Understanding the foundations of Taoist Internal Arts..... Part 5
The Three Treasures (San Bao 三寶)
When discussing the three treasures most discussion focuses on the Jing, Qi and Shen. These energetic substances are central to both internal arts and Chinese medicine. They are not distinct and separate entities, rather they flow into to each other and are indeed a part of each other. They generate, support and depend upon each other. The other three treasures are less often discussed. They are aspects of how we live our lives, sometimes called virtues. These also flow in and out of each other and promote other virtues.
The three treasures or virtues in Taoist cultivation are discussed in Chapter 67 of the Dao De Jing. They are compassion, moderation (or simplicity) and humility. Cultivation of these ‘treasures’ creates more harmony and space in our minds and bodies, and also in the world around us.
Compassion (慈, cí)
Compassion softens the heart, preventing hardening of our mind, attitudes and physicality. Softness is considered to have great strength, like water wearing down rock.
Moderation (儉, jiǎn)
This is not really self-deprivation, more living in balance with the cycles of nature and not exhausting our internal resources or the world’s.
Humility (不敢為天下先, bù gǎn wéi tiān xià xiān — “not daring to be first under heaven”)
Humility is a translation of “not daring to be first under heaven.” This is the feeling that the writers of the Dao De Jing wanted to get across. With Humility we are working on avoiding arrogance and not competing for dominance. The Tao does not dominate, but nourishes all things without claiming credit.
Each of the three treasures can lead to the emergence of contrasting states: Compassion leads to bravery; moderation leads to generosity; and humility leads to the ability to rule. Without being balanced by the three treasures, bravery without compassion can lead to bullying and lack of awareness of others;. Generosity without moderation can lead to a sense of showing off and potentially the generosity having no meaning to the giver. The desire to rule or be in charge without humility is quite disastrous as is evident in the world around us at the moment, and has been throughout history. In the end it is perhaps important not to give power to people who crave it.
Most discussions of the three treasures focus on the internal or energetic layers of the body’s more subtle energies: Jing, Qi and Shen. It is however just as important to be aware of the virtues and take steps to cultivate them in our daily life. The state of our mind is key in our ability to cultivate internally. Without the space and quiet that the more ‘philosophical’ treasures offer we will be unable to engage with the deeper aspects of the work of internal cultivation. I don’t think it is any coincidence that in all religious and cultivation practices there are very similar precepts to live by. The increased clarity and mental space that they create in people’s lives help to clear the path to union with the truth of ourselves and with the numinous.
In the practice of internal arts we work on the cultivation, development, transformation and harmonisation of the energetic three treasures Jing (Essence), Qi and Shen (Spirit).
“The Dao begins in emptiness.
Emptiness produces the One.
The One produces spirit (shen).
Spirit produces Qi.
Qi has limits, and these become form.”
Huainanzi
“The body is the foundation of life (form),
qi is the driving force of vital activity,
and spirit (shen) is the sovereign of life.
Only when these three elements are in harmonious unity can life function properly.
Huainanzi
These two quotes from the Huainanzi describe the generation of the three internal treasures. The process that they portray takes us through the Taoist concept of creation. This begins from Wuji (無極), a place of emptiness, of pure potential - the undifferentiated state before movement, beyond yin and yang and form and no-form. Movement stirs within the stillness, this is the appearance of the first polarity and Taiji (太極). It is through this dynamic interplay of movement and stillness that Qi emerges. As the differentiation continues the Wu Xing (Five Phases/Elements) emerge.
The most subtle manifestation of Qi is the Shen. At the limits of the movement and transformation of Qi, form begins to arise. This is the Jing. The Jing is the foundation of the physical body. The form (Jing) arises through the activity of Qi, which is enlivened by the Spirit (Shen).
In some cultivation practices the emphasis is on moving us back from form (Jing) to Qi to Shen (Spirit) and then into emptiness (the Tao). Understanding what is meant by the terms Jing, Qi and Shen can help us to move into our practice with more awareness and sensitivity. It is a somatic understanding that we ultimately seek not something intellectual or conceptual. However some understanding of the terms can help us along the path of practice. These terms describe the nature, quality and function of specific aspects of our being.
“The Tao, which first self-manifests as pure Spirit, issues its Breath, which in turn coalesces into Essence (Jing), the seed that gives birth to the world. Human beings are composed with the same three elements…”
Wuzhen Pian (Awakening to Reality)
When we discuss what we mean by Chinese terms there can be some differences in understanding between the Chinese medical view point and the internal arts / alchemical perspective. It is important to be aware of the filter that is being used when these terms are being discussed.
Jing
Jing is the condensation of Dao into matter. From this perspective of the alchemical tradition Jing is not just seen as biological essence or substrate, but as the densest form of the Tao manifesting in the body.
The character for Jing or Essence 精 consists of the image of a grain of uncooked rice, the character for life and either a moon, or the character Qing, which is the blue green colour that is related to the vibrancy of life in Chinese thought. So Jing could be translated as the raw seed inside us that contains the vibrancy of life.
