[{"data":1,"prerenderedAt":-1},["ShallowReactive",2],{"$f9zlGDOrYOWjI3Qqwz1L7iQVhJpof7vTWu8Dedtw893A":3,"$fk4vpctXa85t1qFxFZrxNP7zvdGELN_OU0S-avXOUlAA":56},{"author":4,"tags":51},{"author_id":5,"author_name":6,"author_name_first_letter":7,"article_count":8,"bio":9,"short_bio":10,"bio_jsonld":11,"slug":49,"image_url":50},53232,"Thomas Cleary","T",11,"Thomas Cleary was an American translator who rendered classical Asian texts into English.\n\nBorn on January 1, 1949, Cleary was educated at Harvard University. His academic formation at Harvard provided a foundation for the linguistic work that would define his life. He translated into English from the classical languages and traditions of Asia, making texts that had long remained inaccessible to general readers available to a broad English-speaking audience.\n\nA citizen of the United States, Cleary committed himself to the patient, exacting labor of carrying meaning across languages and centuries. His work as a translator represented a sustained effort to bring the literary and philosophical heritage of Asian civilizations into the English language, directed always toward readers for whom those source traditions were otherwise closed.\n\nHe died on June 20, 2021. The body of work he left behind is defined by its orientation toward classical Asian thought and its engagement with the challenges of cross-cultural translation into English.","Thomas Cleary was an American translator who rendered classical Asian texts into English.",{"@graph":12,"@context":48},[13,25],{"@id":14,"name":6,"@type":15,"sameAs":16,"birthDate":22,"deathDate":23,"description":24},"https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q7788463","Person",[14,17,18,19,20,21],"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Thomas_Cleary","https://viaf.org/viaf/64046437/","https://id.loc.gov/authorities/names/n78082256","https://openlibrary.org/authors/OL2632324A","https://d-nb.info/gnd/115452648","1949-01-01","2021-06-20","American author and translator (1949-2021)",{"@type":26,"author":27,"headline":30,"isBasedOn":31,"mainEntity":32,"reviewedBy":33,"articleBody":9,"dateCreated":34,"dateModified":35,"additionalProperty":36,"creativeWorkStatus":47},"Article",{"name":28,"@type":29},"Editorial Team","Organization","Thomas Cleary — biography",[14,17,19],{"@id":14},{"name":28,"@type":29},"2026-05-26T01:23:03.922106+00:00","2026-05-26T01:31:23.661579+00:00",[37,41,44],{"@type":38,"value":39,"propertyID":40},"PropertyValue","Q7788463","wikidata",{"@type":38,"value":42,"propertyID":43},"1.000","factscore",{"@type":38,"value":45,"propertyID":46},"claude-sonnet-4-6-r1","draftModel","AI-drafted, auto-published","https://schema.org","thomas-cleary",null,[52],{"tag_id":53,"tag_name":54,"tag_count":55},2909,"tao",6,{"quotes":57,"pagination":201},[58,66,72,78,89,98,107,116,152,182],{"id":59,"quote_text":60,"author_id":5,"source_id":55,"has_image":61,"author":62,"source":63,"quote_tag":64,"commentary":65},3472686,"The gateway to the Tao is open – anyone can come in. If you know how to change directions, the goal is near at hand.",false,{"id":5,"author_name":6,"slug":49,"author_name_first_letter":7,"article_count":8,"image_url":50},{},[],"**The Backstory**\n\nThis quote is attributed to Thomas Cleary, a renowned translator and commentator on Chinese classics. Although I couldn't pinpoint an exact origin for this particular quote, it reflects the essence of his translations and commentaries on Taoist texts from the Tang Dynasty era (618-907 CE), when China's culture was rich in philosophical and spiritual inquiry.\n\n**The Hidden Insight**\n\nAt first glance, the quote seems to suggest a straightforward message about accessibility and proximity to enlightenment. However, upon closer inspection, it reveals a more nuanced paradox: the gateway is open not because one needs to acquire special knowledge or skills but precisely because change, in itself, becomes the goal. This means that the emphasis shifts from striving for an external achievement (enlightenment) to cultivating awareness of and flexibility within oneself.\n\n**How to Use This**\n\nTo apply this mindset today, a modern professional or creative can adopt a \" pivot-oriented\" approach to problem-solving: instead of fixating on a specific outcome or product, regularly reassess the direction of their efforts. By acknowledging that change is an inherent part of growth and progress, one can navigate obstacles more effectively and stay adaptable in the face of uncertainty.",{"id":67,"quote_text":68,"author_id":5,"source_id":55,"has_image":61,"author":69,"source":70,"quote_tag":71,"commentary":50},3472679,"So if you are going to look for a pearl, it is best to still the waves; it will be hard to find if you stir the water. When the water of concentration is still and clear, the pearl of mind reveals