The Three Treasures of Man

Something that comes up on a regular basis is whether to participate in class if you are injured or sick. According to the masters there is no more important time to practice. They say that the best medicine is that within our own bodies. These medicines are called jing, qi and shen. They represent different frequencies of our human energy spectrum.

Jing is considered our essence, closest to the physical and resides or emanates from our pelvis. Jung is closely associated with our kidneys and inherited energy from our parents. When activated, our jing manifests heat. In the internal martial arts, it feels like a spring when touched. The process of personal evolutionary change is initiated by the heat of activated essence.

Our qi is the vital energy emanating from our chest that vibrates at a higher frequency than jing. It manifests as movement and force when activated. In the martial arts, it feels like a concealed force moves you when you touch your opponent. The higher frequencies are also involved in the awareness that predicts the opponent’s movement and knows aspects of your life and medical problems without asking. Qi provides a mechanism for intuitive diagnosis. Those with knowledge and ability working with qi can effect great change in their lives, and the lives of others.

Shen is the highest frequency of human energy. It emanates from the head and is associated with our spirit. As our vision becomes more sensitive, we can see this energy as a halo around the head. Look at religious paintings from the renaissance. The Christ and apostles are represented with golden light around their heads. First, we feel something like this in ourselves. Activation of our shen coordinates our body with our brain. When we experience movement and touch of one using this frequency it is completely mysterious. There is no way to trace the path or origin of the forces. Moving from spirit it is painless, effortless, precise, and powerful.

We all experience moments of clarity, ability and skill that transcend our usual performance. At these times, we encounter what the Chinese call the Three Treasures of Man. Knowledge of their framework for these phenomena is at once very interesting and very helpful. Let us explore these human potentialities together.