In Chinese medical terms there are considered to be two types of Jing in the body: prenatal, that is inherited from our parents; and postnatal that is acquired from food, breath, fluids and lifestyle. The Jing is injured by stresses to the body and mind.
The Jing is stored in our kidneys, marrow, brain, breasts in women, ovaries and testicles. The Jing pools in the Hui Yin point in the area of the perineum. It is responsible for birth, growth, reproduction and our development throughout our lives. It is the root of our vitality and is responsible for the generation of our structure and the fluid aspects of our body, such as the blood, body fluids, hormones. It is linked to the maintenance of homeostasis in our body. The Jing contains the blueprint of who and what we are and provides a material basis for the Qi and Shen.
In Chinese medicine it is held that we are allotted a certain amount of Jing at conception. As we move through our lives the Jing is consumed, and when it runs out we die. It is considered to be extremely difficult to actively replenish Jing. The initial aim of internal practice is to stop the Jing from leaking to conserve this fundamental resource. Moderation in our lifestyle will help to preserve the Jing. Correct diet, refining the breath, stress reduction and adequate rest help to preserve the essence. The fluids linked with the cycles and generation of life, the semen and menstrual blood, are also associated with the Jing. The loss of these fluids, and all the body’s fluids in general, is said to impact our Jing. The desire to either retain semen or to ‘cut the red dragon’ (stopping menstruation from happening) might have been an important part of deep monastic training, however they are natural bodily processes that are important to our overall health and generally do not need to be interfered with.
There are differences in how the Jing of men and women expresses in physiology and energetic circulation. The Jing is said to flow through 7 and 8-year cycles throughout life. For women the Jing unfolds over a 7-year cycle and in men 8-year cycles.
Women (7-year cycles)
7 years – Kidney energy flourishes, teeth come in, hair grows.
14 years – Menstruation begins, fertility develops.
21 years – Jing is abundant, wisdom teeth emerge, body is strong.
28 years – Peak fertility, body at full maturity.
35 years – Decline begins: face starts to age, hair may thin.
42 years – More visible aging: hair greys, fertility wanes.
49 years – Jing is depleted, menstruation stops (menopause).
Men (8-year cycles)
8 years – Kidney energy flourishes, hair and teeth grow.
16 years – Reproductive ability matures, semen is produced.
24 years – Jing is abundant, physical strength peaks.
32 years – Body is at full maturity, sinews and bones strongest.
40 years – Decline begins: hair thins, teeth weaken.
48 years – Further decline in Kidney Jing, wrinkles appear.
56 years – Qi weakens, aging accelerates.
64 years – Jing depleted, start to lose hair and teeth, decline deepens.
These cycles show how the Jing naturally waxes and wanes throughout our lives. They are obviously not fixed patterns, rather a guide to understand what is occurring in our bodies.
Most of what people know about Nei Gong and Nei Dan comes from male dominated lineages. There are however distinct traditions of female internal alchemy (Nu Dan), that have their own practices, physiological processes and female masters. There are many parts of these practices that are applicable to both men and women. In some ways it is the case that the understanding of how a woman’s body performs and experiences many of the practices will be different and can only be fully appreciated by another female practitioner.
Some of the refinement practices for women include ovarian breathing, breast massage and uterus Nei Gong. The breasts are one of the energy centres that are important to women’s work, along with the womb and the Sea of Blood (Xue Hai). Breast massage stimulates the heart and pericardium, opening the upward flow of essence and harmonising the hormones. In womb Nei Gong, the uterus is seen as the cauldron for alchemical transformation of reproductive essence. The energy of the essence is held and transformed inwards rather than outwards. Breathing into the ovaries helps to stimulate the hormonal system supporting homeostasis and reducing leakage of Jing.
The three virtues play an important role in this discussion on Jing. As we move through life, naturally our Jing is drawn upon and becomes taxed. If we have worked on cultivating our ability to be still, and on compassion, moderation and humility, we will be more able to make the necessary adjustments in our lives to preserve our Jing as we age. We will hopefully see and feel the reality of ourselves and the world around us more clearly. As the treasures naturally arise through our practice, our desires, thoughts and actions will be regulated which helps us to preserve our allotment of Jing. Maintaining a calmer, more peaceful mind that is borne out of compassion and humility can help us to avoid ego-driven depletion of our Jing. Without cultivation, our mind and beliefs are able to override the messages from our body. We may drain ourselves without realising by being pulled along on the tides of our ego and beliefs. In this world there is such a desire to acquire more of everything, to hold on to our possessions, money and so forth. In some ways the emphasis on generating more of the vital substances could become caught up in the egos drive to possess more. Through the natural decline in the internal substances we become less solid, flexible and optimistic. The ‘pychosclerotic’ hardening of our attitudes and beliefs as we age can be avoided by cultivating not only the three physical treasures of Jing, Qi and Shen but also the three psychological treasures of compassion, moderation and humility.
The Jing is the root of our vitality, a precious essence that must be preserved and refined for both our health and our cultivation.
In the next two posts we will discuss Qi and Shen…..To be continued.