In traditional Chinese medicine, the Three Treasures refer to essential life-sustaining concepts. According to Grandmaster Shin, Life is the ultimate purpose of our Tang Soo Do training, so understanding the Three Treasures and how they interact is important to our long-term health and vitality and the underpinning philosophy of Three Treasures Martial Arts.
The Three Treasures of Jing (Essence), Qi (Vital Force), and Shen (Spirit/Consciousness) work together to sustain our lives through a transmutation process. Essence (Jing) is refined into the Energy (Qi) that flows through and animates our bodies. In turn, Energy (Qi) is further refined into our Spirit/Consciousness (Shen), displaying itself as our personality, attitude, brightness of the eyes, and outlook on life.
At first these may seem like mystical and esoteric concepts; however, they are grounded in real world examples we can all relate to. Next article, we’ll learn more about Jing (Essence) and the transmutation to Qi (Energy) process.
