Sun Tzu's Art of War, compiled more than two thousand years ago, is a study of the anatomy of organizations in conflict. It is perhaps the most prestigious and influential book of strategy in the world today. Now, this unique volume brings together the essential versions of Sun Tzu's text, along with illuminating commentaries and auxiliary texts written by distinguished strategists. The translations, by the renowned translator Thomas Cleary, have all been published previously in book form, except for The Silver Sparrow Art of War, which is available here for the first time. This...

Volume One of Classics of Buddhism and Zen contains teachings predominantly from the Chinese Zen (Chan) tradition, including the writings of revered Chinese masters such as Pai-chang, founder of the Chan monastic tradition; Huang-po, one of the forefathers of the Lin-chi-tsung or Rinzai school; Foyan, the great master of the twelfth-century Chinese Zen -renaissance-; and many others.

The volume includes:
Zen Lessons: The Art of Leadership
This guide to enlightened conduct for people in positions of authority is based on the teachings of several great Zen...

Volume Three of Classics of Buddhism and Zen contains translations of works by the key figures of Zen, including the Japanese master Dogen; Chinul, the twelfth-century Korean master; and Hakuin, founder of the Rinzai school. Also included are selections from the Prajnaparamita, or -Perfection of Wisdom- sutras, a key source of the Zen tradition.

The volume includes:
The Sutra of Hui-neng: Grand Master of Zen
Hui-neng was the sixth patriarch of Chinese Zen. His teachings are characterized by their striking immediacy and by their concern with direct...

Volume Five of Classics of Buddhism and Zen represents the broad spectrum of Cleary's interest in Buddhism--from Buddhist yoga and the Chinese Buddhist perspective on the I Ching to the most basic and universally loved of the Buddhist sutras, the Dhammapada.

The volume includes:
Dhammapada: The Sayings of Buddha
The famous collection of 423 verses of Buddhist wisdom that has been profoundly influential in every Buddhist school.
The Buddhist I Ching
The translation included in this volume is the only full-length interpretation...

The Blue Cliff Record is a translation of the Pi Yen Lu , a collection of one hundred famous Zen koans accompanied by commentaries and verses from the teachings of Chinese Zen masters. Compiled in the twelfth century, it is considered one of the great treasures of Zen literature and an essential study manual for students of Zen.

Military rule and the martial tradition of the samurai dominated Japanese culture for more than eight hundred years. According to Thomas Cleary--translator of more than thirty-five classics of Asian philosophy--the Japanese people have been so steeped in the way of the warrior that some of the manners and mentality of this outlook remain embedded in their individual and collective consciousness. Cleary shows how well-known attributes such as the reserve and mystery of formal Japanese behavior are deeply rooted in the ancient strategies of the traditional arts of war. Citing original Japanese...

The Book of Five Rings is one of the most insightful texts on the subtle arts of confrontation and victory to emerge from Asian culture. Written not only for martial artists but for anyone who wants to apply the timeless principles of this text to their life, the book analyzes the process of struggle and mastery over conflict that underlies every level of human interaction.

The Book of Five Rings was composed in 1643 by the famed duelist and undefeated samurai Miyamoto Musashi. Thomas Cleary's translation is immediately accessible, with an introduction that presents the...

This unique book by Master Shi Ming and Siao Weijia explores the Chinese science of mind/body and the refinement of consciousness in the higher martial arts.