Having said all that. The symbols are sacred tools, and they are as sacred as the minerals, plants, insects, birds, fish, animals and humans living on this sacred earth. Some will look at a tree and only see a tree, while some will look at a tree and see that this tree gives us the oxygen that we need for our survival, while some will look at the tree and know that the tree has medicinal qualities and that it not only gives us the life giving oxygen that we need, but it also produces medicine that can be applied or used in a certain way to promote healing. I ask that you all approach this page with reverence and acknowlege the sacredness of the information I’m about to share with you.
I know that there are members of this group who have only completed Shoden and even some members who have not been attuned to Reiki yet, but I believe that most members here have completed Okuden and/or Shinpiden. From speaking to many Reiki practitioners and teachers I realise that many do not feel comfortable with the symbols yet, or have difficulty remembering some of the symbols. And many don’t even know when and where to use some of the symbols. Practitioners tend to get stuck on Symbol 1 and Symbols 2 and they end up not using the rest of the symbols. I’m hoping to shed a bit of light on Symbol 3 and to give you more reason to work with this symbol (other than just sending distance healing). I have researched this symbol extensively and here I share the information with you.
I ask that you take a moment to Gasshô and recite the precepts:
{mp3}precepts{/mp3}
Symbol 3 and the jumon (mantra) ‘Hon Sha Ze Shô Nen’ (HZN)
Western characteristic: Sending energy across a distance
Japanese characteristic: Connection
The energy involved with this mantra and symbol:
A state of mind involving unity is created with this mantra and kanji. It is about creating a sense of Oneness for all things. Therefore, it is not only about sending distance healing but about becoming ONE with the recipient to allow healing to take place. The practitioner is reminded that this connection already exists. Oneness comes repeatedly to the fore with any research completed about Mikao Usui’s teachings. It is an undeniably Japanese perspective that has strong roots in Buddhism and martial arts – the two main aspects of Mikao Usui’s life.
Using the mantra in conjunction with the symbol:
Draw the kanji and then chant the mantra three times or chant the mantra three times, while the kanji is drawn.
Origin of the mantra and symbol:
This ‘symbol’ is made up of five separate kanji permitting it to be read as a sentence in either Japanese or Chinese. Clearly, this could not be an Atlantian, Tibetan or Egyptian symbol, as kanji is not in the make-up of these languages (where these languages are known). The kanji of symbol 3 is the written form of the mantra HZN.
Translation of the mantra:
Translating the kanji is unique. Each singular kanji can be translated to have many varied meanings. Depending on the translator, there are different versions of HZN. Here are some examples:
- My original nature is a correct thought.
- I am correct consciousness.
- Right consciousness is the origin of everything.
By returning to one’s Original Nature, a state of correct consciousness is achieved and it is in this state that Oneness is attained. Our true nature is Oneness with all things.
Some uses of the mantra and symbol:
- Symbol 3 and HZN transcend time and space, therefore it enables you to ‘send’ Reiki to yourself and others in the past, present or the future.
- To send healing to the past, gasshô to centre and set the intent. Draw symbol 3 and chant HZN. Visualise the event/time/person you wish to send healing to. You can also include the other symbols for healing… symbol 3 bridges the gap in the space-time continuum.
- To send healing to the future, gasshô to centre and set the intent. Draw symbol 3 and chant HZN. Visualise the event/time/person you wish to send healing to. You can also include the other symbols for healing… symbol 3 bridges the gap in the space-time continuum. [Why send Reiki to the future? Here are a few examples: Your client/you have a dentist appointment and you want Reiki to flow to you when you are at the dentist. Your client/you have exmas coming up or perhaps a job interview, you want to be relaxed and confident and want Reiki to flow to/through you at that time. Your client/you are going to run a marathon and you know that you’ll need healing afterwards. Be creative… Reiki can be used for ANYTHING except to damage or hurt.]
- Symbol 3 and HZN can be used for karmic healing.
- Sending distant healing by Reiki II and/or III practitioners to people and places can achieve powerful results.
- Use symbol 3 and HZN if you cannot touch the person/animal/plant/object you wish to treat with Reiki.
- Use symbol 3 and HZN if you need to treat yourself in areas that you cannot reach, when in public or any other place where a hands-on-treatment might be impractical.
- To slow down time, gasshô to set the intent then draw symbol 3 and chant HZN and draw another symbol 3 and chant HZN. Time does not actually slow down, but your perception of time will slow down and things will seem to happen slower. (i.e. You are late for an appointment and need to get there fast).
- To speed up time, gasshô to set the intent. Then, draw symbol 3 and chant HZN and draw another symbol 3 and chant HZN. Time does not actually speed up, but your perception of time will speed up and things will seem to happen faster. (i.e. You are sitting in a boring meeting and want it to be over sooner).
