The principles — the Gokai (五戒) — are the ethical heart of Reiki. Usui is said to have offered them not as rules to obey but as a gentle daily practice, each line beginning with the phrase "just for today."
The full teaching opens with the words "the secret art of inviting happiness, the miraculous medicine of all diseases." Wordings vary between lineages and translations; the version below is one of the most common in English.
Usui is thought to have drawn the principles from the ethical teachings of his time, including the writings of the Meiji Emperor, whom he admired. Rather than presenting them as commandments, he framed them as a way of steadying the mind — small reminders to return to, morning and evening, so that over time they shape one's outlook rather than merely being obeyed.
The phrase that opens each line — "just for today" — is what makes them workable. They do not ask for a lifetime of perfect calm or gratitude, only for today's small effort. Tomorrow you begin again. In this they are close to the spirit of meditation: a practice renewed daily, held lightly, and never finished.
Just for today, do not anger.
A reminder to let irritation pass rather than hold on to it — meeting the day’s frustrations with a little more calm.
Just for today, do not worry.
Setting down anxiety about what has not yet happened, and returning attention to the present moment.
Just for today, be grateful.
Noticing what is already good — a stance of thankfulness toward life, people, and small things.
Just for today, work honestly.
Doing one’s work diligently and with integrity, and honoring one’s parents, teachers, and elders.
Just for today, be kind to every living thing.
Extending care and compassion outward — to other people, animals, and the world around you.
How the principles are used
Morning & evening
Traditionally recited twice a day, aloud or silently, as a way to set and close the day.
Hands in gassho
Often said with the palms held together at the chest, the same posture used to begin a session.
A daily measure
The phrase "just for today" keeps them light — a practice to renew each morning, not a burden to carry.
Living with the principles
Practitioners often keep the five lines somewhere they will see them — written on a card, pinned by a mirror, or simply held in memory — and read them slowly at the start and close of the day. Some pause on a single line that feels relevant, letting it colour how they meet whatever the day brings.
Over time the principles become less a list to recite than a quiet habit of mind: noticing anger before it takes hold, setting down a worry, remembering to be grateful, working honestly, and meeting others with kindness. Understood this way, they are the part of Reiki that reaches furthest beyond the session itself — a small ethic for ordinary life.