Jing, qi, and shen are three of the main notions shared by Taoism and Chinese culture alike. They are often referred to as the Three Treasures (sanbao三寶), an expression that immediately reveals their importance and the close connection among them. The ideas and practices associated with each term, and with the three terms as a whole, are complex and vary considerably in different contexts and historical periods.
This Chinese name sanbao originally referred to the Daoist "Three Treasures" from the Daodejing, chapter 67: "pity", "frugality", and "refusal to be 'foremost of all things under heaven'".[1] It has subsequently also been used to refer to the jing, qi, and shen and to the Buddhist Three Jewels (Buddha, Dharma, and Sangha). This latter use is misleading, however, as the Three Jewels in Buddhism is a completely different philosophy. The Buddha is the teacher, the Dharma is the teaching, and the Sangha is the community. The Three Jewels of Buddhism are the external supports for achieving realization, while the Three Treasures of Daoism are interior qualities or attitudes to be cultivated.
In long-established Chinese traditions, the "Three Treasures" are the essential energies sustaining human life:
Shen神 "spirit; soul, mind; god, deity; supernatural being and yang in action, upper thoracic cavity"
This jing-qi-shen ordering is more commonly used than the variants qi-jing-shen and shen-qi-jing.
Neidan
Woodcut illustration of the 'Great and Small Cauldron and Furnace' from Pointers on Spiritual Nature and Bodily LifeXingming guizhi, a Daoist text on internal alchemy published 1615. In the figurative language of neidan, the 'cauldron' (ding) refers to the head and the 'furnace' (lu) to the abdomen; the 'great cauldron' is the place of the refinement of jin, qi, and shenWoodcut illustration of the practice known as 'Refining form in the True Void' (zhenkong lianxing) from 1615 Xingming guizhiThe Three Vitalities Meeting 三家相見圖, 1615 Xingming guizhi
The Daoist "Mind-Seal Scripture of the Exalted Jade Sovereign" (Gaoshang yuhuang xinyin jing (高上玉皇心印經), or the "Imprint of the Heart" (Xinyin jing), is a valuable early source about the Three Treasures.[2][3]
Probably dating from the Southern Song dynasty (1127–1279), this anonymous text presents a simple and concise discussion of internal alchemy (neidan內丹). In particular, it emphasizes the so-called Three Treasures (sanbao三寶), namely, vital essence (jing精), subtle breath (qi氣), and spirit (shen神).
Frederic H. Balfour's brief 1884 essay about the "Imprint of the Heart" (Xinyin jing) contains the earliest known Western reference to the Three Treasures:[4]
"There are three degrees of Supreme Elixir – the Spirit, the Breath, and the Essential Vigour."
Four stages
In neidan ("internal alchemy") practice, transmuting the Three Treasures is expressed through the sequence:[5][6]
Both Neidan, Neo-Confucianism and Traditional Chinese Medicine distinguish the between "pre heaven" (xiantian先天), referring to what is innate or natural, and "post heaven" (houtian後天), referring to what is acquired in the course of life.[7][8]
The former are the "three origins" (Sanyuan三元):[6]
The Huainanzi (c. 2nd century BCE) relates qi and shen to xing形 ("form; shape; body"):[9]
The bodily form [xing] is the residence of life; the qi fills this life while shen controls it. If either of them loses their proper position, they will all come to harm.
The Journey to the West (late 16th century CE) novel refers to the Three Treasures when an enlightened Daoist patriarch instructs Sun Wukong ("Monkey") with a poem that begins:
Know well this secret formula wondrous and true:
Spare and nurse the vital forces, this and nothing else.
All power resides in the semen [jing], the breath [qi], and the spirit [shen];
Guard these with care, securely, lest there be a leak.
Lest there be a leak!
Keep within the body!
Olson, Stuart Alve (1993). The Jade Emperor's Mind Seal Classic: A Taoist Guide to Health, Longevity, and Immortality. St. Paul: Dragon Door Publications.
Waley, Arthur (1958). The Way and Its Power: A Study of the Tao Te Ching and Its Place in Chinese Thought. Grove Press. ISBN0802150853.
Wang, Mu (2011). Foundations of Internal Alchemy: The Taoist Practice of Neidan. Translated by Pregadio, Fabrizio. Golden Elixir Press. ISBN9780984308255..
The Journey to the West. Translated by Yu, Anthony. University of Chicago Press. 1977.
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