The Three Treasures and the Cross of Encounter: a Shiatsu Journey through Jing, Qi and Shen

The Three Treasures of life — Jing (Essence), Qi (Life Force), and Shen (Spirit) — are well-known concepts within Eastern traditions. But have you truly experienced the energetic interplay of these three in your encounter with another?

This article is a poetic exploration of how these Three Treasures — San Bao (三寶) — interweave within contemporary Shiatsu practice. I invite you to the sacred intersection where the vertical axis meets horizontal openness — a place where heaven and earth touch, and where listening with body and heart leads to true healing. This text, inspired by Eastern philosophy and my own experiences on the futon, is an invitation to reflection and deeper understanding.

A Simple Ritual, A Profound Meaning

When I began my Shiatsu training, I learned a simple ritual to open and close each session.

I sought out my vertical heaven‑earth axis and stilled my thoughts — the Shen, symbolizing my connection to the spiritual. I opened my heart — the place where the Shen finds shelter and that harmonizes emotional experience in connection with others. Next, I brought my attention to my hara — the center in my lower abdomen that symbolizes my link to my deepest self and anchors me physically.

This ritual allowed me to work grounded, focused, and from a place of inner silence. Each session ended with a brief closing: a respectful way to release the connection and return to my own core.

What initially seemed like a formal gesture gradually became a gateway to something far deeper. I began to experience how this simple ritual set Jing, Qi, and Shen — the Three Treasures of life — in motion. It became an exercise in presence, a way of truly meeting the other.

The Three Treasures — San Bao

In the practice of Shiatsu, the encounter is central. What actually happens when the giver’s hands rest on the receiver’s body? Behind that seemingly simple touch lies an ancient energetic structure, deeply rooted in Eastern traditions.

In Chinese tradition, three fundamental “treasures of life” are distinguished:

• Jing: the root of our physical existence, anchored in the hara. Jing provides stability, vitality, and form.
• Qi: the flowing, breathing force that links Jing with Shen; visible in our breath, movement, and expression.
• Shen: the light of consciousness, clarity, and joy; the spark that connects us to the greater whole.

When the flow between Jing, Qi, and Shen is harmonious, a field of resonance emerges, allowing the person and life itself to move in natural harmony.

San Bao in Two Traditions

The term San Bao appears in classical Chinese medicine, Taoist traditions, and Buddhism.

In the medical and Taoist context, it refers to Jing, Qi, and Shen — the vital forces that sustain life.

In Buddhism, it refers to the Three Jewels: Buddha (awakening), Dharma (the teaching, the natural order), and Sangha (the community).

Both traditions reveal the same threefold movement: from the physical to the subtle, from form to consciousness. For me, this creates an inner coherence: San Bao shows how body, energy, and spirit form a single continuum, and how that unity comes to life in every Shiatsu session.

At the Crossroads of Horizontality and Verticality

During a Shiatsu session, there is a constant interplay between two dimensions: the vertical axis of the giver — grounded, connected from heaven to earth — and the horizontal openness of the receiver — extended, receptive, and in a state of surrender.

The Human Being as Center

Within the body, these two dimensions meet in the hara — also called the kikai tanden, located at the level of the acupuncture point Ren Mai 6 (“Sea of Energy”).

Another vital point in the hara is Ren Mai 4 (“Gate of Jing”), where Jing, rooted in the Kidneys, resides. From here, Qi rises through the Chong Mai, the central axis that connects earth and heaven. This axis transforms the Shiatsu practitioner into a conductor between heaven and earth — firm at the center of both poles, yet open and present.

We recognize this same movement in the cycle of the Five Elements. It begins with Water — the source of our Jing and Kidneys. It flows through Earth — our horizontal connection with others via the Stomach and Spleen — toward Fire, where the Heart and the Shen open into consciousness and joy.

The Cross as a Universal Symbol

The intersection of horizontal and vertical forces evokes the Christian cross, where heaven and earth, the divine and the human, meet. In Shiatsu as well, these forces converge in the middle — the living center where transformation becomes possible.

Energetic Density and the Threefold Reality

The Three Treasures represent different densities of energy:

“These Three Treasures represent three different states of condensation of Qi — the Essence being the densest, Qi the more rarefied, and the Mind the most subtle and non-material.”
— Giovanni Maciocia, The Foundations of Chinese Medicine, 2015

I also find this refinement reflected in other spiritual traditions. The Christian Trinity — Father, Son, and Holy Spirit — symbolically mirrors the Three Treasures:

• Father as Source or Essence (Jing).
• Son as the mediating force in the world (Qi).
• Holy Spirit as subtle awareness and presence (Shen).

Universal patterns emerge in which matter, energy, and consciousness form a single, unbroken movement.

Giver and Receiver — Tori and Uke

In Japanese disciplines such as Budo (‘the way of the martial arts’) and Shiatsu, we speak of Tori (取り) — the one who gives or performs the technique — and Uke (受け) — the one who receives or undergoes it. What may seem like simple terms at first glance actually refers to a refined dynamic of presence and exchange.

