Happy New Year!
I’ve set the broad outlines for the year, now I’m working on the detail. The 5 precepts will be featuring prominently in my life and will underpin everything I do.
Meantime, from North Yorkshire – I wish you all a Very Happy New Year!
Just for Today!
What are you doing NOW this minute? What does it feel like? Are there any particular smells or tastes peculiar to what you are doing? This is what the first line of Mikao Usui’s five Precepts is all about – being mindful or aware.
Most of us travel through life on automatic pilot, blissfully unaware of our surroundings or the details of our actions. When was the last time you felt the bubbles as you washed dishes, or smelt the unmistakeable smell of a clean metal saucepan (we call it the ‘fresh metal smell’ in our house)? Did you stop the car to admire that sunset? Did you even notice it – or were you too busy talking to your friend beside you?
Take a moment right now to stop and look around you – I mean really look. Now listen. Now smell. Take a deep breath and allow yourself to be aware of all the things you have just noticed using your senses. Breathe deeply for a few more moments just being aware, noticing any changes.
This is called being mindful. You don’t actually need to stop what you are doing to be mindful, but you do need to focus exclusively on whatever it is you are doing at any given moment in time.
This book The Miracle Of Mindfulness: The Classic Guide to Meditation by the World’s Most Revered Master (Classic Edition)
5 Precepts
Mikao Usui gave his students 5 Precepts to follow which were his adaptation of an earlier set of precepts dating back to the 9th century. The full wording of these precepts is
The secret art of inviting happiness
The miraculous medicine of all diseases
Just for today,
Do not anger,
Do not worry
Be Humble
Be honest (in your dealings with other people)
Be compassionate towards yourself and others
In every morning and evening join your hands in prayer,
pray these words to your heart and chant these words with your mouth:
“Usui Reiki Treatment (for) Improvement of body and mind”
The Founder, Usui Mikao
These precepts were chanted daily by his students and were said to promote an equal amount of spiritual development as all the energy work they did.