Thomas Cleary

About

Thomas Cleary (1949–2021) was a prolific American translator and scholar of Asian classics, best known for bringing Chinese, Japanese, Korean, and Buddhist texts to a wide English‑language audience. Trained in East Asian languages and philosophy (he studied at the University of California, Berkeley), he translated more than 80 works across traditions, including Zen, Chan, Taoism, Confucianism, Sufism, and military strategy.

Cleary’s translations are distinctive for blending accuracy with readability, avoiding heavy academic jargon while staying close to the original ideas. Some of his most influential works include translations of The Art of War, The Tao Te Ching, The Blue Cliff Record, The Book of Five Rings, and numerous Zen and Mahāyāna Buddhist texts (such as The Flower Ornament Scripture). His work has been widely used by practitioners, scholars, and general readers interested in Eastern philosophy and contemplative traditions.

Selected Bibliography of Translations by Thomas Cleary

Zen / Chan & Mahāyāna Buddhism

• Cleary, T. (Trans.). (1977). Sayings and doings of Pai-chang (Baizhang). Center Publications.
• Cleary, T. (Trans.). (1980). Zen dawn: Early Zen texts from Tun Huang. Shambhala.
• Cleary, T. (Trans.). (1983). The blue cliff record (with J. C. Cleary). Shambhala.
• Cleary, T. (Trans.). (1984). The book of serenity: One hundred Zen dialogues. Lindisfarne.
• Cleary, T. (Trans.). (1986). Unlocking the Zen koan. North Point Press.
• Cleary, T. (Trans.). (1986). Sayings of Layman P’ang. North Point Press.
• Cleary, T. (Trans.). (1987). Zen letters: Teachings of Yuanwu. North Point Press.
• Cleary, T. (Trans.). (1989). Records of the transmission of the lamp (selections). Center Publications.
• Cleary, T. (Trans.). (1990). No barrier: Unlocking the Zen koan — The Mumonkan. Bantam.
• Cleary, T. (Trans.). (1991). The five houses of Zen. Shambhala.
• Cleary, T. (Trans.). (1993). Zen essence: The science of freedom. Shambhala.
• Cleary, T. (Trans.). (1993). The original face: An anthology of Rinzai Zen. Grove Press.
• Cleary, T. (Trans.). (1993). Instant Zen: Waking up in the present. North Atlantic Books.
• Cleary, T. (Trans.). (1994). Teachings of Zen. Shambhala.
• Cleary, T. (Trans.). (1995). Zen under the gun: Four Zen masters from Turbulent Times. Shambhala.
• Cleary, T. (Trans.). (1995). Secrets of the blue cliff record. Shambhala.
• Cleary, T. (Trans.). (1999). The Buddhist I Ching. Shambhala.
• Cleary, T. (Trans.). (2001). The flower ornament scripture: A translation of the Avatamsaka Sutra. Shambhala.
• Cleary, T. (Trans.). (2005). The Zen canon: Understanding the classic texts (Contributor/translator excerpts). Oxford University Press.

Taoism / Daoism

• Cleary, T. (Trans.). (1986). The Taoist I Ching. Shambhala.
• Cleary, T. (Trans.). (1987). Vitality, energy, spirit: A Taoist sourcebook. Shambhala.
• Cleary, T. (Trans.). (1987). Understanding reality: A Taoist alchemical classic (Zhang Boduan). Shambhala.
• Cleary, T. (Trans.). (1989). The book of balance and harmony. North Point Press.
• Cleary, T. (Trans.). (1989). The secret of the golden flower. Harper & Row.
• Cleary, T. (Trans.). (1990). The Taoist classics. Volume 1: The collected translations of Thomas Cleary. Shambhala.
• Cleary, T. (Trans.). (1992). The Taoist classics. Volume 2. Shambhala.
• Cleary, T. (Trans.). (1993). The Taoist classics. Volume 3. Shambhala.
• Cleary, T. (Trans.). (1995). The Taoist classics. Volume 4. Shambhala.
• Cleary, T. (Trans.). (1991). Practical Taoism (Qiu Changchun). Shambhala.
• Cleary, T. (Trans.). (1991). The inner teachings of Taoism (Chang Po-tuan). Shambhala.
• Cleary, T. (Trans.). (1992). Taoist meditation: Methods for cultivating a healthy mind and body. Shambhala.

Confucianism & Neo-Confucianism

• Cleary, T. (Trans.). (1988). Reflections on things at hand: The neo-Confucian anthology (with W. T. Chan). Columbia University Press.
• Cleary, T. (Trans.). (1989). A source book of Chinese philosophy (selected translations; contributor). Princeton University Press.
• Cleary, T. (Trans.). (1992). The essential Confucius: The heart of Confucius’ teaching in authentic I Ching order. HarperCollins.
• Cleary, T. (Trans.). (1992). The essential Mencius. HarperCollins.

Military Strategy & Political Thought

• Cleary, T. (Trans.). (1988). The art of war: Sun Tzu — A new translation. Shambhala.
• Cleary, T. (Trans.). (1988). The Japanese art of war: Understanding the culture of strategy. Shambhala.
• Cleary, T. (Trans.). (1988). The thirty-six strategies of the Chinese. Shambhala.
• Cleary, T. (Trans.). (1989). Thunder in the sky: On the acquisition and exercise of power. Shambhala.
• Cleary, T. (Trans.). (1992). The art of war: The essential translations of Sun-tzu and other strategists of ancient China. Shambhala.

Japanese Buddhism, Samurai & Martial Texts

• Cleary, T. (Trans.). (1988). The book of five rings (Miyamoto Musashi). Shambhala.
• Cleary, T. (Trans.). (1990). Code of the samurai: A modern translation of the Bushidō shoshinshū. Tuttle.
• Cleary, T. (Trans.). (1992). The Japanese art of war: Understanding the culture of strategy. Shambhala.
• Cleary, T. (Trans.). (1993). Training the samurai mind: A Bushidō sourcebook. Shambhala.

Sufism & Islamic Thought

• Cleary, T. (Trans.). (1986). The wisdom of the Prophet: The sayings of Muhammad. Shambhala.
• Cleary, T. (Trans.). (1989). The essential Koran: The heart of Islam. HarperSanFrancisco.

Other Buddhist & Asian Classics

• Cleary, T. (Trans.). (1989). The essential Tao: An initiation into the heart of Taoism through the authentic Tao Te Ching and the inner teachings of Chuang-tzu. HarperCollins.
• Cleary, T. (Trans.). (1990). The secret of the golden flower: The classic Chinese book of life. Harper & Row.
• Cleary, T. (Trans.). (1993). The sutra of Hui-neng, Grand Master of Zen. Shambhala.
• Cleary, T. (Trans.). (1995). Meeting of minds: A dialogue between Japanese and American philosophers (Contributor/translator).