The Three Treasures

Also called sanbao in Chinese; they are the practical side of Taoism, in other words, essence (jing 精), vital energy (chi 氣) and spirit (shen 神). Do not confuse these terms with the basic Taoist virtues of ci 慈 (compassion and kindness); jian 儉 (moderation and simplicity); and bugan wei tianxia xian 不敢為天下先 (humility).

In Qigong practice (working with chi or vital energy) we nourish these three elements because they are all linked and work as a whole. The basic idea is that the essence provides the raw fuel for the vital force to work and this one in turns nourishes and strengthens the spirit.

Modern society and western science denies the existence of these Taoist concepts saying they are pseudoscience as there is no scientific proof to them. Well, I have been dedicated my life to the practice of Qigong, Buddhist meditation and Internal Martial Arts for the past seven years and I can prove them wrong. These energetic levels are very subtle and cannot be perceived by using the mind since only a meditative state will allow the individual to understand, experience and cultivate them.

In fact, they are so intertwined that you must pay a great deal of attention to them during the course of your training. If you keep them strong and healthy, you will live a healthy and long life. If you do otherwise, you will become sick frequently and will age fast. Please bear in mind that no external training (running, swimming, cycling, fitness and weight training, etc.) will allow you to achieve what internal training is capable of. Not in a million years. Why is that? Simply because internal training will work on the subtle forces that are dormant in all human beings as well as in the external structure, whereas external training will work only on the latter (cardiovascular, musculoskeletal systems, flexibility, co-ordination, etc.).

I will write separate entry posts about each of these in the following days.

In the meantime, I will suggest you to go and check if in your local area there are any Tai Chi, Yoga or meditation classes available which will in turn boost your energy levels as well as improving your current health.