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Dr Richard Béliveau
in his Zen retreat
Photos: Liam
Maloney
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The Charles-Bruneau Cancerology
Centre, at Montreal's St Justine Hospital, is your typical
sterile laboratory — all fluorescent lights and
gleaming linoleum. But turn one doorknob, the one with
the Asian stuffed toy dangling from it, and suddenly
you're in a Zen oasis. The walls are a deep red and
covered in Japanese art. Two samurai swords stand carefully
arranged on a wooden table. A Japanese shade filters
light from the large window. Welcome to the world of
Dr Richard Béliveau, PhD, director of the centre's
molecular medicine laboratory, author of bestseller
Foods That Fight Cancer, and one of Canada's
leading collectors of Japanese and samurai art.
"I fell in love with Japan at 11
years-old," Dr Béliveau explains. "But even before
that, I remember being seven years old and cooking an
egg and I would place it asymmetrically on the plate
because I found it looked nicer. And I'd put cayenne
pepper just on the yoke because I liked the contrast
of the red and the yellow. When I discovered Japan I
said, 'Wow, there's a whole culture like me!' Now, most
of my Japanese friends say I'm more Japanese than they
are."
Dr Béliveau's tea
ceremonies cancer fighting in action |
When he was 15, he used his first
paycheque from a job in a garment factory to buy a Japanese
print. From that moment on, he became a dedicated collector
of Japanese art and cultural artifacts. His home is
filled with hundreds of calligraphy scrolls and prints,
tea ceremony bowls, roughly 20 samurai swords, and his
most valued possession: nine samurai suits of armour.
His collection of armour is considered the largest in
Canada — people have even come from Japan to inspect
it — but Dr Béliveau insists he's not in
it for the money.
"When I sit in front of my samurai
armour I get a feeling from them," he says. "They have
beauty and strength, and they give me this strength.
I don't collect these for materialistic purposes, and
definitely not for investment. I collect them because
they give me something: a vision of life, peace and
harmony."
CHIVALRIC
CODE
Dr Béliveau sees a connection between the ancient
Japanese samurai code of honour Bushido (meaning "way
of the warrior") and his work. "The word samurai means
'the one who serves,'" he says. "And for me the book
and being a medical researcher have one purpose: to
help mankind." Foods That Fight Cancer has become
a surprise bestseller in Quebec, the land of poutine
and cigarettes, selling more than 130,000 copies to
date. The English version is released this month.
Besides helping people, Bushido
emphasizes perseverance, imagination, compassion, minimalism
and appreciation of nature. "Dedication is also very
important," adds Dr Béliveau. "You cannot do
research part time, you have to be completely dedicated.
Just like you cannot be a half samurai, " he says. "There's
also the life and death issue. Samurai lived with the
idea of dying. As a researcher in oncology, death is
always present."
Dr Béliveau's ceremonial
tea sets also attest to the harmony between vocation
and avocation. His home is filled with the sets, and
one is tucked inside his office so that he and colleagues
can enjoy a relaxing cup whenever the stress of work
is too much. Tea is also a part of his work: he believes
it contains a larger quantity of cancer-fighting properties
than any other natural product. "My love of Japan and
my work have really come together."
Before I leave Dr Béliveau
goes to his desk and opens a drawer. He turns and hands
me a business card, ceremonially, with one hand at each
end. He bows his head.
"Arigato," he says. Even
his business cards come in Japanese.
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