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Thomas Cleary

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For the Australian politician, see Thomas John Cleary.
Thomas F. Cleary
Born(1949-04-24)April 24, 1949
DiedJune 20, 2021(2021-06-20) (aged 72)
OccupationTranslator, Author
LanguageEnglish
Education
  • Ph.D., East Asian Languages and Civilizations
  • J.D., Law
Alma materHarvard University
UC Berkeley School of Law
Period1977–2021
SubjectEastern philosophy
RelativesJonathan C. Cleary (brother)

Thomas Cleary (24 April 1949 – 20 June 2021) was an American translator and author of more than 80 books related to Buddhist, Taoist, Confucian, and Muslim classics, and of The Art of War, a treatise on management, military strategy, and statecraft.[1][2][3] He has translated books from Pali, Sanskrit, Arabic, Chinese, Japanese, and Old Irish into English. Cleary lived in Oakland, California.[3]

Early life[edit]

Cleary became interested in Buddhism when he was a teenager; his researches into Buddhist thought began with a desire to learn during this time of his life.[1] When he began translating, he chose either untranslated works or—as in the case of Sun Tzu's The Art of War—books whose extant translations were "too limited".[1] Cleary earned a Ph.D. in East Asian Languages and Civilizations from Harvard University, and a JD from the Boalt Hall School of Law at the University of California, Berkeley.[4] After completing his doctoral studies, Cleary had little involvement with the academic world. "There is too much oppression in a university setting", he said.[1] "I want to stay independent and reach those who want to learn directly through my books."[1] Cleary's brother Jonathon also completed his doctoral work in EALC at Harvard.

Work[edit]

Thomas and Jonathon Cleary worked together to translate the koan collection The Blue Cliff Record; Shambhala published the translation in 1977. Thomas Cleary's most widely disseminated translation has been of Sun Tzu's The Art of War (Sunzi Bingfa).[citation needed] He also translated, beginning in 1984, the monumental Avatamsaka Sutra (also called Huayan Jing, or the Flower Ornament Scripture). The one volume edition was published in 1993.[5] Another major translation was of the commentaries of the 18th century Taoist sage Liu Yiming, who explains the metaphoric coding of the main Taoist texts dealing with the transformation of consciousness, and the fusion of the human mind with the mind of Tao.

In 2000, Cleary's various translations of Taoist texts were collected into four 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. Another translation from the Muslim wisdom tradition is Living and Dying with Grace. In 1993 Cleary published a translation of Miyamoto Musashi's Book of Five Rings.[6]

Personal life[edit]

Cleary died on 20 June 2021 in Oakland, California, due to complications from previous illnesses. He is survived by his wife and brothers.[7][8]

Bibliography[edit]

The following is a partial list of works translated by Thomas Cleary.

Taoism[edit]

  • Understanding Reality: A Taoist Alchemical Classic, University of Hawaii Press, 1987. ISBN 0824811399.
  • The Essential Tao: An Initiation into the Heart of Taoism Through the Authentic Tao Te Ching and the Inner Teachings of Chuang-Tzu, HarperOne, 1993. ISBN 9780062502162.
  • The Secret of the Golden Flower: The Classic Chinese Book of Life, HarperOne, 1993. ISBN 0062501933.
  • Sex, Health, and Long Life: Manuals of Taoist Practice, Shamphala, 1995. ISBN 9781570620591.
  • Immortal Sisters: Secret Teachings of Taoist Women, North Atlantic Books, 1996. ISBN 1556432224.
  • Taoist Meditation: Methods for Cultivating a Healthy Mind and Body, Shambhala, 2000. ISBN 1570625670.
  • Classics of Strategy and Counsel, Volume 2: The Collected Translations of Thomas Cleary, Shambhala, 2001. ISBN 9781570627286.
  • Alchemists, Mediums, and Magicians: Stories of Taoist Mystics, Shambhala, 2001. ISBN 9781590306598.
  • The Book of Balance and Harmony: A Taoist Handbook, Shambhala, 2003. ISBN 9781590300770.
  • The Taoist Classics, Volume One: The Collected Translations of Thomas Cleary, Shambhala, 2003. ISBN 9781570629051.
  • The Taoist Classics, Volume Two: The Collected Translations of Thomas Cleary, Shambhala, 2003. ISBN 1570629064.
  • The Taoist Classics, Volume Three: The Collected Translations of Thomas Cleary, Shambhala, 2003. ISBN 1570629072.
  • The Taoist Classics, Volume Four: The Collected Translations of Thomas Cleary, Shambhala, 2003. ISBN 1570629080.
  • The Taoist I Ching, Shambhala, 2005. ISBN 1590302605.
  • The Tao Deck, New I-Ching Tool, Lotus Press, 2005. ISBN 9780970715906.
  • Awakening to the Tao, Shambhala, 2006. ISBN 159030344X.
  • The Way of the World: Readings in Chinese Philosophy, Shambhala, 2009. ISBN 9781590307380.
  • Chuang-tzu: The Outer Chapters, 2011. ASIN B005PGNO5W.
  • The Taoism Reader, Shambhala, 2012. ISBN 9781590309506.
  • Lost Legends of Immortals, 2012. ASIN B0074B26NC.

