These precepts are passed down to us from Hawayo Takata. As she translated the system from Japanese and the Japanese culture, the phraseology comes from the Japanese language. Often students find these difficult, thinking that they would like to understand them or have them make sense. Understanding is not the goal. Living them is the practice. This does not engage the mind understanding but the living understanding of the concepts. Within The Reiki Alliance, these are considered to be our inherent code of ethics from the practice:
Just for today, do not worry
Just for today, do not anger
Honor your parents, teachers, and elders
Earn your living honestly
Show gratitude to every living thing