21 October 1918  -  27 January 2008

Mary Burmeister the Founder of Jin Shin Jyutsu in the West
"Born peacefully and returned home peacefully"

Dear Jin Shin Jyutsu Family,

It is with a mixture of profound sadness and joy that we inform you that our beloved President and Founder Mary Burmeister, has returned to the Creator. It is rare that such a great and beautiful soul graces this planet and we, whose lives were touched by her, will remember her with deep affection and reverence.

It is our wish that this memorial page will serve as a glimpse into a life that transformed the lives of countless thousands of individuals through the blessed art of Jin Shin Jyutsu.

With Love

David & Alice, Michael & Martha, Jody, Pat, Karen, Terry, Marty, Catalina, Jeffre....

What Mary Says…

 

“My mind is open, wherever I am, I am simply beginning.  Thank you, God, Thank you.” These words from What Mary Says… provided the ceremonial tone to a special service held for her at Hakubai Temple,

2 February 2008, in Boulder, Colorado. Led by my teacher, Hakubai Zenji (Martin Mosko), the sangha and I chanted the Heart of Great Perfect Wisdom Sutra, offered incense, performed prostrations and honored her in our hearts.  I made a presentation of her embodiment of Jin Shin Jyutsu and her magnificent enlightenment that touched so many lives.  We concluded our service by adding her name to our lineage.  Starting with Sakyamuni Buddha, the historical Buddha, the names of all Buddhist teachers in our lineage were recited.  Her name was the 89^th name announced in an unbroken lineage extending beyond 2,500 years of compassionate teaching from India to China and Japan to the United States. As the 89^th teacher, Mary is, “Perfect balance…As above, so below.”  

 

Deep bows, HakuZan Dai∙E

(Michael Wenninger)

 

Mary's Parents, Uhachi & Shima

Mary with her Husband Gil

 

Mom

By David Burmeister

 The experience of Mary’s gentle passing reminded me so of the quality and spirit of her amazing life. The effortless reality of her transcendence was a loving testament to her life of grace, flow, harmony and oneness.  My dear Mother, devoted friend, teacher and limitless source of strength and unconditional love returned to our loving Creator, early Sunday morning, January 27^th.

 Since that time so many memories of Mary’s remarkable life have filled my thoughts. The childhood stories Mom would tell me about my grandfather, Uhachi, whom she always said was one of the great inspirations of her life, assures me of our strong connection with those we love, long after they’ve gone. Back in the early days in California, before Mom became completely busy with clients and Dad was still working two or three jobs (the bowling alley comes to mind), Mom kept herself busy looking after her elderly mother Shima, me and my brother Michael, plus five foster children and, of course, Dad. She made regular trips to the L.A. Veterans Administration hospital to treat the sick; she worked as a Red Cross volunteer; and we had voting booths in our dining room during every election. Mom attended years of Bible study, which I later discovered was related to her study of Jin Shin Jyutsu.

 Not long after Mary began to accept her first Jin Shin Jyutsu clients and students in the mid-1960s, most of her time became filled with what seemed like an endless stream of people in need of her help. Yet even with so much going on, somehow she always found time for her boys.

 

Mary and Gil with their sons, Michael & David

I remember the happy times on family trips, with a car full of pets and Mom behind the wheel. She was always a good sport when it came to family fun. Not long after we moved from Los Angeles to Scottsdale, Arizona, in the summer of 1972, the entire family became horse owners.  Well, really, the horses for Mom and Dad were the brainstorm of my brother Michael and me, and they turned out to be a couple of very large Christmas surprises. Mom’s pony seemed to be a gentle little guy when we bought him, just right for her, we thought. What we didn’t know was that Thunder was a hungry pony, and the more he ate, the more spirited he became. Mom learned to hang on tightly. It wasn’t long, either, before we had her dressed up in cowboy boots, jeans and a big western buckle. I think we spared her the hat.

 It seems like Mary’s Jin Shin Jyutsu life really took off after moving to Arizona. She finally had an office away from home, and for the first time a support system of people around her taking care of the little things. She was finally free to immerse herself in her studies, her practice and her teaching, which she did to her utmost ability. The next 18 years were a whirlwind. I knew that Mom’s popularity was growing, but I wasn’t able to fully appreciate this until some years later. I think it was when she took me to Europe for the first time, just after graduation from high school that I began to see my little Mom more in global terms.

 I spent the next few years getting my degree at the University, and beginning to work in the field of mental health when my sister-in-law Martha asked if I would be interested in running the JSJ office for a couple of years, while she and Michael started their family.  It was October 1985 when I returned to Scottsdale from San Diego to run the office “for a couple of years.”  And as you all know, I never left.  I quickly understood the magnitude of Mom’s work as well as her need to have someone close to her, a family member, “try” to regulate her extensive schedule. Mary’s love of Jin Shin Jyutsu paired with an amazingly strong and healthy body and mind uncluttered with worries and fatigue allowed her to work abnormally long hours, generally sleeping 4 or 5 hours nightly. I feel extremely blessed to have been with Mom during such a dynamic part of her life.  From the end of 1985 to the beginning of 1990 I had the privilege of traveling across the U.S. and to Germany with Mary and was able to witness amazing transformation in the faces, hearts, bodies and minds of her students.  Then in February 1990, Mary fell at home, ending her career as Teacher of Jin Shin Jyutsu. 

