It is with enormous trepidation that I write this article relating to the 5 Reiki Precepts. I sincerely want to avoid offending any past ascended master, or present reiki devotee, teacher or practitioner.
I do clearly recall though, that from my very first training in reiki almost 20 years ago and being introduced to the 5 Precepts, I shuddered in disbelief with their specific wording. It was the phrase “Just For Today” that jolted me.
So, with a huge chunk of reluctance, I will try to express my thoughts and feelings.
As I’m sure many of you would agree, words are extremely powerful. And our choice of words (even in the form of Self Talk) has a huge bearing on our overall wellness, and even as profound as affecting our hormones and biochemistry in general – our ability to heal and enjoy optimal health
Speaking ‘off the top of my head’ without too much fore-planning, I believe that with any kind of positive behavior or attitude we incorporate into our lives, we should try and “carry that behavior or attitude with us always”, through all of our mindful moments, in the present moment (and all subsequent present moments), without beginning or end, without limitation or boundary. Why would we limit the duration of a positive attitude or behavior? (as in, Just for today).
Time itself is a continuum. In fact, Scientists agree that the only real way in which time exists is the Eternal Now: an endless stream of ‘now’ extending from our past to our future, in one, undivided whole.
It is with these facts in mind, that I (deeply respectfully) suggest that any form of positive intention, attitude or action we choose to adopt ‘now’ should exist as a whole in terms of being beginningless and endless, expansive and without division. For example, if I had been negatively affected by a compulsive desire to scratch an area of my skin which had caused it to become inflamed or infected, and therefore I saw it as being necessary to adopt the positive behavior of not scratching my skin, surely I would enter into that new behavior as an ongoing thing, rather than seeing my improved behavior as being limited in time (“For today only”).
The same can apply for any kind of positive behavior or attitude, I believe, whether it is to stress less or be kind to others, surely it is most helpful to try and adopt an attitude of calm or kindness as an ongoing, unbroken flow of continual behavior in the Eternal Now?
I do understand that behavioral or attitude changes may more easily be achieved if they are achieved in small chunks, not massive portions or huge shifts in behavior all at the same time. But surely if we logically (and spiritually) see the real commonsense benefit of worrying less, being less angry, or having a more grateful attitude, then we should try to adopt those behaviors in every living moment without limitation – making those positive behaviors and attitudes a part of our behavioral and spiritual DNA, so to speak… carrying those positive aspects in our heart and mind, convinced that they are of benefit to ourselves, and all others with whom we come into contact, without end.
The brilliant physicist Guy Brown explains:
The rate at which time appears to pass is not an objective property. There is no such property in physics, indeed time does not flow at all in physics, and many philosophers have pointed out that it makes no sense to measure the rate at which time flows. Energy and time are intimately related. When we are full of energy, enthused, scared, or excited our body and mind are flooded with chemicals making them go faster, and consequently the external world seems slow relative to our racing mind. The Energy of Life, by Guy Brown
Above, Professor Guy Brown explains that, in truth, Time itself is a subjective, limited concept, and the flow of time is intrinsically related to energy. Which again raises the question: Why would we limit the extent to which we embrace of positive behaviors and attitudes?
In The Order of Time by Carlo Rovelli, Allen Lane (2018), Rovelli explains that time is an illusion: our naive perception of its flow doesn’t correspond to physical reality. Indeed, as Rovelli argues in The Order of Time, much more is illusory, including Isaac Newton’s picture of a universally ticking clock. So what does Rovelli think is really going on? He posits that reality is just a complex network of events onto which we project sequences of past, present and future. The whole Universe obeys the laws of quantum mechanics and thermodynamics, out of which time emerges.
Source: https://www.nature.com/articles/d41586-018-04558-7
In his book Meditation Pure & Simple, Dr. Ian Gawler writes:
Our own true nature is something like that spacious blue sky. Its intrinsic quality, its essential nature, is one of purity. A purity which is always there, always was there, always will be there — although perhaps we may lose sight of it from time to time.
Ian Gawler describes beautifully how our mind and spirit is expansive, one with all things past and present. So (respectfully) I ask again, why limit our positive thoughts and actions to a finite period of time – one day – rather than seeing those positive aspects being a part of who we really are, our essence, something we carry with us in our hearts in all situations.
Dr. Ian Gawler also explains beautifully in his book: The Creative Power of Imager:
We soon realize that we are healed by what we turn towards, far more than what we turn away from.
Dr. Gawler’s enlightening words are highlighted by his description of a young child who is given a full cup of tea to carry to their grandparent, for example. He explains that if the child is told, “Don’t spill the drink!” the child will create a visual image of the hot drink (you guessed it) spilling over the edge of the cup — that is what they’re focusing on — and in the majority of cases, that is exactly what they will do… spill the drink as they had visualized. But if the parent says, “Keep the cup nice and level,” the child will see a mental image of the tea remaining safely within the confines of the cup, and in most cases that is what they will achieve.
The same applies to the 5 Reiki Precepts, surely? Should we say: I will not be angry, or I will be peaceful and joyous (?). I am fairly certain that Dr. Ian Gawler would recommend the latter.
According to Dr. Gawler’s insights, should the 5 Precepts be…
Doctor Sergio Prado-Arneuro writes in his book, The Legacy of Consciousness:
Lineal thinking regards the cause of anything manifesting in the material world as that which is first visualised on a particular time sequence. This is why lineal thinkers place the cause on genetic, physical, chemical, environmental or socio-economical conditions. These factors are only important conditions… no more… they are not the cause! Regarding this, Einstein commented: ‘Breakfast is taken before lunch, but breakfast is not the cause of lunch.’ Precisely because of this intimate relationship between mind, body and soul, diseases are capable of being cured by spiritual means. Spiritual healing exists and is genuine. A Hebrew saying assures us that ‘a happy heart is a good medicine’.
Dr. Prado-Arnuero outlines the fruitless process of seeing our health and wellness as occurring on a linear, time-related framework. He also describes that wellness is profoundly affected by spiritual means, and surely, spiritual wellness is not “time-related”… I focus on having my mind, body and soul blessing me with a happy heart today, but not tomorrow?
In the article: “What Einstein Meant By “Time is an Illusion” Einstein is quoted as saying…
“People like us who believe in physics know that the distinction between past, present, and future is only a stubbornly persistent illusion.” In other words, time is an illusion.
Many physicists share this view, but there are some that have alternate explanations for the way things will play out in the long run. One suggests that the present, future, and past are still mostly unwritten. Or, they are all playing out at the exact same time. The Block Universe Theory contributes a lot to these ideals.
Source of above text: https://interestingengineering.com/what-einstein-meant-by-time-is-an-illusion
Even the brilliant late theologian and author Alan Watts described the fruitlessness of seeing ourselves rigidly existing within the the boundaries and limitations of conventional notions of time:
According to convention, I am not simply what I am doing now. I am also what I have done, and my conventionally edited version of my past is made to seem almost more the real “me” than what I am at this moment. For what I am seems so fleeting and intangible, but what I was is fixed and final. It is the firm basis for predictions of what I will be in the future, and so it comes about that I am more closely identified with what no longer exists than with what actually is! The Way of Zen by Alan Watts.
Below I will respectfully provide some possible variations of the 5 Reiki Precepts. I would absolutely love to hear anybody’s feedback.
I dearly hope that I have not offended anybody with these thoughts and reflections. And I look forward to receiving any comments or suggestions.
Thank you so much,
Ros Dadds (Reiki World News)
