Yang Family Tai Chi Discussion Board

A few weeks ago, a teacher I have a high regard for (Mr. Ashmore knows who) used a term I'd never heard before, and stressed its importance at some length. He referred to sanbao or the “Three Treasures” of jin, qi and shen. He said an understanding of sanbao was important to doing tai chi well and to teaching it well.

I had a basic understanding of each of the three prior to his use of the term, but he seemed to stress the importance of thinking of them collectively and holistically, which makes sense.

I’ve spent some time looking up what there is to say of the collective concept, and it seems about as straightforward as anything Chinese can be to a Westerner like me. With respect to myself, I can grasp its importance and also guess at ways to work this "internal alchemy" into my own practice; in performing the set, in my qigong and – I’d say more importantly – in my daily routine, such as minding my moods, my diet and my mental awareness.

However, I’m aware I may not have as clear a grasp of the concept as I think I do (“I don’t know what I don’t know”), and I’m also in the dark as to how to incorporate it into classroom instruction (“What do I tell my students?”), and this is why I’m bringing the subject up here.

My question is this: What resources (video, book, blog, whatever) exist that might help me better understand how to include the sanbao “Three Treasures” into tai chi practice and teaching?

I’ve looked here and found bupkis.

The first impression I get is that it’s not something I should spend much time on with beginners, who don’t know the whole form and who haven’t yet grasped the Ten Essentials. Intermediate students may benefit from a deeper understanding but again, it may be a waste of training time to go into it at length except perhaps to insert suggestions here and there in regard to diet, mindfulness and so on. More senior students can be pointed toward resources for additional study, much like I’m asking for. But if there's something already laid out, it makes little sense to "reinvent the wheel."

Thanks in advance for any light you can shed!
gvi

Hi gvi,

Best not to delve too deeply into the esoteric. Let's just first say that a Taiji practitioner needs to understand that the sanbao (三寶) is part of the Taoist healing tradition, and that the practice of Qigong and Taiji helps to nurture and develop the sanbao. They (the Taoist) believes that they (the sanbao) are essential in sustaining life.
= Jing, 精, "nutritive essence" (not to be confused with jin, 劲)
= Qi, 气, "vitality, energy; breath "
= Shen, 神. "spirit; mind"

Note that they (the Taoist) also do not believe that "Shen" is a given. Only once you have sufficiently nurtured and developed jing and qi, will shen come about.

To answer your question, a practitioner needs to understand where and how the sanbao relates to Taiji. By the way, the explanations I offer are probably quite simplistic, but then, that the way I am (an adherent of the KISS principle).

"Jing" (精), governs the growth process of the body. Loss of jing results in physical and mental degeneration, and as it wanes we basically age or just become decrepit. When jing is totally depleted, the body dies. Strong jing results in a long and vigorous life. The practice of Qigong and Taiji replenishes "jing".

Qi (气) the second of the Three Treasures, is the invisible life force which enables the body to think and move, the most dynamic and immediate energy of the body. Qi gives the body vitality. You could also view it as enhancing the efficiency of your mitochondria, as some on this forum have postulated. However, I am not a scientist.

The third Treasure, shen (神), can be equated with “spirit,” “psyche” or “mind,” and is developed through the interaction of jing and qi energies. Shen is said to be the energy behind mental, spiritual and creative activities. it is achieved and augmented through a righteous lifestyle, meditation, self control and spiritual practices. A strong shen exists on the foundation of a sound jing and a strong qi; the three must be developed together.

I hope this is of some help. Lol.
Take care,
Frank

Thanks, Frank! It really does help.

Like you, I'm also a firm believer in the KISS principle. It's important not to get too "up in the weeds," especially in instruction.

I found this yesterday and I think it's as full an explanation as I can hope to find:

http://www.kungfu.org/messagegm31.shtml

I'm gonna cogitate on it some more before I go about putting together anything for my students.

gvi

Greetings all,

I like Frank’s explanation. Another way to think about it is that many Chinese philosophical concepts do not really describe concrete things as such, but rather the processes behind them. Yin, Yang, and the Five “Elements” are not substances, but rather ways in which things behave.

If you think about the processes underlying the body, you can divide them into three: (1) the design of the organs and tissues that you inherit from your parents or "jing" (精), (2) the interaction and metabolism of those organs and tissues that your body uses to operate or “qi” (气), and (3) your exercise of will and consciousness to make your body interact with the world according to your thought or “shen” (神).

If we were talking about a car, we could divide it into these three: (1) the chassis and parts you get from the dealership and that are designed by the manufacturer, (2) the fuel, oil, air in the tires, and other consumables needed to make the car run, (3) the way the driver uses the car.

All three things rely on each other in a two-way hierarchy of dependence. Without the lower levels, the upper levels cannot exist. If the upper levels are handled well, they can improve the functioning and longevity of the lower levels.

I find the concept of the Three Treasures interesting, but not particularly helpful in my practice. I tend to judge such paradigms not on whether they are true or false, but on whether they are helpful or not. Although I may recall the Three Treasures being discussed at one of the many Association seminars I have attended, the only concrete use I can recall of it within the Association is in the design of the scoring in the ranking system.

The scoring in the ranking is divided into three parts or areas of attention, corresponding to “jing,” “qi,” and “shen.” The “jing” part mostly covers how close the candidate’s movements are to our standard movements. This is worth a total of six points out of ten. The “qi” part deals with the energy the candidate shows in their movements through their application and coordination. This is worth two points. The “shen” part covers the spirit shown by the movements (e.g., concentration, speed, style) and is also worth two points. Candidates for lower rank are expected to come close to the standard, but not necessarily manifest the energies or spirit to the same level. For the higher ranks, the candidates are expected to show correct energy and spirit more and more consistently.

Take care,
Audi