Tori may also be called Shiatsu-shi or Jutsusha — the practitioner of the jutsu or technique. Moving from their center and consciousness (Shen), Tori sets the tone for the energetic exchange. The term Shiatsu-shi (指圧師) literally means Shiatsu practitioner or master and designates the practitioner as a skilled professional.

The encounter is never one-sided: both are moved. Uke opens receptively, creating space and allowing the movement of Qi to be felt. In this context, the art of receiving is just as essential as the art of giving. Through deep surrender and presence, Uke too becomes a Jutsusha — a practitioner of the art, specifically, the art of receiving.

When Tori and Uke are truly connected through their hara, a living field of resonance emerges, in which healing and growth can arise spontaneously.

Western Terminology in a New Light

The word therapist originates from the Greek therapeutès, originally meaning “servant” or “caretaker.” Through its use in a medical context, it later came to mean “one who treats a disease.” In modern usage, it is often associated with “healer.” Patient comes from patiens: “the one who endures” or “suffers.”

In the context of Shiatsu, both terms prove only partially adequate. Both giver and receiver participate in a process of awakening. The dynamic is reciprocal: the one who gives, receives; the one who receives, gives.

As a Shiatsu practitioner, you can truly offer only after fully welcoming your client. A sincere reception creates a safe space in which Uke dares to surrender and open up, completing the reciprocity of giving and receiving. This is a subtle interplay of vulnerability and presence.

In this way, the encounter between Tori and Uke becomes a living field where energy, attention, and consciousness converge — the place where Shiatsu reveals its deepest meaning.

The Place of Transformation

In Shiatsu, true transformation occurs at the intersection of horizontal and vertical energy. The receiver (Uke) opens horizontally, becoming receptive to contact, while the Shiatsu-shi remains vertical in their axis, grounded and aware. At this crossroads, energy can flow freely, creating a dynamic exchange that subtly influences both participants.

This meeting of energy echoes insights from the Yi Jing (better known as the I Ching), the ancient Chinese “Book of Changes.” The Yi Jing teaches that at the intersection of heaven and earth, the “ten thousand transformations” arise. It is precisely at this meeting point — where horizontal and vertical dimensions converge — that change becomes possible.

The Yi Jing describes the dynamics of the universe through 64 hexagrams, each consisting of a combination of six broken and solid lines. These lines symbolize Yin (passive, receptive energy) and Yang (active, radiating energy) and their continuous interplay.

Each hexagram represents a specific situation or energy pattern. In Shiatsu, this can be seen as a metaphor for the encounter between Tori and Uke: the “lines” of both individuals intersect and influence one another, creating a new energetic configuration. Just as the Yi Jing shows that every situation carries the seeds of change and transformation, Shiatsu reveals how countless possibilities for healing and growth arise at the intersection of horizontal and vertical energies.

Carl Jung noted this insightfully:

“The meeting of two personalities is like the contact of two chemical substances: if there is any reaction, both are transformed.”
— C.G. Jung, Modern Man in Search of a Soul (1933)

When two people meet with open presence, mutual transformation occurs — subtle, energetic, and often unconscious. The Yi Jing supports this understanding: change is constant and all-encompassing, and the crossroads of energies provides a space where this change can unfold.

In every Shiatsu session, such subtle alchemy takes place. In practice, this means that each encounter is an opportunity for renewal: for the receiver to dare to surrender and thus receive, and for the Shiatsu-shi to remain fully present, aware of the flow of Jing, Qi, and Shen. The intersection thus becomes a living laboratory of energetic possibilities.

See No Evil, Hear No Evil, Speak No Evil — A Path of Consciousness

The three wise monkeys — Mizaru (see no evil), Kikazaru (hear no evil), and Iwazaru (speak no evil) — are an ancient Japanese symbol, originating from Buddhist and Confucian traditions. They remind us of the importance of inner purity and conscious attention. They also represent another form of trinity: hearing, seeing, and silence. From an energetic perspective, they can be understood as an inner practice:

• Hearing (Jing): opening to what truly is.
• Seeing (Qi): perceiving the dynamics of energy.
• Silence (Shen): remaining present in stillness, without judgment.

Thus, the three monkeys serve as a metaphor for listening with the hands, perceiving with the body, and being present with the spirit. They emphasize that healing arises from conscious encounter and mutual respect, not merely from technique.

The Art of Listening

For me, Shiatsu is “the art of listening with body and heart”. Listening here goes beyond ears or intellect: it is attuning to the resonance between myself and the recipient, with an open heart and without judgment. The body acts as an antenna, subtle and sensitive to the movement of energy.

Shiatsu is much more than technique; it is an art of encounter and presence. By consciously working with the Three Treasures, the hara, and the vertical axis of life, and by understanding the dynamics of Tori and Uke, a deeper layer of healing and awareness can be experienced. It thus becomes an art of living: a harmonious flow of Jing, Qi, and Shen — earth, energy, and heaven — within ourselves and in the other. The intersection of verticality (our inner spiritual experience) and horizontality (our earthly, social connection) reveals the universal field of encounter and connection.

Ultimately, Shiatsu transcends words. Focus, intention, and inner stillness open the door to other dimensions of perception, where distances dissolve and clarity and immediate knowing become possible—a state that can only be lived with humility.