The Three Treasures refers to Chapter 67 of the Tao Te Ching. There are a lot of interesting ideas in this book but this chapter summarizes Taoist ideas in a succinct way.
Tao Te Ching – Chapter 67
Some say that my teaching is nonsense.
Others call it lofty but impractical.
But to those who have looked inside themselves,
this nonsense makes perfect sense.
And to those who put it into practice,
this loftiness has roots that go deep.I have just three things to teach:
simplicity, patience, compassion.
These three are your greatest treasures.
Simple in actions and in thoughts,
you return to the source of being.
Patient with both friends and enemies,
you accord with the way things are.
Compassionate toward yourself,
you reconcile all beings in the world.
I’ve assembled some definitions and paired each treasure with a chapter from the Tao Te Ching to expand on each idea and give you a bit of the flavor of Lao Tzu’s teachings.
Compassion
(Chinese: 慈; pinyin: cí; literally “compassion, tenderness, love, mercy, kindness, gentleness and implies the term ‘mother’, ‘mother’s/ parental love’)
Tao Te Ching – Chapter 28
Know the male,
yet keep to the female:
receive the world in your arms.
If you receive the world,
the Tao will never leave you
and you will be like a little child.Know the white,
yet keep to the black:
be a pattern for the world.
If you are a pattern for the world,
the Tao will be strong inside you
and there will be nothing you can’t do.Know the personal,
yet keep to the impersonal:
accept the world as it is.
If you accept the world,
the Tao will be luminous inside you
and you will return to your primal self.The world is formed from the void,
like utensils from a block of wood.
The Master knows the utensils,
yet keeps to the the block:
thus she can use all things.
Simplicity
(Chinese: 儉; pinyin: jiǎn; literally “frugality, moderation, economy, restraint, be sparing”)
Tao Te Ching – Chapter 19
Throw away holiness and wisdom,
and people will be a hundred times happier.
Throw away morality and justice,
and people will do the right thing.
Throw away industry and profit,
and there won’t be any thieves.If these three aren’t enough,
just stay at the center of the circle
and let all things take their course.
Humility
The third treasure is a six-character phrase instead of a single word: Chinese 不敢為天下先, Bugan wei tianxia xian, “do not dare to be first”. Or as I like to think of it sometimes… dare to be last.
Tao Te Ching – Chapter 34
The great Tao flows everywhere.
All things are born from it,
yet it doesn’t create them.
It pours itself into its work,
yet it makes no claim.
It nourishes infinite worlds,
yet it doesn’t hold on to them.
Since it is merged with all things
and hidden in their hearts,
it can be called humble.
Since all things vanish into it
and it alone endures,
it can be called great.
It isn’t aware of its greatness;
thus it is truly great.
An interesting expansion on the concepts:
Arthur Waley describes these Three Treasures as, “The three rules that formed the practical, political side of the author’s teaching (1) abstention from aggressive war and capital punishment, (2) absolute simplicity of living, (3) refusal to assert active authority.”
There are a few definitions of The Three Treasures floating around. Another one refers to different types of energy in traditional Chinese medicine:
Three Treasures (Traditional Chinese Medicine)
Essence (Jing)
Jing energy is our material body, cellular density, energy stores, our reproductive potential, our DNA and our seed. Jing is the most solid substantial energy.
Vitality (Chi)
Qi is the flowing force, or the electric currents, that drive our metabolism of food into energy, and the use of that energy. Qi is the more kinetic, flowing, and fluid energy.
Spirit (Shen)
Shen is our spirit and the realm of the heart. It is our connection to our higher selves. Shen is the more refined or ethereal energy in the body.
The Three Treasures of Traditional Chinese Medicine relates to the 3 Dantians (elixir fields) in the following ways:
The Lower Dantian is said to be approximately two to three inches below the navel (belly button) and about 2 fingers behind the navel in the abdominal cavity. When we build up an abundance of Jing (essence), the excess travels up the middle Dantian with the goal of improving our health.
This excess energy from the Lower Diantian benefits all the organs above and below the Middle Dantian. This Qi (vitality) is more subtle and less dense than Jing. It is similar to the energy we receive from air, food, and drink. It makes sense that it is located somewhere in the upper abdomen, since this is where we consume, digest, and distribute energy throughout the body. Qi also tones and heals our organs while it improves our health. Any excess energy is then sent to the Upper Dantian.
After the energy is refined in the Middle Dantian, it moves to the Upper Dantian (the third eye) and becomes Shen (spirit). Shen energy provides us with intention, clear and calm thinking, planning, memory, and also helps us make good decisions. In fact, we may enter into a state of wu wei (effortless action).
Here’s a link to a great article outlining this process in more detail: https://balancedlifetaichi.com/blog/recognizing-the-three-dantians