 At that time the doctors said that Mary had just gone into involuntary retirement, and would no longer be able to work.   Well, it’s true, she didn’t teach to groups anymore, but within a couple of months, she was back at the office seeing clients with her long time friend and colleague, Patricia Meador.  Mary continued to bless the JSJ office with her presence and remained our greatest source of inspiration for all of these years.  I think in some ways it must have been strenuous for Mary to remain on this earth plane for so long, knowing her love and connection to our Creator, but this was never evident.  To experience Mary toward the end of her life was to experience a person in communion with our Creator.   The simple happiness of her being is a gift that I will forever hold in my heart!  Mom, I love you always….

 

 

Gil & Mary

 

Dear Lord Father and Creator of All,

Thank you for the time which you have given me with Mom. I have spent the last couple of weeks reflecting on Mom and how much she meant to me as well as to countless others. I started to remember little things that were part of my everyday childhood; things that happened so long ago but somehow remain very vivid and close. I remember opening one of the louvered double doors to our living room and poking my head inside. To the right was a small brown grand piano, to the left was a couch and right in the center of the room were three low cots lying side by side. Mom spent a lot of time, on her knees, at those cots. I remember watching Dad get home from work and joining Mom in the living room. I think that they truly had fun working together because many times, I would hear sounds of laughter coming from inside the treating area. Right outside of the living room was the “waiting room” which was actually our dining room lined with chairs. Here, it was not unusual to find four or five people waiting for their turn. Now, the dining room was open to our kitchen, so whenever David or I hit the fridge, we would naturally be pulled into a conversation with people waiting to see Mom. They were all so appreciative and nice. David and I got the “Oh, how you’ve grown” speech a lot. We also got a lot of home cooked meals and delicious baked goods. Now that I think about it, Mom generally worked through the dinner hour, so she must have planned for some of these people bringing in meals for us. I remember my aunts Alice and Helen bringing over barbequed chicken and spaghetti, switching every other Friday night. I especially and affectionately remember Thursday evenings because Hazel and Big Mike would bring David and me plate-sized home-made chocolate chip cookies. It is amazing, but I can still remember how fantastic those cookies smelled.

Now, I am not sure when Mom ate, because I remember that after giving sessions late into the evening, she would go to her desk to study and write. I remember her desk being piled high with many stacks of notes and letters. She was always writing and re-writing her textbooks. When we got a little older, David and I were in charge of putting her textbooks together. We would first stack the printed pages in numerically ordered piles on top of our beds. Then one by one, we would put these sheets together. At first, it went quickly because classes were small and infrequent. After a while, we would go to bed later and later, as there were more and more classes.

Mom really loved to teach! She felt comfortable teaching three students in our hotel room or teaching to a couple of hundred people in the grand ballroom. She would just glow; I wish that all of you could have seen her then. Thinking back through all of those wonderful times, I can say that Mom loved her family, she loved to treat and she loved to teach. She lived a full life on this earth, doing what she loved and she made a positive difference in the lives of so many people. How can anyone ask for more? Mom, I love you.

Again thank you Lord for loaning Mom to us.

Michael Burmeister

Mary with her sons David & Michael

Mary with her family

 

Fond memories of Mary Burmeister

I first met Mary in Japan, when I was 11 years old . At that time, Mary was working as a secretary for a U.S. army general. During that time, she was also studying JIN SHIN JYUTSU from teacher Murai. Teacher Murai asked Mary to take JIN SHIN JYUTSU to the United States and make it known to the people of America.

Later, after I graduated from college, I came to the United States, and lived with the Burmeisters for two years. At that time, Mary was a house wife with two little kids. I was probably one of Mary’s first patients. I was born with a hole in my heart, and at that time, I was very weak. She was calm and always nice to me. She always told me that God was with me and was always helping me, so do not worry about anything. God will do whatever he thinks is best for me. After my stay was over, she started helping other people. The next time that I visited her, she was getting very busy. She would get up at 5 in the morning and give me a treatment before going to the office to treat others. She did not even have time to eat lunch and dinner. She would just bite into some sandwiches.

She also started to teach people about JIN SHIN JYUTSU, following the wishes of teacher Murai. She taught not only the technique but also the philosophy of JIN SHIN JYUTSU. Her desire was to help people physically and mentally. Then, she moved in to Arizona.

