The Three Treasures: Jing (精), Qi (气), and Shen (神)
Among the Three Treasures, Jing is the foundation of life, Qi is its driving force, and Shen is its ruler. Only Yuan Shen (元神, the Primordial Spirit) possesses the unique ability to govern, making it the master of the Three Treasures and the key to cultivation.
As the saying goes:
“得神者昌，失神者亡” – Those who cultivate Shen flourish; those who lose it wither.
This is why refining Shen has always been considered the heart of spiritual practice. It’s something that countless cultivators throughout history have agreed upon.
The Two Types of Shen: Shi Shen (识神) and Yuan Shen (元神)
Shen is further divided into two types: Shi Shen and Yuan Shen.
- Shi Shen, represents human conscious awareness and includes the six sensory perceptions: sight, hearing, smell, taste, touch, and thought. It belongs to the manifest system of life. However, when a person dies, Shi Shen perishes, making it impermanent. This is why it is referred to as the “false self“.
- Yuan Shen, on the other hand, is the Primordial Spirit. It resides in the subconscious and belongs to the hidden system of life. Though normally unseen, it contains all information a person has ever experienced across all time and space. It is considered the true essence of life—the “true self”.
Within the Primordial Spirit, there are two advanced states:
- Yin Spirit (阴神, Yin Shen) – A lower stage of development.
- Yang Spirit (阳神, Yang Shen) – A further evolved state that leads to transcendence.
The Unique Nature of the Primordial Spirit
The Primordial Spirit is composed of an eternal fundamental matrix. It has the ability to disperse into Qi or condense into form. It remains unaffected by water or fire, can pass through metal and stone without obstruction, and moves at the speed of thought—wherever the mind reaches, it follows instantly.
Remarkably, these traits closely resemble the properties of neutrinos in modern nuclear physics.
The Two Stages of the Primordial Spirit Manifestation
The manifestation of the Primordial Spirit occurs in two major stages:
- Advanced Cultivation Stage – the Primordial Spirit appears as a light image during inner visualization.
- Supreme Cultivation Stage – the Primordial Spirit attains the ability to materialize and dematerialize at will.
Once the Primordial Spirit has been fully refined into a mature Yang Spirit (阳神, Yang Shen) form, it transcends life and death, attaining the state of eternal life.
The Ultimate Goal of Spiritual Cultivation
Regardless of whether in Daoism or Buddhism, the ultimate goal of cultivation is the out-of-body emergence of the Primordial Spirit). In Buddhism, this highly advanced life phenomenon is referred to as liberation or attaining Buddhahood; in Daoism, it is called ascension or achieving the Dao and becoming an immortal. Among the ranks of immortals, this places one far above Ren Xian (人仙, human immortals) and Di Xian (地仙, earth immortals), attaining the status of Tian Xian (天仙, celestial immortal).
The Pinnacle of Human Body Science
Setting aside religious interpretations, from the perspective of human body cultivation science, reaching the stage of the out-of-body emergence of the Primordial Spirit is widely recognized within the Qigong and human body science communities as the pinnacle of human body science. No wonder both Buddhism and Daoism see the out-of-body emergence of the Primordial Spirit as the ultimate secret method, one that has been closely guarded for millennia.
Beyond Conventional Science
This extraordinary life phenomenon of the out-of-body emergence of the Primordial Spirit goes beyond ordinary human understanding and cannot yet be explained by mainstream modern science. However, the field of human body science is evolving at an unprecedented rate, increasingly revealing the Primordial Spirit as an objective, super-life phenomenon. Those committed to cultivation bear an essential responsibility in leading the cross-generational exploration of human self-transcendence and eternal life.
Unlocking Human Potential
Developing the Primordial Spirit further unlocks human potential, allowing for the full expression of various forms of wisdom. The journey of exploring eternal life through Primordial Spirit cultivation carries immense significance for the future of human evolution.
