In the last interview in Boston, US (April 2025), I explained to the editor, Ms. Andrea Lee, that my departure from the Protestant church and entry into the Russian Orthodox Church at the end of 2019 was not a conversion, but what I describe as a spiritual upgrade within the Christian faith—a journey into what I call the “Peach Blossom Spring” of spiritual formation, namely Hesychasm1. In terms of tradition, this shift represents a much smaller leap than from Judaism to Christianity, though perhaps a wider one than between Protestant denominations. Yet my journey of exploring the unique spiritual resources across various Christian branches and denominational traditions is far from over; it continues to this day.
A Thirty-Year Journey in Christian Spiritual Pursuit
First of all, I regard this miraculous experience of grace (as if witnessing the “burning bush”) as a new milestone in my Christian spiritual journey of a meaning-driven life. Since I converted to Christianity dramatically in 1994 as a Qi-gong practitioner and a believer in Confucianism, Buddhism and Taoism, I have never stopped pursuing Christian spirituality, always looking forward to discovering the laws of the Christian spiritual world and understanding the way the Holy Spirit works. In this process, my goal was very clear, which was to overcome the “ordeal” of Christian sanctification, deeply experience the full life promised by Jesus Christ, and learn the mysterious principles of the Kingdom of God. In the language of Protestant theology, it is how to establish a closer and more direct relationship between individuals and God—Immanuel; and in the language of Orthodox theology, it is how to involve the supernatural interaction between believers and the church. In some of my early theological works, this simple pursuit and effort are clearly reflected, aiming to explore the internal spiritual resources of Christianity, so it is not out of branch and denominational views.
Recovering Ancient Spiritual Resources in the Russian Orthodox Church
Secondly, I found the precious traditional resources of Christian spiritual practice in the Russian Orthodox Church in the US. This spiritual practice method (Hesychasm), which has been basically lost in other Christian branches and denominations, addressed the long-standing bottleneck in my spiritual life as a Protestant and alleviated my sense of helplessness as a theological scribe facing the weakness of Pneumatology. I believe this tradition began with the apostle Paul, who experienced being “caught up to the third heaven” and “into paradise.” Perhaps it was connected to the light he encountered on the road to Damascus (Acts 9:3-9), and the three years he spent in the Arabian desert, which may have included Hesychasm practices (Galatians 1:17-18).Later, Saint Anthony the Great (3rd-4th century) in Egypt, a pioneer among the Desert Fathers, developed the monastic system that gave further shape to this spiritual tradition.
Tracing the Roots and Revivals of Hesychastic Spirituality
In church history, Christian spirituality has undergone three major Hesychastic revivals: 1. Mount Sinai in Egypt (7th-8th century); 2. Mount Athos in Byzantium (13th-14th century); 3. Russian Hesychasm (19th-early 20th century)2. This clearly shows that Hesychasm is a foundational Christian spiritual practice rooted in the apostolic tradition, most fully preserved within the Russian Orthodox Church. Born out of divine wisdom and formed before the schisms of the church, this spiritual tradition transcends branches, denominations, and theological schools.
Extending Ancient Wisdom Without Pushing Conversion
Finally, as my colleague Rev. Gao Wei and I have emphasized from the beginning, we share this spiritual practice tradition—the Hesychasm of the Eastern Orthodox Christianity, or what we understand as the original spiritual tradition of the Christian faith, which has existed for at least 1,600 years—with our Protestant Chinese brothers and sisters, especially pastors.
We do not intend to persuade people to join the Orthodox Church. Personally, I believe most Chinese Christians may not find Orthodoxy a natural fit, and I will share more on this in future articles. Rather, our desire is simply to offer this rich spiritual tradition as a resource. Like the “better portion” chosen by Mary in the presence of Jesus, it may help address some of the spiritual challenges faced by churches and individual believers today.
Seeing Fruit: The Impact of Hesychastic Practice in My Life and Community
We hope that this tradition can encourage a deeper experience of the Holy Spirit’s empowerment, helping believers engage more fully in the spiritual life and in the challenges of spiritual warfare—especially where resources for inner formation may feel lacking.
Over the past four years, our cautious promotion of the Hesychasm experiment has yielded encouraging fruit in a small circle. In concrete and tangible ways, the kingdom of God has drawn near, and the tree of life has appeared right before our eyes. Therefore, this upgraded spiritual life transformation that Christians of all branches and denominations shall not refuse is also a commendable and admirable sanctification process closer to the Full Life in Christ Jesus.
Looking Ahead: Exploring the Depths of Hesychastic Prayer
So, what are the specific methods and theory of this spiritual practice? How has it changed and upgraded the spiritual life of some Christian friends and me? This is exactly the topic we need to discuss next time.
Editor’s note: Our thanks to the author for providing the Chinese version of this article.
- Here I quote the famous ancient Chinese poet Tao Yuan-ming (who lived in the fourth and fifth century) and use his tale “Peach Blossom Spring” as a metaphor. If the Hesychastic tradition in Russian Orthodox Christianity leads us to the spiritual “Peach Blossom Spring”, then “when the forest ends and the water source is reached, there is a mountain. There is a small opening in the mountain, as if there is light”—this light is the true light, that is, the Light of Nazareth Jesus Christ’s transfiguration on Mount Tabor.
- Sergey Khoruzhiy, Byzantine and Russian Hesychasm, trans. Zhang Bai-chun, World Philosophy, no. 2 (2010), Beijing: Chinese Academy of Social Sciences. Zhang Bai-chun, “A Study of Hesychasm by Sergey Khoruzhiy,” Si Dao Journal, no. 2 (Autumn 2020), Boston: North American Chinese Christian Association.
