Jing, qi, and shen are three of the main notions shared by Taoism and Chinese culture alike. They are often referred to as the Three Treasures, an expression that immediately reveals their importance and the close connection among them. The ideas and practices associated with each term, and with the three terms as a whole, are complex and vary considerably in different contexts and historical periods.
This Chinese namesanbao originally referred to the Taoist "Three Treasures" and has subsequently also been used to refer to the Buddhist Three Jewels. In long-established Chinese traditions, the "Three Treasures" are the essential energies sustaining human life:
This jing-qi-shen ordering is more commonly used than the variants qi-jing-shen and shen-qi-jing. In Neidan "internal alchemy" practice, transmuting the Three Treasures is expressed through the phraseslianjing huaqi 鍊精化氣 "refining essence into breath", lianqi huashen 鍊氣化神 "refining breath into spirit", and lianshen huanxu 鍊神還虛 "refining spirit and reverting to Emptiness". Both Neidan and Neo-Confucianism distinguish the three between xiantian 先天 "prior to heaven" and houtian 後天 "posterior to heaven", referring to Yuanjing 元精 "Original Essence", Yuanqi元氣 "Original Breath", and yuanshen 元神 "Original Spirit". The Huainanzi refers to qi and shen with xing "form; shape; body".
The bodily form is the residence of life; the qi fills this life while shen controls it. If either of them loses their proper position, they will all come to harm.
The Taoist text Gaoshang yuhuang xinyin jing is a valuable early source about the Three Treasures.
Probably dating from the Southern Song dynasty, this anonymous text presents a simple and concise discussion of internal alchemy. In particular, it emphasizes the so-called Three Treasures, namely, vital essence, subtle breath, and spirit.
Frederic H. Balfour's brief essay about the Xinyin jing contains the earliest known Western reference to the Three Treasures: "There are three degrees of Supreme Elixir – the Spirit, the Breath, and the Essential Vigour". The Journey to the West novel provides a more recent example when an enlightened Taoist patriarch instructs Sun Wukong "Monkey" with a poem that begins:
Know well this secret formula wondrous and true: Spare and nurse the vital forces, this and nothing else. All power resides in the semen , the breath , and the spirit ; Guard these with care, securely, lest there be a leak. Lest there be a leak! Keep within the body!
