The Third Treasure of the Three Treasures - the Hand Seal

The Third Treasure of the Three Treasures - the Hand Seal

The Hand Seal has its own meaning, which many people may not know. When holding the hand seal, the right thumb and the left thumb are pressing on the X of the ring finger and Y of the pinky respectively. And when you holding the Hand Seal, left hand should wrap the right hand, left hand outwards, and right hand inwards.

Two points to worth to note and understand:

1) The X, Y meanings (why must be at that spots?).

2) Why should the Left hand wrap inwards the right hand (why couldn't make it reverse?) 

1) According to the twelve Chinese traditional hours (1 Chinese traditional hour corresponds to 2 modern hours), the 12 hours per day can be named as：子、醜、寅、卯、辰、巳、午、未、申、酉、戊、亥. The Chinese fortune tellers often use their hands to predict one's fate by counting on the twelve Chinese traditional hours on their fingers.  And the X、Y  are the spots of 子(zi) and 亥(hai)。子 + 亥 = 孩 , and ‘孩’ (hai) means 'child', so the Third Treasure of the Three Treasures - the Hand Seal, reminds us to keep our pure heart as a child - simple chaste, which means that our original nature is a child-like state of mind that sees wonder in everything, does not judge or criticize and experience pure bliss in the here and now. The Hand Seal reminds us how precious this inner child is, and how we can rediscover our original nature through Tao cultivation. 

On the other hand, "子" (zi) is entailing the 'beginning' and the "亥" (hai)is entailing the 'ending', which also means that never do things by halve or carry something to the end.

2) When holding the Hand Seal, the lend hand wrap inwards the right hand,which makes the left hand outwards and right hand inwards, it is because Chinese believes that the left hand is kind and the right hand is evil. So the Hand Seal also means that we have to conceal the faults of others(right hand inwards) and praise their good points(left hand outwards).

*Going back to the old times, the General always carry the weapon in his right hand, and when he wants to salute to his king, his left hand automatically put on top of the right hand. So it has become the meaning of left hand is kind and the right hand is evil(carrying weapons entails killing).