The former are the "three origins" ( Sanyuan 三元): "refining spirit and reverting to emptiness"īoth Neidan, Neo-Confucianism and Traditional Chinese Medicine distinguish the between "priheaven" ( 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. In neidan ("internal alchemy") practice, transmuting the Three Treasures is expressed through the sequence: "There are three degrees of Supreme Elixir – the Spirit, the Breath, and the Essential Vigour." Four stages Balfour's brief 1884 essay about the "Imprint of the Heart" ( Xinyin jing) contains the earliest known Western reference to the Three Treasures: 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).įrederic H. Probably dating from the Southern Song dynasty (1127-1279), this anonymous text presents a simple and concise discussion of internal alchemy ( neidan 內丹). 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. 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 shen Woodcut illustration of the practice known as 'Refining form in the True Void' ( zhenkong lianxing) from 1615 Xingming guizhi The Three Vitalities Meeting 三家相見圖, 1615 Xingming guizhi Neidan Woodcut illustration of the 'Great and Small Cauldron and Furnace' from Pointers on Spiritual Nature and Bodily Life Xingming guizhi, a Daoist text on internal alchemy published 1615. This jing-qi-shen ordering is more commonly used than the variants qi-jing-shen and shen-qi-jing. Shen 神 "spirit soul, mind god, deity supernatural being, upper thoracic cavity".Qi 氣 "vital energy, life force breath, air, vapor vitality, vigor attitude, abdominal cavity".Jing 精 "nutritive essence, essence spirit, sperm, seed extract refined, perfected, lower abdominal cavity".In long-established Chinese traditions, the "Three Treasures" are the essential energies sustaining human life: 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. The Buddha is the teacher, the Dharma is the teaching, and the Sangha is the community. This latter use is misleading, however, as the Three Jewels in Buddhism is a completely different philosophy. 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 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'". ![]() Despeux 2008, p. 562 Etymology and meaning
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