The Triple Crown

Good things come in threes.

In Chinese culture, three stands for creative completeness: Out of the void emerges the one, which differentiates into two: Yin and Yang. The third element is the central pivot that brings these two together and allows them to relate to each other. This creative process is what makes life possible. Through Humanity at the center, the duality of Heaven and Earth becomes the trinity of the “Three Powers” 三才 sāncái: Heaven and Earth and Humanity 天地人 tiān dì rén.

As is so often the case, this same Chinese phrase can also refer to the sun, moon, and stars in astronomy; the jīng-essence 精, Qì 氣, and shén-spirit 神 in Chinese medicine; the forehead, the nose, and the chin in face reading, and even the three basic materials of the bow maker: glue, lacquer, and string. Of course, Buddhists will also think of the “Three Jewels” 三寶 sānbǎo: The Buddha, the Dharma, and the Sangha; Confucians of the three treasures of government: the land, the population, and the government; and Daoists of the three cinnabar fields 丹田 dāntiān.

In the case of my nationally accredited training program, the name “Triple Crown” is not only a bit of a play on the Chinese terms 三才sāncái and 三寶 sānbǎo, but was inspired by my experience as part of a Masters Swim team on Whidbey Island where we have an annual Triple Crown challenge: A set of three progressively longer swims between Thanksgiving and New Years. Of course there is also the famous Triple Crown of horse racing, and plenty of other competitive “triple crown” events, from skiing to poker to surfing.