. With Reiki we may be able to stimulate the bodyﾕs inherent healing abilities and then the person will get well. But Reiki is not all about the physical body. Even if the disease has created too much imbalance already and the body is not able to heal itself, Reiki will still work on the mental/emotional bodies. Maybe the dying man can let go of what holds him here more easily, maybe old childhood traumas are resolved. Maybe he finds peace... Over the years I have witnessed countless spontaneous healings, but the healing is not my goal. My goal is to touch the otherﾕs heart. Once his heart is touched he may be able to stay in touch with it himself. And this leads to transformation.

Question: Reiki has been described "The Universal Love". How would you describe Reiki in short?

Answer: One of my Reiki Teachers, Chiyoko Yamaguchi, described Reiki like this: When I wait at the Bus Stop, and I see someone next to me who is suffering, I want to help this person. This is the Spirit of Reiki: Compassion in Action.

Question: To learn original Japanese Reiki-techniques, does one have to travel to Japan or have a Reiki-friend there? How would you describe your years in Japan?

Answer: Japanese Reiki Techniques can be learned from many teachers all over the globe now. I began teaching them in 1998 after I had practiced them for myself for 18 month. Since then many have learned them, and pass them on. My only advice is that one should only teach what he understands- and lives. You donﾕt have to visit Japan to learn Japanese Reiki Techniques. But I suggest that you visit Japan at least once in your life to get a glimpse of the inner space that Reiki was conceived in. The time I spent in Japan was very precious. Living in Japan is quite challenging, because it is like living on another planet. Imagine to live on the moon for 12 years. You donﾕt know what to expect when you come around a corner, you donﾕt know the rules of conduct. You are constantly stretching your imagination, you are always aware of the fact that you donﾕt understand what is going on completely and you are so very different from the Moon- Inhabitants. After a while you may begin to understand and unknown strings in your being begin to reverberate. You develop new skills and new viewpoints, yet you are still the same old Earth- Man. The most valuable teaching that entered my heart in Japan is respect.

Question: What would be the most important thing that you have learned from Reiki?

Answer: The single most important thing I have learned from Reiki is compassion.

Question: What would be the most important things that Reiki has brought to your life, things that would not be there without it?

Answer: I used to battle with the mental judgement of others all my life. When I saw someone I would immediately have a judgement, an opinion about him. This came to end with Reiki- thank God! And now it is quiet when I look into someoneﾕs eyes.

Question: You are coming to Finland in August. Is there anything you would like to say to Finnish Reiki-people, suggestions, greetings, advice, your own feelings in advance?

Answer: I am grateful for your invitation. When I am invited to a country I have not worked in, there is always a distinct feeling of awe. Reiki is moving into a new territory, because it wants to touch the whole Earth with itﾕs blessings. I myself am not very important in this matter, and I am glad that I can be of service.

　

With love and gratitude from heart to heart, your friend, Frank Arjava Petter

　

Copyright © 2005 by Frank Arjava Petter