The Blue Cliff Record

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. 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”. 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. Since completing his doctoral studies, Cleary has had little involvement with the academic world. “There is too much oppression in a university setting”, he says. “I want to stay independent and reach those who want to learn directly through my books.”