Thomas Cleary
Encyclopedia
Thomas Cleary is a prolific author and translator of Buddhist
, Taoist
, Confucian
and Muslim
classics, and of the Chinese Art of War
tradition of strategy and statecraft. He lives in Oakland, California
in the United States
.
The Art of War
. Cleary received a PhD
in East Asian Languages and Civilizations
from Harvard University
, but has had minimal involvement with the academic world, claiming that "there is too much oppression in a university setting," and that he wants "to stay independent and reach those who who want to learn directly through [his] books." He reserves some praise for his alma mater, though; "a good thing about Harvard was language training was done by native teachers. You did not find that everywhere."
Cleary's first publication, with his brother J.C. Cleary was the translation of the Zen
koan collection, The Blue Cliff Record (ISBN 1-59030-232-X). Cleary also translated the monumental Avatamsaka Sutra
(Huayan Jing / Flower Ornament Scripture).
Cleary's most widely disseminated translation has been of the Chinese classic The Art of War
(Sunzi Bingfa) by Sun Tzu
. Another major translation is of the commentaries of the 18th century Taoist sage Liu Yiming, who clearly explains the often impenetrable metaphoric coding of the main Taoist texts dealing with the transformation of consciousness
and the fusion of the human mind with the Mind of the Tao.
In 2000, Cleary's various translations of Taoist texts were collected into 4 volumes by Shambhala Publications
as The Taoist Classics. Following the success of these publications, a five volume collection of Buddhist translations was collected as Classics of Buddhism and Zen Cleary's recent translation of the Qur'an
has been praised by Muslims who know English and Arabic
. Another outstanding translation from the Muslim wisdom tradition is Living and Dying with Grace.
Buddhism
Buddhism is a religion and philosophy encompassing a variety of traditions, beliefs and practices, largely based on teachings attributed to Siddhartha Gautama, commonly known as the Buddha . The Buddha lived and taught in the northeastern Indian subcontinent some time between the 6th and 4th...
, Taoist
Taoism
Taoism refers to a philosophical or religious tradition in which the basic concept is to establish harmony with the Tao , which is the mechanism of everything that exists...
, Confucian
Confucius
Confucius , literally "Master Kong", was a Chinese thinker and social philosopher of the Spring and Autumn Period....
and Muslim
Islam
Islam . The most common are and . : Arabic pronunciation varies regionally. The first vowel ranges from ~~. The second vowel ranges from ~~~...
classics, and of the Chinese Art of War
The Art of War
The Art of War is an ancient Chinese military treatise that is attributed to Sun Tzu , a high ranking military general and strategist during the late Spring and Autumn period...
tradition of strategy and statecraft. He lives in Oakland, California
Oakland, California
Oakland is a major West Coast port city on San Francisco Bay in the U.S. state of California. It is the eighth-largest city in the state with a 2010 population of 390,724...
in the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
.
Life and work
Cleary "got into Buddhism... in [his] teens", and was driven to research Buddhist texts because he "wanted to learn". He usually translates texts that are not yet available in English; however, he has made some exceptions for books he felt had English translations that were "too limited," such as Sun Tzu'sSun Tzu
Sun Wu , style name Changqing , better known as Sun Tzu or Sunzi , was an ancient Chinese military general, strategist and philosopher who is traditionally believed, and who is most likely, to have authored The Art of War, an influential ancient Chinese book on military strategy...
The Art of War
The Art of War
The Art of War is an ancient Chinese military treatise that is attributed to Sun Tzu , a high ranking military general and strategist during the late Spring and Autumn period...
. Cleary received a PhD
PHD
PHD may refer to:*Ph.D., a doctorate of philosophy*Ph.D. , a 1980s British group*PHD finger, a protein sequence*PHD Mountain Software, an outdoor clothing and equipment company*PhD Docbook renderer, an XML renderer...
in East Asian Languages and Civilizations
EALC
In American universities, EALC refers to East Asian Languages and Civilizations , and is the term for the department of East Asian studies, which studies this region of the world....
from Harvard University
Harvard University
Harvard University is a private Ivy League university located in Cambridge, Massachusetts, United States, established in 1636 by the Massachusetts legislature. Harvard is the oldest institution of higher learning in the United States and the first corporation chartered in the country...
