Hon Sha Ze Sho Nen: Reiki's Distance Symbol and Its History

Hon Sha Ze Sho Nen is one of the symbols taught in Reiki, the spiritual practice developed in Japan by Mikao Usui in the early 1920s. It is known in Reiki as the distance symbol, used by practitioners when they intend to send Reiki to someone who is not physically present.

Where Reiki comes from

Reiki takes its name from the Japanese rei, often translated "spiritual", and ki, "life energy". Usui taught it in Tokyo in the early 1920s, and it reached the West through Hawayo Takata, a Japanese-American practitioner in Hawaii, from the late 1930s onwards. Today it is practised worldwide, in many lineages.

The symbol

Hon Sha Ze Sho Nen is the third of the symbols usually taught at Reiki Level II, alongside Cho Ku Rei and Sei He Ki. Unlike the others, it is built from Japanese characters, commonly given as 本者是正念, stacked into a single tall figure. Translations of the phrase vary, and are often rendered along the lines of "the origin of all is correct thought"; practitioners understand it as expressing connection beyond time and place.

How it is used

In Reiki practice, the practitioner draws or visualises the symbol and speaks its name while focusing their intention on a person or situation at a distance. Different Reiki lineages teach the symbol and its drawing in slightly different ways.

Belief and evidence

Reiki is a spiritual practice and many people find it meaningful. The US National Center for Complementary and Integrative Health notes that Reiki has not been clearly shown by high-quality research to be useful for any health-related purpose. A distance symbol is therefore best described as part of Reiki practice, not as a way of healing anyone.

Hon Sha Ze Sho Nen in jewellery

For Reiki practitioners, the symbol can be a personal reminder of their practice. Take a look at the AURYN Hon Sha Ze Sho Nen charm, or read about the Karuna Reiki symbols. For another modern spiritual system with older roots, see the history of the seven chakras.