Global Spread Of Reiki example essay topic

New and Improved? : The processes of globalization on spiritual practices; illustrated by the global spread of Reiki. The processes of globalization create an open market place for trade, but globalization is also an exchange of cultures, of ideas and practices. Spiritual practices and rituals are one of the ways in which a culture reproduces itself and as such, is subject to hegemonic forces which act to alter the existing form.

It has been said that Globalisation may be regarded as a threat to regional ized spiritual practices because there is a tendency to standardize them in an American ised form, which is primarily Christian. One of the under explored aspects of the Internet is the cultural effects created by the exchange of spiritual ideas and practices online. As more people gain access to the World Wide Web, the diversity of spiritual information available increases exponentially. Exotic cultural practices, once only available to the privileged few who could afford to travel to exotic locations, is now available to millions of people across the globe, at the touch of a button.

Gone are the days when spiritual practices are linked to a specific geographical area, with religions linked intimately to the histories and cultures of respective nations and ethnic groups. Spiritual rituals are undergoing a, aided by new media. It has been suggested that the activities of individual religious groups will be increasingly characteristic of free competition on a global scale. Religion has always been a globalizing phenomenon, with missionaries and pilgrims travelling to spread their version of the 'Word' to the unenlightened. According to Peter Beyer, "In the context of globalization, all religions are increasingly under pressure to see themselves as universal in principle, whether historically they have or not". Religions that have travelled across the globe have been spread, throughout history, by a network of the 'Faithful' leaving their home community, forming new communities as they travel, preaching and teaching their messages and rituals to their converts.

Now these networks may be built and maintained electronically. As the printing press made the bible and religious texts available to the masses rather than just the clergy, so the Internet has given people the means to access spiritual information from other cultures and regions. With the creation of cyberspace, it is no longer necessary for the zealous to leave the comfort of their homes to spread their message. Virtual networks, it could be argued, are usurping the role of travelling missionaries in spreading rituals across the globe, at an unprecedented speed.

However, this leaves their teaching available to the multitude, which may not have undergone the strict protocols required for spiritual devotion within most sects. Here the spiritual messages and / or practices are open to adaptation and corruption from the receiver of the information. Changes to rituals that previously may have occurred over generations may now occur in a few years as new forms are adopted and spread via the Internet. Individuals now have the potential to access a variety of information from several global sources, to pick and mix which ones they choose, creating a personalized spiritual package. This 'user-oriented" religious market creates a situation in which each individual, in response to his or her personal values and sensibilities, considers, selects, and tries out those elements which he finds most attractive and suitable.

If they so choose, they are then able to 'create' and market their own product on the information superhighway; generating their own spiritual 'brand name'. Inoue states that. ".. the globalization of religion can be understood as a process of realignment in this global religious situation, a process which involves the following three facets: First, it implies the inevitable transformation of individual religious organizations; second, it can be expected that new characteristics will be produced in the contents of doctrines, rituals, and practices; and third, globalization will be accompanied by changes in the human beings supporting religions, particularly in their intellectual perspectives". Inoue theories that the most likely aspect of change is a combination of various elements from different streams, a phenomenon which described as 'neo-syncretism. ' The 'neo' aspect is in relation to the unique features of syncretism produced by the scope and speed of electronic media, such as the Internet.

I believe this process of globalization, leading to a diversion from an original form can be witnessed in the spread of a form of spiritual healing, Reiki. Reiki was devised in Japan, and from there spread into the western world. I will illustrate how, from its roots in 19th century Japan, Reiki has been transformed, assuming new characteristics and rituals, as it has circumnavigated the globe. There are advocates of Reiki who claim it originated in Tibet, with some claiming its roots as being a relic from Atlantis. This, in my opinion, serves to remove 'ownership' of this system from the Japanese, leaving the route clear for a 'global ownership'. Once a global ownership is implied, then the way is open for modification and adaptation.

From 1641, all Europeans except the Dutch had been expelled from Japan; no Japanese were allowed to leave the country. Christianity was declared illegal and all Japanese were forced to register at Shinto temples. Those Japanese who refused to renounce Christianity were executed. This ban on Christianity was not lifted until 1873. Japan then underwent a period of industrialization, transforming itself from a feudal society into an industrialized nation within a period of 30-40 years. Many of the older generations clung to traditional cultural practices as a means to maintain ontological security in the face of these sudden cultural changes, attempting to stave off the encroaching American culture.

Reiki was developed by Mikao Usui. Usui was born in 1865 in Japan, and was raised during a time when Japanese society and culture was going through a period of rapid change. He died in 1926. His family was Tendai Buddhists, and as a child he entered a monastery. The roots of Reiki are in Tendai Buddhism and Shintoism, with Tendai Buddhism providing the spiritual teachings, and Shintoism contributing methods of controlling and working with energies. Usui had a background in kilo (energy cultivation) and Yag yu Shrinkage Ryu, which is a martial art associated with Zen.

He also underwent some Zen training for three years. All these elements from varying traditions may have contributed in some way to the development of his system. There would seems to be a connection between Usui's system and Shugendo (mountain asceticism), a blend of pre-Buddhist folk traditions of Sang aku Shinto and Shinto, Tantric Buddhism, Chinese Yin-Yang magic and Taoism. Originally Usui referred to his system as a 'Method to Achieve Personal Perfection'.

