🌿 The Five Reiki Principles (or Gokai in Japanese) are a foundational part of Mikao Usui’s original teachings. They’re not just spiritual affirmations — they’re daily intentions for living a meaningful, grounded, and peaceful life. In Japanese tradition, they are often chanted each morning and evening to align body, mind, and spirit.
Let’s look at them side-by-side in English and Japanese (romaji and kanji):
🌸 The Five Reiki Principles
(Usui Reiki Ryoho Gokai)
臼井霊気療法 五戒
“Just for today…” — because all healing begins in the now.
These are not rules — they are gentle invitations.
1.
🪷 Just for today, I will not be angry.
Kyo dake wa, okoru-na.
🈶 今日だけは 怒るな
2.
🪷 Just for today, I will not worry.
Kyo dake wa, shinpai suna.
🈶 今日だけは 心配すな
3.
🪷 Just for today, I will be grateful.
Kyo dake wa, kansha shite.
🈶 今日だけは 感謝して
4.
🪷 Just for today, I will do my work honestly.
Kyo dake wa, gyō o hageme.
🈶 今日だけは 業を励め
5.
🪷 Just for today, I will be kind to every living thing.
Kyo dake wa, hito ni shinsetsu ni.
🈶 今日だけは 人に親切に
📜 Full Traditional Reiki Affirmation (in Japanese)
朝夕合掌して心に念じ口に唱へよ
Asa yū gasshō shite, kokoro ni nenji, kuchi ni tonae yo
(Morning and evening, join your hands in prayer, meditate on these, and chant them aloud)
心身改善 臼井霊気療法
Shinshin kaizen Usui Reiki Ryōhō
(For the improvement of body and mind — Usui Reiki Healing Method)
開祖 臼井甕男
Kaiso Usui Mikao
(Founder: Mikao Usui)
🧘♀️ A Gentle Way to Use Them
Each morning or evening:
- Sit quietly with your hands in gasshō (palms together at the heart).
- Take three slow breaths.
- Say each principle softly or silently.
- Let each one sink in — not as pressure, but as a path.
“Just for today…”
Even if yesterday was hard or tomorrow feels overwhelming, today is where your healing lives.
