(1) Medical Systems

Traditional - Modern - Alternative

dhanvantaris ca bhagavan svayam eva kirtir
namananrnam puru rajam nija asu hanti
yajne ca bhagavan amrtayur avavaraundha
ayusya vedam anasasty avatirya loke

"Bhagavan Dhanvantari very quickly cures the diseases simply by His fame, awarding long life to the devas sharing in sacrifices. He inaugurated the medical science in this world."

The Vedas are the source of all knowledge. Thus all knowledge of medical science is there in the Vedas for the perfect cure of all the diseases. By the grace of the Lord, not only are diseases of the body and mind cured but also the soul is liberated from the cycle of repeated birth and death.

The Vedas have a “holistic” approach in presenting the medical system, viz :

(a) The living being is constitutionally eternally healthy. 

(b) The very construction of the body by the material elements is a block or diseased “condition”. 

(c) By unconstitutional or unnatural behavior, the constitution of the body is imbalanced resulting in countless diseases. 

(d) By understanding the constitution of the body - both physical and psychic - and living a natural constitution life, one can, by the grace of the lord, prevent many diseases, easily cure many diseases, and ultimately become free from birth, death, old age and disease. 

On the other hand, the modern medical systems which are based on materialistic, speculative science do not account for the soul at all. Acclaimed as based on scientifically verifiable concepts and boosted up by ongoing, cleverly documented research the modern medical systems try to use unknown methods and medicines to treat the unknown conditions of the ailing patients. These so-called remedies could easily bring death closer or create many new chronic problems, which can be worse, than the original sickness.

Apart from the misuse of the medical sciences by the commercially motivated industries, the very foundation of the modern method is wrong due to lack of knowledge of the ‘what’, ‘how’ and ‘why’ factors about the suffering individual.

The modern scientific disciplines ‘manufacture knowledge’ through locally constructed representational systems and practical devices for making their discovered phenomenon visible, accountable and consensual to a larger disciplinary body of tradition. The modern medical systems suffer from this ‘credible’ knowledge that is situated in an intersection between gross physical locales and self-centered social conditions.

Due to the deadly expensive and ‘no guarantee’ remedies with myriad’s of side effects, the modern medical systems have certainly taught us a lesson that the age old concept of ‘holistic’ health is the real key for long and healthy life. All over the world now, there is a great interest and inquisitiveness for alternative system of treatment.

There are a lot of misconception about ‘healing’. Commercialization of this otherwise noble aspect of medical science has managed to propagate these ignorant and illusory ideas to a risky extent. Some of these are summarized below :

(1) Healing cures diseases.
(2) Healing mystically ‘increases’ life-span.
(3) Healing makes one a successful personality.
(4) Healing awards ‘visions’ and makes one omniscient.
(5) Healing flushes away early life/childhood negativities.
(6) Healing transforms one religiously/spiritually and is ‘the’ process for becoming (or becoming one with) God.

Even though the first three of the above listed have a minor decimal of truth in them, the rest are all totally wrong and have nothing to do with the wonderful science of healing.

There are different levels of our subtle-existence that get affected badly, due to improper behavior in our lifestyle. This decreases our resistance, resulting in physical diseases.

Consciously, drawing energy from the source of the life-force, these afflictions can be mitigated, wholesome resistance revived, and thus diseases can be fought and won over.

There is nothing ‘mystic’ about healing. Neither does it depend on one’s religious faith. Healing works on or for anyone. To draw the strength from the original source of life-force one will have to expand the consciousness to both physical and subtle/psychic levels of existence, by awareness and proper training by an expert. It is a subtle science.

Japanese Theologian and missionary, Dr. Mikao Usui (after whom the Reiki system is named) is the Founder visionary of Reiki (in vedic language, the Rishi or Drashta of the system).

Dr. Usui was eager to find a simple but efficient system devoid of medicines and surgery for recovering the health of the inmates of ‘shelters’ where he was serving as a missionary. Knowing that the monks in Buddhist monasteries keep very good health and live for a century, in spite of working in remote hilly areas with minimum facilities, he traveled to Tibet.

After an intensive deep research, consulting many adepts and saintly Buddhist monks, Dr. Usui finally undertook an austerity of 21 days of fasting. Through meditation he ‘visualized’ the mantras of the ancient Reiki system, and thus became the Drashta or Rishi.

After a deep study of many Tibetan scriptures under expert guidance, Dr. Usui organized the process into a universal system. Later this was brought to the United States and thereon to the western world by missionaries in succession.

For the past century, many masters initiated into this system have been conducting seminars all over the world and training others both for self-healing and for practicing as therapists, know as Reiki channels.

As described before, Reiki is the simplest healing method know to our present world.

In the Reiki seminars, the master initiates or awards attunements to the students, in three levels. This is after the students learn the theory very well and become qualified by successfully performing necessary exercises on the practical level, as may be prescribed by the Master. A Certificate of Degree is given for each level of attunement.

During the attunements, the Master by transmitting mantra energy, opens up certain metaphysical/physical energy centers. This enables the students to link and channel deeper vibrations of life-energy. Japanese symbols of relevant mantras are subtly inscribed on the person by the Master.

Once attuned strictly according to the tradition, the 1st degree holder can lay the hands on oneself or another person and help accelerate healing by transferring Reiki energy. By drawing in the exact amount of energy as needed by the recipient, Reiki activates physical, psychic and cosmic level energy sources.

In the second attunement, there is a greater transaction of Reiki power. Even though shorter in theory, the practice involves deeper and more demanding ‘sadhana’. The flow of Reiki energy is multi-faced with the deeper techniques. Linking the mental and emotional levels of the psychic, the experience of the student is more subtle in this attunement. Awareness is immeasurably is increased.

Distant healing is one of the important features of this attunement.

Establishing access to the different subtle energies, one can purify them on physical, atmospheric and cosmic levels.

Transmitting Reiki energy to several people at shorter times, even subconsciously, is the wonderful aspect to the second attunement.

The third attunement makes one a ‘Reiki Master’. After receiving this level of attunement one can initiate others in the first two attunements. This attunement requires a lot of sincere practice, selflessness and dedication. Deeper connection to the mantras and symbols are spontaneously established in the training.