Holistic treatments are increasingly being incorporated into hospitals’ treatment programmes, and such is the demand – and apparent success – of natural therapies such as reiki, the ancient Tibetan-Japanese healing art that draws on the power of nature – that even insurance companies are nowadays paying for cover. Ida Bagus Putu Wijaya (left) is a Reiki Master based at Renon, Denpasar, and Ubud, where he runs healing camps. He spoke with Carla Albertà de la Rossi about his therapy and what it purports to do.Reiki is, from the Japanese, the use of universal energy. It is claimed that it can cure all illnesses and diseases. Is this the case?
It’s true. It can cure any illness and disease because it is energy that comes from nature; it’s universal. It’s originally from Tibet but it was developed by a Japanese man called Mikao Usui.
How does it work?
First someone must clean the body with the attunement, focusing on the seven chakras. I do acupuncture with something I got from the Mother Temple (Besakih) in Bali. After that, someone can receive the energy with reiki. This energy heals people. The Reiki Master has to know how to clean the chakras. It can work even with people who are sceptical about this practice.
It’s not energy coming from the person, but rather energy channelled through the person – correct?
That’s right. I transfer the energy from God to people.
Is it said that everyone can be empowered to use reiki as a healing method, either on themselves or on others. How do you do an attunement?
A Reiki Master must first clean their seven chakras. The person must concentrate in the five reiki symbols. Then he has to pray to God, or nature, and ask for happiness for every human being and for all animals. They will then have more energy so they will be able to transfer it.
In 21 days the other person that has been attuned can treat someone else. But for this to happen they have to pray every day for 21 consecutive days and concentrate in different parts of their body.
Does it help to follow a certain diet in order to give or receive reiki? For instance, is a vegetarian diet more beneficial?
People have to stop eating lamb, or at least seldom eat it. It’s best when one is vegetarian. It’s also important to eat cooked vegetables and fruit.
Alcohol and tobacco are very bad for reiki. If you smoke or drink the breath circulation will not be good. It’s also important to drink a minimum of eight glasses of water a day.
Is there a religious aspect to reiki? Do you have to follow any particular belief system?
Everybody can study reiki. It’s something universal. An atheist can also learn to do reiki. It’s not something religious.
You learned reiki from a master in Surabaya over a decade ago, and have been practising in Bali ever since. What drew you to this field?
Reiki is the energy from nature; it’s very special. Without the energy from reiki you can’t heal people. Before reiki I did yoga. After that I learned tai chi and I also studied anatomy. These are very important for reiki. I can feel someone’s vibrations to identify their problem.
Give us an example of the kind of people you have helped, particularly what illnesses you have helped to cure.
I’ve cured depression, insomnia, stress, low and high blood pressure, people that suffer from panic attacks.
I’ve also cured breast and womb cancer. Cancer takes two months to be cured because it’s a special treatment. As with all serious illness I must take them to my centre in Ubud.
What’s the meaning of the symbols that reiki practitioners work with?
Chakra is the centre of the power, the centre of energy. It comes from the universe.
Manas represents our thoughts; these are affected by our awareness of the world.
Kala is the time: past, present and future.
Len So May is the light that brings us the truth and goodness. Len So May is very important.
Infinity is love without condition.
Many expat reiki practitioners in Bali offer courses in which there’s a stage one, followed some time later by a second stage and then a third, which is the master element. But you combine the first two in one session. Why?
I combine the first two phases because it’s easier to practise reiki and give energy to someone if I first clean their body.
After receiving an attunement, some people report an overabundance of energy in their bodies and feel almost lightheaded. It can also be a very emotional experience. What’s the reason for this?
Energy depends on karma, on the person’s past life. If the person was good in a past life, then the energy will be good in this life.
When they feel emotional and sometimes hot or lightheaded it’s because their energy is imbalanced.
For many who come to Bali, there is feeling of electricity in the air, as though it is charged with spirituality. Do you agree, and if so, why do you think this is?
That’s right. In Bali everyone, every day, gives offerings to the Gods. Because they always give, there’s something positive and energetic in the atmosphere. Meditation also has great power. Balinese people are balancing the energy.
Is Bali therefore a good place to practise reiki or receive treatments?
It is very good for treatments and to receive energy because Bali has a very positive energy.
Reiki masters can “send energy” to people anywhere else in the world. How does this work?
Yes, they can. They only need to concentrate on the symbols and on the energy. They also have to be thinking about that particular person.
Because of its perceived effectiveness, some hospitals in the West are incorporating reiki into their treatment programmes, and in some cases medical insurance firms are paying for treatments. Is this a sign of reiki’s growing importance in medical care?
Yes, because reiki is the energy of nature that can cure medical and non-medical problems. People are starting to realise this.
Is it said that negative thoughts and feelings are the root causes of illnesses and disease, and that reiki works to dispel these attitudes and restore calm and positivity. Is this how you see it?
Of course. Reiki can get rid of that negative energy.
You say that reiki – this universal source of power that is all around us – comes from God. Can you explain what you mean by that, and is it therefore inherently a religious treatment or experience?
It’s not a religious practice. God is nature.