A few years later, I went in for my heart surgery at Stanford University in San Francisco. A week after the operation, a complication arose, I was dying. Mary cancelled all her appointments and flew to the hospital, giving me treatments several times a day. Later, she told me that she was not sure that she could help me. I got better everyday and that surprised the doctors and the nurses. I feel like I owe my life to Mary, without her I would not be as healthy as I am today. Living in Tokyo, I have not been able to visit her as often as I would like too but I always think about her. She has a special power to help people. She is so quiet but she has so much charisma and power to teach people. She did not care about propaganda, she did not care about business, she even did not care about her health, and life. She only cared about JIN SHIN JYUTSU. So, now JIN SHIN JYUTSU is spreading all over the world. It is amazing how much power she had in such a small body. She passed away very peacefully. It is a very sad thing for us, but I hope JIN SHIN JYUTSU will continue grow around the world and continue to help many people. That is what Mary would like. I thank you Mary from the bottom of my heart.

Love,

Hisako

                                    Mary with Hisako

From Pat

Mary and Pat

From Philomena Dooley – JSJ Instructor, Boulder, Colorado

I don’t have words to describe my relationship with Mary and Jin Shin Jyutsu and all that she did for the world. 

Thirty years ago I was introduced to Jin Shin Jyutsu and to Mary Burmeister.  Through the gift that was given to Mary by Master Jiro Murai, my tired worn out body, which was under medical care for 19 years (daily medication and weekly visits to the doctor for blood analysis), was brought back into a healthy and happy state by the angelic jumper cables of Patricia Meador.  Mary was always available when a crisis arose. (And there were some serious crises.) 

My medical background of 21 years had me believe that the best one could do was to take her medicine and continue existing as best she could. 

Jin Shin Jyutsu, Physio Philosophy, allows us to change our state of Existing into a state of Being.  With Master Jiro Murai’s 50 years of study and research and Mary’s 50+ years of study and teaching, mankind has been given an amazing heritage.

Mary would say, “1% inspiration and 99% perspiration – that’s all it takes.”  As a result of the 99% perspiration, I am blessed to have the ability to use my jumper cables as the need arises.  Thank you God, and thank you Mary.

I am on a cruise in South America and Antarctica.  On January 25th I read David’s email telling of Mary’s condition.  Early morning of the 27th I was wide awake and watching the magnificent scenery, including glaciers and icebergs from our balcony.  The ship was sailing easterly through the Straits of Magellan on our way to Antarctica.  Everything was very peaceful and beautiful as the dawn began to break.  The dawn was most unusual.  Clouds were fluffy, pure white and edged with gold – a brilliant pure luminous gold with a powder blue sky appearing.  It was truly a one of a kind sunrise, what Michelangelo would dream of.  I remarked to Roger that something special is happening and mentioned that Mary might be in transition.  It was 6 to 6:15 a.m. in our time zone which corresponds to 1 to 1:15 a.m. Arizona time.  I thought to myself, it could be that Mary is on her way to her paradise.

January = 1, 27 = 9, 2008 = 10.  So, the prime mover having completed the 1 through 26 was now entering the new cycle. 

On January 31st, when we were in Antarctica a Requiem Mass was offered for Mary by the Reverend Canon Eugene Nee on board the MS Prinsendam.  Many passengers attended.

With love and gratitude to Mary for all the love she shared with each of us.  I am humbled by the magnitude of all she gave us.  Her worth is beyond the expression of mere words.

Mary and Philomena

From Matthias Roth – JSJ Instructor, Hamburg, Germany

The Many Faces of Mary



  

                                

The Mother of Jin Shin Jyutsu

 

Mrs. Mary Burmeister and Jin Shin Jyutsu

 I had never had the opportunity to meet Mary until I saw her for the first time in America in 1992.

 While Master Murai was alive, I had opportunities to see Mary’s letters of questions she had sent to Master Murai, and Master Murai’s letters that he attached to hers, to be sent back to Mary.  The letters were detailed and specific, so different from Master Murai’s verbal answers to my questions.  I remember feeling envious that Master Murai was so kind and thoughtful to a female student.

After Master Murai’s passing, whenever we had questions, Mary, whom I had never met, and I corresponded and exchanged Master Murai’s clinical notes and other documents.

  I finally had the opportunity to meet Mary in Arizona in 1992.  In the meantime, Mary’s students have increased in number throughout the world, and Master Murai’s greatness has come to be widely known.

 Students of Jin Shin Jyutu in Japan, and even Master Murai himself, never achieved what Mary has achieved.  I believe Mrs. Mary Burmeister is now in a happy place.  May Mary rest in peace.

 Sincerely,

 Haruki Kato

          Mary with Kato Sensei                         Master Jiro Murai

From Mary herself.....

"Thank you and in Unconditional Cosmic Love I leave you physically and I am with you all eternally as One. May each one of you discover the teacher within and Be the FUN."

Flowers from well-wishers around the Globe

 

 

 

 

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