The 3 Treasures - Energy (Jing / Qi / Shen).

This article will be a brief synopsis of the Three Treasures. I will briefly introduce the concepts and then follow with an individual and more elaborate article for each of the Three Treasures.

In Chinese philosophy, everything is considered as changing states of energy. Even modern science and especially quantum physics has confirmed this.

Chinese Medicine has always explained and followed the concept of the "Three Treasures", which are known as Jing, Qi & Shen.

Common definitions of each Treasure:

Jing: refined, perfected, extract, spirit, demon, sperm, seed, neurotransmitters, DNA, egg.
Qi: energy, force, air, vapor, vigor, attitude, vitality, breath, spirit.
Shen: soul, mind, god, deity, supernatural being, spirit

JING -
The best analogy and often used to describe the Three Treasures is that of the candle. Jing is considered the body of the candle, therefore the wax and wick. This is the main structure and the foundation of the entire system of the Three Treasures.

When speaking of Jing, it can be divided into several categories, sometimes more, but for the simplicity of this article we will focus on the two major category - this is what we call prenatal/original & postnatal Jing.

• Prenatal/original Jing is passed on to you by your parents (and their parents, throughout the pedigree/ancestry). Some say that Jing is limited and that it must be guarded and protected for once it is gone, it cannot be retrieved. The quickest way people squander their Jing is through the hardships of life.

• Others believe that Jing can be protected as well as restored and built up through the practices of meditation, Qi Gong and taking herbs rich in Jink such as Pine Pollen, He Shou Wu and Shilajit to name the most common. This type of Jing is called postnatal.

• Jing can also be divided into yin and yan where yin=recovery and yang=power (more details later).

• Jing also is a great barometer in determining your life span and the vitality you will have during this life span. The health of your ancestors and more importantly your parents is a great indicator of your constitution and resolve.

• Jing is housed in the kidneys.

QI -

• Going back to the candle analogy, Qi is considered the flame. This is the energy in action. It is important to note that without Jing, Qi cannot exist. To put this into perspective, just think if you were to burn all the wax away (Jing), then there could be no flame/Qi, which would be the equivalent of death. For this reason, Jing is considered and referred to as the ultimate treasure.

• Qi is also responsible for the blood. Some great herbs to support Qi would be Cordyceps and Rhodiola Rosea.

• Housed in the spleen and lungs.

SHEN -

• The light given off by the flame would be referred to as Shen. We have all used or use candles on a daily basis and know that the purpose of a candle is to illuminate and give light, well that is the purpose of Shen. However, with the support of Jing (wax) and Qi (flame), you cannot shine light for long if your wax supply is low.

• Shen is not just the spirit but has a lot to do with our mind and our consciousness. Different herbs like Reishi mushroom and Ziziphus are incredibly useful at enhancing your Shen, while many others serve only to stabilize Shen/emotions.

• Housed in the heart.

When speaking of the organs, we are not literally referring to the physical organs of the body but energy systems that interplay with each other and the rest of the body.

"When we develop Jing, we get a large amount of Qi, automatically. When we have a large amount of Qi, we will also have strong Shen, and we will become bright and glowing as a holy man." Daoist Master Sung Jin Park

Please stay tuned for the following 3 articles, which will elaborate on each Treasure.