The Three Treasures or Three Jewels are theoretical cornerstones in traditional Chinese medicine and practices such as neidan, qigong, and tai chi. They are also known as jing, qi, and shen ("essence, breath, and spirit"). The French sinologist Despeux summarizes: "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."

Etymology and meaning

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'". 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: This jing-qi-shen ordering is more commonly used than the variants qi-jing-shen and shen-qi-jing.

Neidan

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. "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: "'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:

Sanyuan

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. The former are the "three origins" (Sanyuan 三元):

Xing

The Huainanzi (c. 2nd century BCE) relates qi and shen to xing ("form; shape; body"): "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."

Chinese culture

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! — Journey to the West, translated by