His students seem to have referred to the system as 'Usui Do' or 'Usui Teate' (Usui hand-application). The name 'Reiki' came later. Usui taught almost 2,000 students, personally giving them the healing treatments or 'empowerment's' necessary. His methods were popular among the older generations, who saw his teachings as a return to older spiritual practices after the turmoil created by rapid modernization. Following a treatment by one of Usui's students, Dr Hayashi, one woman, Mrs. Takata, proceeded to study the system to Master level, and subsequently went on to teach the system in America.

Between 1970 and her death in 1980 Mrs. Takata taught twenty-two Reiki Masters. Until quite recently, all Reiki practitioners in the Western world derived their Reiki from this lady, tracing their 'lineage' through her to Dr Hayashi and ultimately to Mikao Usui. Reiki has spread throughout North and South America, Europe, and other parts of the globe as one of a range of 'New Age's spiritual practices. Post Pearl Harbour, America was not sympathetic to any form of Japanese culture, so Takata chose to modify, simplify and change the Reiki she had been taught in order for it to be accepted by the Westerners she had as clients. Within Japanese culture, members of 'new religions' frequently found their own movement, based on their personal interpretation of spiritual practices. Mrs Takata put together a story about the history of Reiki to make it more acceptable to a hostile American public.

Mikao Usui, Tendai Buddhist became Dr Mikao Usui, a Christian theologian, who travelled the world to discover a healing system that explained the miracles preformed by Jesus. This strategy could be what Roland Robertson refers to as 'g localization,' from the Japanese term. In Japanese business practice, this refers to the selling, or making of products for particular markets. The basic idea of g localization is the simultaneous promotion of a standardized product, for specific markets. A global product produced to suit the taste and standards of the local market. This 'g localization' has occurred with Reiki.

Following its adaptation to suit the western market, it has been anglicized and Christianized. It has been incorporated with systems based on Christian mythologies, with symbols and practices being 'channeled' from a variety of saints and ascended masters. Several Reiki sources explain how it is believed that Jesus was in fact an incarnation of the Dalai Lama, that the years unaccounted for in biblical renditions of his life were spent in Tibet, studying an ancient form of Reiki. Initially Reiki was founded by one person who personally trained his students. Of the two thousand students trained by Usui, many went on to train students to Master level and in some cases to establish their own systems. From the beginning Reiki was only available to students who were prepared to undergo long training rituals.

It involves the learning of certain 'sacred symbols', utilized during the healing ritual. These symbols were passed from Master to student during the course of training. It was, and still in many cases is, expensive to learn. For a long time, this costliness was one of the main deterrents for prospective students. Reiki masters were relatively rare. A network of Masters and students has evolved slowly, until recently.

The Internet has been one of the instruments in raising awareness of Reiki outside of Japan and America. It has now become a 'popular' therapy, along with aromatherapy and massage. More and more people have sought training at various levels, many going on to offer classes themselves. As there has been an increase in service providers, there has been a relative drop in the cost of the service. There has been a recent surge in the number of new adaptations being offered.

Currently, if you search online for Reiki, you are inundated with a variety of methods and styles, many of which have a very tenuous link with its Japanese roots. There is 'Celtic' Reiki, based on northern mythologies and runic symbol, developed to appeal to those of a western, pagan inclination. There is Kahuna Reiki, which amalgamates a Polynesian method of spiritual healing. There are variations named after several 'Ascended Masters', a group of spiritual teachers given almost angelic status in new age 'mythologies'... and so on. Each new adaptation opens up a new potential market which may otherwise have been excluded from participating in the Reiki experience because of ethnic or religious grounds. Reiki has almost become a brand name, with several products being marketed under the Reiki banner.

It is possible to buy Reiki charged jewelry and bath products. Organizations have grown up around networks of Reiki practitioners and schisms. One of the ways the Internet has affected the spread of Reiki is the availability of information concerning the 'hidden symbols'. These are now available for sale online.

As with most online information, this information has been freely passed amongst interested users. It is hard to command a high price to learn information which is freely available. For example, I am a Reiki Master. I received my 'attunement's' by a distance method and my user manual was supplied online. I was given 'extra' information for free by a friend who had paid for the training manual. What previously would have involved lengthy training and substantial financial input, I received for little time and money.

The growth and globalization of Reiki has almost come full circle. Reiki has returned to Japan in its westernized form. It was believed that Reiki had died out in Japan, with the Western version being the solitary remnant, but Reiki Masters who moved to Japan in the 1990's discovered Reiki practitioners there who were doing things that were very different from the Reiki that we had become used to in the West. The two forms currently co-exist in Japan. Conclusion Reiki would appear to illustrate the affect the processes of globalization, syncretism and technology have on spiritual practices. What was a specialized ritual, specific to one area has become accepted and adapted on a global level within a relatively short time span, transforming a spiritual ritual into a marketable product affected by consumer demands.

It has been adapted and transformed to suit users from a variety of countries and backgrounds. Previously 'hidden', esoteric knowledge has become freely available for those who have the capability of searching cyder space, and has proven itself capable of adaptation as a commodity in the global marketplace.

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