Reiki is believed to have begun in Tibet several thousand years ago. Various healing systems, which crossed many different cultures, emerged from this single root system. Unfortunately, the original source itself was forgotten. Dr. Mikao Usui, a Japanese Christian educator in Kyoto, Japan, rediscovered the root system in the mid- to late 1800s. He began an extensive twenty-one-year study of the healing phenomena of history's greatest spiritual leaders. He also studied ancient sutras (Buddhist teachings written in Sanskrit). He discovered ancient sounds and symbols that are linked directly to the human body and nervous system which activate the Universal Life Energy for healing. Usui then underwent a metaphysical experience and became empowered to use these sounds and symbols to heal. He called this form of healing Reiki and taught it throughout Japan until his death around 1893. The tradition was passed through several grandmasters of Reiki such as Dr. Chujiro Hyashi, Hawayo Takata, and Phyllis Lei Furumoto.