Transmutation of the 3 Treasures

I'm fond of observing human nature. Humans are not logical creatures. As a matter of fact we are more emotional than logical in all our decisions and actions, even though we often try to justify them with 'logical' explanations after the fact.

Neuroscientists have even speculated that free will as we know it, might not even exist. Studies have indicated that all our decisions are made at the subconscious level before our conscious mind is even aware of them. Once decisions have bubbled up to the surface, we then try to fit them into our logic system, by emphasizing facts that support the decision and downplaying those that do not.

Which is why politics is so difficult because everyone claims that they know what is the right way forward, but unfortunately, most of the time, we are not so sure. We simply justify our support for certain leaders based on what pleases us emotionally. Studies by psychologists have also indicated our political leanings are also determined to a great extent by our genes. We are actually born a progressive or a conservative!

On the things that matter in our lives--the partner we choose to marry, the course we choose to study in university, the job we decide to take up--all these are usually 'gut decisions'. Which is not such a bad thing, if we know where this feeling comes from. If it is coming from a place of fear, it is not a genuine gut decision. There's no intelligence in fear. A good decision is one that feels right because it aligns with every inclination in our body and soul. A gut decision uses embeded intelligence, distilled from lived experience and the 'experience' from our genes.

The Taoists believe that the mastery of life relies on sustaining the 3 treasures - Jing, Qi and Shen. Jing, often translated as sperm or essence, can be converted into Qi (breath, energy) which gives us life and vigour. And finally the Qi can be transmuted into Shen (spirit). I would like to demystify this whole scheme slightly by simple looking at them as potential energy, kinetic energy and information.

The source of all energy is the sun, which is captured by plants through photosynthesis and converted into chemical potential energy locked in the food we eat. I see this as the Jing. Metabolism converts this energy into energy that we need for everyday life--the kinetic energy for doing work, and internally, for pumping blood and nutrients to all the vital parts of our body. That's the Qi in action. Good management of Jing and Qi, enables us to do productive work which contributes towards improving our minds. Finally, the knowledge and wisdom generated is the Shen of the three treasures.

So you see, the intelligence that is embodied in your 'gut' is the Shen that you have transmuted from the activities of life. If we live life in harmony with the Tao, your life becomes a virtuous feedback loop. Your mind and body is infused with an intelligence, a spirit, which subconsciously produces all the micro-decisions you make every second throughout the day. You just need to get the basic things right by being mindful of all your actions and reactions. That way, data can be fed back into the 'spiritual neural network' to further improve your subconscious intelligence.

If we know how to manage our lives, we can control the energy and information that flows through the body and mind. Knowing the right kind of food to eat, exercising your body to enhance balance, awareness and efficiency and finally doing creative work that promotes learning is a virtuous cycle that spirals your soul to greater heights. If you do this well, you'll understand where all your subconscious decisions come from. You'll know why you have the inclinations that you do.