- If you struggle to meditate, you can draw symbol 3 and chant HZN with the intent to create a quieter space for you to meditate in and also to help you keep focus.
Rules for writing kanji
To write kanji you have to be aware of a few rules. There are exceptions within and among different standards. The following are only guidelines:
- Write from top to bottom, and left to right.
As a general rule, strokes are written from top to bottom and left to right. For example, among the first characters usually learned is the number one, which is written with a single horizontal line: 一. This character has one stroke which is written from left to right.
The character for “two” has two strokes: 二. In this case, both are written from left to right, but the top stroke is written first. The character for “three” has three strokes: 三. Each stroke is written from left to right, starting with the uppermost stroke: - Horizontal before vertical.
When horizontal and vertical strokes cross, horizontal strokes are usually written before vertical strokes: the character for “ten,” 十, has two strokes. The horizontal stroke 一 is written first, followed by the vertical stroke → 十.
In the Japanese standard, a vertical stroke may precede many intersecting horizontal strokes if the vertical stroke does not pass through the lowest horizontal stroke. - Character-spanning strokes last.
Vertical strokes that pass through many other strokes are written after the strokes through which they pass, as in 聿 and 弗.
Horizontal strokes that pass through many other strokes are written last, as in 毋 and 舟. - Diagonals right-to-left before diagonals left-to-right.
Right-to-left diagonals (丿) are written before left-to-right diagonals (乀): 文.
Note that this is for symmetric diagonals; for asymmetric diagonals, as in 戈, the left-to-right may precede the right-to-left, based on other rules. - Center before outside in vertically symmetrical characters.
In vertically symmetrical characters, the center components are written before components on the left or right. Components on the left are written before components on the right, as in 兜 and 承. - Enclosures before contents.
Outside enclosing components are written before inside components; bottom strokes in the enclosure are written last if present, as in 日 and 口. Enclosures may also have no bottom stroke, as in 同 and 月. - Left vertical before enclosing.
Left vertical strokes are written before enclosing strokes. In the following two examples, the leftmost vertical stroke (|) is written first, followed by the uppermost and rightmost lines (┐) (which are written as one stroke): 日 and 口. - Bottom enclosures last.
Bottom enclosing components are usually written last: 道, 建, 凶. - Dots and minor strokes last.
Minor strokes are usually written last, as the small “dot” in the following: 玉, 求, 朮.
Variations on Symbol 3
Here are a few variations of Symbol 3 that you can find on the internet and even in some books:
Which one is the correct one and why are there so many different versions of this symbol?
Mrs. Takata did not hand out notes and her students where not allowed to take notes in class. Only after Mrs. Takata passed away did her 22 Reiki Masters get together to compare notes. Mrs. Takata’s students had no kanji background and to them this ‘symbol’ just looked like a bunch of strokes that they had to remember. Masters got confused with stroke order and added strokes and forgot strokes. They where probably not taught the rules of writing kanji and therefore it is very easy forget a stroke or to accidentally add strokes. On top of this many Reiki Masters teach their students to draw the symbol EXACTLY the way they are taught else the symbol will not work. This is not true. All Reiki symbols work with intent… it doesn’t matter if you continue to draw the symbol 3 the way you where taught or if you draw it the way I’m showing you now. It all boils down to intent.
Just like the Western writing system there are different fonts and ways to write kanji. Below are a few variations of Symbol 3 using different fonts. I’m using the five characters to form the full version of symbol 3. All these characters can be found any Japanese or Chinese dictionary. The pronounciation is different in Chinese. In Japanese the characters are pronounced HON (本) SHA (者) ZE (是) SHÔ (正) NEN (念) in Mandarin the characters are pronounced BEN (本) ZHE (者) SHI (是) ZHEG (正) NIAN (念).
The full form of Symbol 3 looks very complicated, but if you know your rules for writing kanji then it makes things a whole lot easier. Here’s how to write the full form:
PS. No two people write the same way, you will write this symbol in YOUR handwriting.
Symbol 3 — short form
These days people use the short form of Symbol 3. Even in Japan it is common for Reiki practitioners to use this symbol instead of the full form. So, where does the short form come from? Fusion… If you look at the full form you will see a lot of repetition. In the short form all the repetition where removed to make it quicker and easier to write. Here’s what happened:
The lower part of HON and the upper part of SHA looks the same and merged together to form a new shape:
The lower part of SHA and the upper part of ZE share the same element and merged together to form a new shape:
The lower part of ZE and the entire character for SHÔ looks similar and SHÔ completely merged with ZE (in effect disappearing):
The lower part of ZE and SHÔ looks similar to the upper part of NEN and merged to form a new shape:
Here’s how to write the short form: