三寶

The Three Treasures

三寶（中醫）Three Treasures (traditional Chinese medicine)

精氣神 jīng-qì-shén "essence, breath, and spirit"

三寶 originally referred to the Daoist "Three Treasures" from 道德經 the Daodejing, chapter 67:

1. 慈 "pity", 
2. 儉 "frugality", and 
3. 不敢為天下先 "refusal to be 'foremost of all things under heaven".

Internal alchemy focuses upon transforming the bodily 三寶 "three treasures", which are the essential energies sustaining human life:

• Jing 精 "nutritive essence, essence; refined, perfected; extract; spirit, demon; sperm, seed"
• Qi 氣 "vitality, energy, force; air, vapour; breath; spirit, vigour; attitude"
• Shen 神 "spirit; soul, mind; god, deity; supernatural being"

According to the 13th-century Book of Balance and Harmony:

Making one's essence complete, one can preserve the body. To do so, first, keep the body at ease, and make sure there are no desires. Thereby energy can be made complete.

Making one's energy complete, one can nurture the mind. To do so, first, keep the mind pure, and make sure there are no thoughts. Thereby spirit can be made complete.

Making one's spirit complete, one can recover emptiness. To do so, first, keep the will sincere, and make sure body and mind are united. Thereby spirit can be returned to emptiness. ... To attain immortality, there is nothing else but the refinement of these three treasures: essence, energy, spirit." (tr. Kohn 1956, 146).

When the "three treasures" are internally maintained, along with a balance of yin and yang, it is possible to achieve a healthy body and longevity, which are the main goals of internal alchemy (Ching 1996, 395).

精

內丹練習 Neidan practice

精 "essence" refers to the energies of the physical body. Based upon the idea that death was caused by depleting one's jing, Daoist internal alchemy claimed that preserving jing allowed one to achieve longevity, if not immortality. (Schipper 1993, 154).

氣

氣, Qi or ch'i is defined as the "natural energy of the universe" and manifests in everyone and everything (Carroll 2008). By means of internal alchemy, Taoists strive to obtain a positive flow of qi through the body in paths moving to each individual organ (Smith 1986, 201).

Healing practices such as acupuncture, massage, cupping and herbal medicines are believed to open up the qi meridians throughout the body so that the qi can flow freely. Keeping qi in balance and flowing throughout the body promotes health; imbalance can lead to sickness.

神

神 is the original spirit of the body. Daoists try to become conscious of 神 through meditation (Smith 1986, 202).

In 內丹練習 neidan ("internal alchemy") practice, transmuting the Three Treasures is expressed through the four-stage sequence:

1. 築基 Zhú jī "laying the foundations"
2. 鍊精化氣 Liàn jīng huà qì "refining essence into breath"
3. 鍊氣化神 Liàn qì huà shén "refining breath into spirit"
4. 鍊神還虛 Liàn shén hái xū "refining spirit and reverting to emptiness"

Both 內丹 and Neo-Confucianism distinguish the between 先天 Xiāntiān "prior to heaven", referring to what is innate or natural, and 後天 Hòutiān "posterior to heaven", referring to what is acquired in the course of life.

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

1. 元精 "Original essence" (Yuán jīng)
2. 元氣 "Original breath" (Yuán qì)
3. 元神 "Original spirit" (Yuán shén)

形

淮南子, the Huainanzi (c. 2nd century BCE) relates 氣 and 神 to 形 xing ("form; shape; body")