The Watercourse Way
Excerpts from a vintage interview with the American Taoist master Charles Belyea
Working my way through stacks of saved magazines and newspaper clippings, I reached a 1997 copy of Yoga Journal. It fell open to a centerfold that seemed for a moment like the very essence of serenity.
I had never heard of Charles Belyea, and despite the fact that I know quite a bit about Asian philosophical and religious traditions in general, my knowledge of Taoism was superficial at best.
But my interest was captured when I flipped to the next pair of pages. For whatever reason, my eyes fell on the lower right-hand corner, and this passage immediately stood out:
It’s no use to imitate saints or act in a way premature to your experience. Simply remain in your experience and feel its real quality.
I was reminded that so much of the American approach to spirituality revolves around themes of self-improvement, change, progress, “getting better.” And Belyea’s advice stands in simple contrast to those goal-oriented pursuits.
I read on with deepening interest, and decided to share some excerpts from the interview. Briefly, Belyea (who is also known as Ming Liu) was born in America, but lived for many years on Taiwan as a Buddhist monk. There he was…
