http://threshold.ca/usui-do/faq.html
I found this stuff years ago, above is one link I could find right now. Can't say it's very reliable, but it definitely makes more sense than the story brought over in the 50's as to the origin and method.
Usui was the founder of Reiki and he was a buddhist. For whatever reason, and by whatever method, he developed a practice that was supposed to give a sense of peace and comfort, a law of fives deal with the intent of promoting and living with kindness and appreciation for life. This was based mostly on a set of affirmations, distilled for our pleasure it is roughly as follows:
Quote
"The secret method of inviting blessings, the spiritual medicine of many illnesses (Shôfuku no hihô, Manbyo no rei yaku)
Just for today (Kyo dake wa):
Don't get angry (Okoru na*)
Don't worry (Shinpai su na)
Be grateful (Kansha shite)
Work hard (Gyo wo hage me)
Be kind to others (Hito ni shinsetsu ni)
Mornings and evenings sit in the gassho position and repeat these
words out loud and in your heart (Asa you gassho shite kokoro ni neji kuchi ni tonaeyo)
For the improvement of mind and body (Shin shin kaizen)
Usui Spiritual Healing Method (Usui Reiki Ryoho)
The founder, Mikao Usui (Chossô, Usui Mikao)"
Ok, still some woo in there. However, the man lived a simple poor life without charging a lot of money, in fact barely able to pay for his own dojo. So while there was some soothing woo, at least he wasn't completely full of shit. He didn't say that his method would cure cancer, it wasn't intended for health care purposes.
This other fella, Captain Chuujirou Hayashi, he applied that stuff to it, and, I presume, instigated the hierarchical nature it exhibits today.
Now, it arrived in America in the 50's when buddhism wasn't just bandied about, and the only way Hawayo Takata (the woman who brought it to the U.S.) could get it accepted by the public (and make a shit-ton of cash with it) wa to create a whole slew of lies and bullshit.
Usui was a Christian yearning to discover the nature of the Healing Power of Christ, he charged large sums of money for initiation because people who didn't pay didn't appreciate it. And then she turned it into snake oil.
So, while still based in woo, it was not the same thing that costs $1000 for the 1st Degree, $5000 for the 2nd, and $10,000 for the Master Level and is laced with New Age garbage today.
The book Essential Reiki did not help this.
Usui-Do was a law of five method for serenity (and poverty), Reiki is condensed, homogenized magic.
I will look for further links when I have the time.
Eh, I'm going to have to go through this again and clean it up. Wrote it in a hurry after just enough coffee.
I don't think you need to clean it up that much, it seems to make perfect sense to me.