Buddhism[edit]

  • The Flower Ornament Scripture: A Translation of the Avatamsaka Sutra, Shambhala, 1993. ISBN 0877739404.
  • Instant Zen: Waking up in the Present, North Atlantic Books, 1994. ISBN 1556431937.
  • Classics of Buddhism and Zen, Volume One: The Collected Translations of Thomas Cleary, Shambhala, 2001. ISBN 9781590302187.
  • Classics of Buddhism and Zen, Volume Two: The Collected Translations of Thomas Cleary, Shambhala, 2001. ISBN 9781590302194.
  • Classics of Buddhism and Zen, Volume Three: The Collected Translations of Thomas Cleary, Shambhala, 2001. ISBN 9781590302200.
  • Classics of Buddhism and Zen, Volume Four: The Collected Translations of Thomas Cleary, Shambhala, 2001. ISBN 9781590302217.
  • Classics of Buddhism and Zen, Volume Five: The Collected Translations of Thomas Cleary, Shambhala, 2002. ISBN 9781590302224.
  • The Buddha Scroll, Shambhala, 2002. ISBN 9781570625138.
  • Transmission of Light: Zen in the Art of Enlightenment by Zen Master Keizan, Shambhala, 2002. ISBN 1570629498.
  • Book of Serenity: One Hundred Zen Dialogues, Shambhala, 2005. ISBN 1590302494.
  • Body, Mind, and Breath: a Meditation Handbook, 2011. ASIN B005L95UKA.
  • Tao Te Ching: Zen Teachings on the Taoist Classic, Shambhala, 2011. ISBN 9780834827370.
  • The First Book of Zen, 2012. ASIN B009NNAD8E.
  • The Lankavatara Sutra, 2012. ASIN B00AJXMYCA.
  • Sitting Meditation, 2012. ASIN B007VHAS7A.
  • Zen in the Pure Land, 2012. ASIN B009GA6ZGI.
  • The Zen Reader, Shambhala, 2012. ISBN 9781590309469.
  • Introduction to Chan Buddhism, 2014. ASIN B00JAPPNFS.
  • Chan Buddhist Meditation, 2015. ASIN B015JWHZR4.
  • The Fifth Council: Buddhism for the Sciences, 2015. ASIN B00VZB2UYM.
  • The Secrets of Tantric Buddhism: Understanding the Ecstasy of Enlightenment, Weiser Books, 2015. ISBN 9781578635689.

Islam[edit]

  • The Essential Koran: The Heart of Islam, Harper SanFrancisco, 1994. ISBN 9780062501981.
  • The Qur'an: A New Translation by Thomas Cleary, Starlatch Press, 2004. ISBN 9781929694440.

Other[edit]

  • The Book of Five Rings: A Classic Text on the Japanese Way of the Sword, Shambhala, 2005. ISBN 9781590302484.
  • The Counsels of Cormac: An Ancient Irish Guide to Leadership, Doubleday, 2004. ISBN 0385513135.
  • Training the Samurai Mind: A Bushido Sourcebook, Shambhala, 2008. ISBN 9781590305720.
  • Samurai Wisdom: Lessons from Japan's Warrior Culture - Five Classic Texts on Bushido, Tuttle Publishing, 2014. ISBN 9784805312933.
  • Six Secrets: A classic Chinese manual of Strategy, 2014, ASIN B00IOZ2BU0.
  • Soul of the Samurai: Modern Translations of Three Classic Works of Zen & Bushido, Tuttle Publishing, 2014. ISBN 9784805312919.
  • Judgments of the Irish, 2015. ASIN B012BTPBJC.

References[edit]

  1. ^ a b c d e "Thomas Cleary interview". Sonshi ☯ Sun Tzu's Art of War Educational Resource. Retrieved 10 July 2009.
  2. ^ Burton-Rose, Daniel. "The Lit interview: Thomas Cleary". San Francisco Bay Guardian. Archived from the original on 12 March 2008. Retrieved 10 July 2009.
  3. ^ a b "Thomas Cleary - Fons Vitae books ; The Qur'an Translated by Thomas Cleary ; Starlatch books". www.fonsvitae.com. May 2004. Archived from the original on 14 December 2009. Retrieved 14 December 2009.
  4. ^ "Thomas Cleary". www.shambhala.com. Retrieved 1 January 2011.
  5. ^ Cook, Francis Dojun. "Bodhicitta's Ripple Effect". Tricycle: The Buddhist Review. Retrieved 29 June 2021.
  6. ^ "0877738688 The Book Of Five Rings by Miyamoto Musashi". www.isbnplus.com. Archived from the original on 4 January 2018.
  7. ^ "Remembering Thomas Cleary, Translator of Asian Classics". Shambhala Publications. 26 June 2021. Retrieved 28 June 2021.
  8. ^ "Thomas Cleary, Prolific Translator of Eastern Texts, Dies at 72". New York Times. 10 July 2021. Retrieved 10 July 2021.
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