At the heart of the original Reiki practice—as lived and taught by Usui Mikao in early 20th-century Japan—we find more than just a healing method. Reiki was, in its origin, a path of personal transformation, a return to a simple spirituality deeply rooted in everyday life. One of the lesser-known, yet perhaps most revealing pillars of this approach is the contemplative use of the Gyosei: the poems of Emperor Meiji.
Usui Sensei was born in 1865, just one year before the beginning of the Meiji era, a period of profound transformation in Japanese history. During the more than forty years of this reign, the country transitioned from a closed feudal system to a modern nation rapidly opening to Western influences. It was a time of cultural tension, a search for identity, a collision between tradition and modernity.
Emperor Meiji, a symbolic figure of this transformation, was not only a political leader but also a cultivated man who composed thousands of short poems known as waka. When written by an emperor, these poems are called Gyosei. In them, Meiji expressed with simplicity universal themes: ethics, effort, impermanence, nature, and everyday wisdom.
Usui Sensei—trained in Buddhist thought, martial arts, classical Japanese literature, and spiritual development practices—found in these poems a living tool to nourish the heart and mind. That is why he integrated them into his teachings of Reiki.
It is said that Usui Sensei selected 125 of Emperor Meiji’s Gyosei for his students to recite, contemplate, and use as daily guidance. This practice, simple yet profound, was part of Reiki Ryōhō gatherings and aimed to cultivate the practitioner’s heart.
The Gyosei are not aphorisms to be memorized, nor inspirational quotes to decorate calendars. They are seeds. Planted within, they take root and grow over time, when the soul is ready. Their value lies not in scholarly interpretation, but in the honesty of feeling they awaken.
One of the best-known poems reads:
“Those who reflect on their own mistakes
do not resent the heavens
nor reproach others.”
The wisdom here is not imposed; it is offered. It reminds us that the spiritual path is not a journey toward perfection, but toward humility. That looking within oneself is sometimes the greatest form of compassion.
The practice with the Gyosei is not about interpretation, but about presence. About reading the poem, letting it resonate, and listening to what it awakens without the need for analysis. It can be read quietly or silently, accompanied by mindful breathing. There is no “right” way—only the gesture of pausing.
Let us take another example:
“The echo of the waterfall will resonate in the world
only if a rock breaks the fall of the water.”
What is that rock? What is the water? What does that echo mean? We might try to answer, but the essential lies elsewhere: in the silence that follows, in what the poem leaves vibrating within us.
In the West, Reiki has often been identified as a technique for channeling energy and healing the body or emotions. But at its root, in Usui Sensei’s original teaching, it was a path of inner growth. The Gyosei bear witness to this: they do not aim to cure symptoms, but to cultivate a more honest, kinder, more conscious view of life.
“Whatever happens in this fleeting life,
our hearts
must remain full of richness.”
This poem does not speak of resignation, but of inner strength—of how to remain grounded amid uncertainty without losing the dignity of the soul.
Another verse reminds us of the value of perseverance:
“Look at the stone hollowed by the drops of rain
and though the task be hard,
do not give up your effort.”
Through these brief poems, Reiki is revealed as an ethical and spiritual discipline, deeply rooted in Japanese culture and far from the therapeutic urgency of the modern world. It is a practice that invites us to live with a heart that is awake.
Today, the 125 Gyosei selected by Usui Sensei can be easily found online. But it is worth approaching them with reverence, like someone visiting a Zen garden: slowly, spaciously, without expectations.
At Kisetsu, we especially recommend the reading of “El Eco de la Cascada”, a beautifully illustrated multilingual edition published by Teleno Ediciones, which presents these 125 poems in Spanish, English, French, and Japanese. Its elegant design invites stillness, and its reading opens a doorway into the spirit from which Reiki was born.
Reciting a Gyosei at the beginning or end of a meditation or Reiki session is not an empty ritual. It is an act of reverence for wisdom that never goes out of style—for the depth that dwells in simplicity. It is also a way to honor the teaching of Usui Sensei, who saw in these poems not an imperial legacy, but a path to the human heart.
“The honesty of the human heart
brings demons to tears.”
Perhaps today, amidst the noise of the world, remembering this possibility is more necessary than ever.
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