, but has had minimal involvement with the academic world, claiming that "there is too much oppression in a university setting," and that he wants "to stay independent and reach those who who want to learn directly through [his] books." He reserves some praise for his alma mater, though; "a good thing about Harvard was language training was done by native teachers. You did not find that everywhere."
Cleary's first publication, with his brother J.C. Cleary was the translation of the Zen
Zen
Zen is a school of Mahāyāna Buddhism founded by the Buddhist monk Bodhidharma. The word Zen is from the Japanese pronunciation of the Chinese word Chán , which in turn is derived from the Sanskrit word dhyāna, which can be approximately translated as "meditation" or "meditative state."Zen...
koan collection, The Blue Cliff Record (ISBN 1-59030-232-X). Cleary also translated the monumental Avatamsaka Sutra
Avatamsaka Sutra
The is one of the most influential Mahayana sutras of East Asian Buddhism. The title is rendered in English as Flower Garland Sutra, Flower Adornment Sutra, or Flower Ornament Scripture....
(Huayan Jing / Flower Ornament Scripture).
Cleary's most widely disseminated translation has been of the Chinese classic The Art of War
The Art of War
The Art of War is an ancient Chinese military treatise that is attributed to Sun Tzu , a high ranking military general and strategist during the late Spring and Autumn period...
(Sunzi Bingfa) by Sun Tzu
Sun Tzu
Sun Wu , style name Changqing , better known as Sun Tzu or Sunzi , was an ancient Chinese military general, strategist and philosopher who is traditionally believed, and who is most likely, to have authored The Art of War, an influential ancient Chinese book on military strategy...
. Another major translation is of the commentaries of the 18th century Taoist sage Liu Yiming, who clearly explains the often impenetrable metaphoric coding of the main Taoist texts dealing with the transformation of consciousness
Consciousness
Consciousness is a term that refers to the relationship between the mind and the world with which it interacts. It has been defined as: subjectivity, awareness, the ability to experience or to feel, wakefulness, having a sense of selfhood, and the executive control system of the mind...
and the fusion of the human mind with the Mind of the Tao.
In 2000, Cleary's various translations of Taoist texts were collected into 4 volumes by Shambhala Publications
Shambhala Publications
Shambhala Publications is an independent publishing company based in Boston, Massachusetts. According to the company, it specializes in "books that present creative and conscious ways of transforming the individual, the society, and the planet". Many of its books deal with Buddhism or related topics...
as The Taoist Classics. Following the success of these publications, a five volume collection of Buddhist translations was collected as Classics of Buddhism and Zen Cleary's recent translation of the Qur'an
Qur'an
The Quran , also transliterated Qur'an, Koran, Alcoran, Qur’ān, Coran, Kuran, and al-Qur’ān, is the central religious text of Islam, which Muslims consider the verbatim word of God . It is regarded widely as the finest piece of literature in the Arabic language...
has been praised by Muslims who know English and Arabic
Arabic language
Arabic is a name applied to the descendants of the Classical Arabic language of the 6th century AD, used most prominently in the Quran, the Islamic Holy Book...
. Another outstanding translation from the Muslim wisdom tradition is Living and Dying with Grace.
Partial bibliography of translations
- The Blue Cliff Record - Thomas Cleary & J.C. Cleary. Shambhala Publications, 1977
- The Taoist I Ching. Shambhala Publications, 1986
- The Buddhist I Ching. Shambhala Publications, 1987
- Book of Serenity - One Hundred Zen Dialogues. Shambhala Publications, 1988
- Opening the Dragon Gate Tuttle Publishing 1996 272 pages
- Dates Unknown, from 2005 edition of The Taoist I Ching, is a categorized list of about 40 texts
- Soul of the Samurai Tuttle Publishing (October 15, 2005) 166 pages
- Training the Samurai Mind: A Bushido Sourcebook Shambhala (May 13, 2008) 288 pages
- Samurai Wisdom Tuttle Publishing (April 10, 2009) 256 pages
- Lords of the Samurai: Legacy of a Daimyo Family Asian Art Museum (June 24, 2009) 256 pages
Partial bibliography
- The Blue Cliff Record ISBN 1-59030-232-X with J.C. Cleary
- The Undying Lamp of ZEN: The Testament of ZEN Master Torei ISBN 1590307925, Shambhala Publications Inc, 2010