itself.",{"id":5,"author_name":6,"slug":49,"author_name_first_letter":7,"article_count":8,"image_url":50},{},[],{"id":73,"quote_text":74,"author_id":5,"source_id":55,"has_image":61,"author":75,"source":76,"quote_tag":77,"commentary":50},3472669,"Because of barriers of knowledge, barriers of state, and barriers of action, seeing your own buddha nature is like seeing color at night.",{"id":5,"author_name":6,"slug":49,"author_name_first_letter":7,"article_count":8,"image_url":50},{},[],{"id":79,"quote_text":80,"author_id":5,"source_id":81,"has_image":61,"author":82,"source":83,"quote_tag":84,"commentary":88},550310,"The gateway to the Tao is open - anyone can come in. If you know how to change directions, the goal is near at hand.",2,{"id":5,"author_name":6,"slug":49,"author_name_first_letter":7,"article_count":8,"image_url":50},{},[85],{"id":86,"tag":87},2983731,{"id":53,"tag_name":54},"**The Backstory**\n\nThomas Cleary's translation of Taoist texts often conveyed the essence of Eastern philosophy to Western readers. Given the style and content, it is likely that this quote originated from a commentary or introduction to a Taoist classic, possibly during his time as a translator in the 1970s-80s. The era was marked by growing interest in spirituality and self-discovery among the counterculture movement.\n\n**The Hidden Insight**\n\nAt first glance, the quote seems to convey an invitation for anyone to embark on a spiritual journey. However, the phrase \"if you know how to change directions\" reveals a paradoxical truth: true understanding of the Tao requires letting go of fixed notions and embracing flexibility, rather than adhering strictly to dogma or tradition.\n\n**How to Use This**\n\nTo apply this mindset today, professionals and creatives must learn to pivot when circumstances change, instead of clinging to rigid plans. By cultivating an agile mind and willingness to adjust course, they can navigate the complexities of modern life and stay aligned with their goals, much like navigating a path that winds through uncharted terrain.",{"id":90,"quote_text":91,"author_id":5,"source_id":81,"has_image":61,"author":92,"source":93,"quote_tag":94,"commentary":50},550304,"Having one's will on the Tao is finding joy in the Tao; when one delights in the Tao, then one can practice the Tao.",{"id":5,"author_name":6,"slug":49,"author_name_first_letter":7,"article_count":8,"image_url":50},{},[95],{"id":96,"tag":97},2983712,{"id":53,"tag_name":54},{"id":99,"quote_text":100,"author_id":5,"source_id":81,"has_image":61,"author":101,"source":102,"quote_tag":103,"commentary":50},550301,"The Way returns the carved and the polished to simplicity.",{"id":5,"author_name":6,"slug":49,"author_name_first_letter":7,"article_count":8,"image_url":50},{},[104],{"id":105,"tag":106},2983706,{"id":53,"tag_name":54},{"id":108,"quote_text":109,"author_id":5,"source_id":81,"has_image":61,"author":110,"source":111,"quote_tag":112,"commentary":50},550299,"In general, the practice of the Way involves blocking off errors, stopping them before they happen. It does not value self-approval, it values inability to do wrong.",{"id":5,"author_name":6,"slug":49,"author_name_first_letter":7,"article_count":8,"image_url":50},{},[113],{"id":114,"tag":115},2983703,{"id":53,"tag_name":54},{"id":117,"quote_text":118,"author_id":5,"source_id":81,"has_image":61,"author":119,"source":120,"quote_tag":121,"commentary":50},549889,"The Buddha is like space, with no inherent nature; appearing in the world to benefit the living, his features and refinements are like reflections.",{"id":5,"author_name":6,"slug":49,"author_name_first_letter":7,"article_count":8,"image_url":50},{},[122,127,132,137,142,147],{"id":123,"tag":124},2981897,{"id":125,"tag_name":126},270,"philosophy",{"id":128,"tag":129},2981896,{"id":130,"tag_name":131},351,"nature",{"id":133,"tag":134},2981899,{"id":135,"tag_name":136},401,"world",{"id":138,"tag":139},2981898,{"id":140,"tag_name":141},2859,"space",{"id":143,"tag":144},2981895,{"id":145,"tag_name":146},2982,"buddhism",{"id":148,"tag":149},2981894,{"id":150,"tag_name":151},6607,"buddha",{"id":153,"quote_text":154,"author_id":5,"source_id":81,"has_image":61,"author":155,"source":156,"quote_tag":157,"commentary":50},545027,"The Buddhas speak the wondrous sound throughout the world; the Teachings spoken over countless ages can all be expounded in a single word.",{"id":5,"author_name":6,"slug":49,"author_name_first_letter":7,"article_count":8,"image_url":50},{},[158,163,166,171,174,179],{"id":159,"tag":160},2960374,{"id":161,"tag_name":162},224,"time",{"id":164,"tag":165},2960375,{"id":135,"tag_name":136},{"id":167,"tag":168},2960373,{"id":169,"tag_name":170},2797,"teachings",{"id":172,"tag":173},2960371,{"id":145,"tag_name":146},{"id":175,"tag":176},2960372,{"id":177,"tag_name":178},5491,"sound",{"id":180,"tag":181},2960370,{"id":150,"tag_name":151},{"id":183,"quote_text":184,"author_id":5,"source_id":81,"has_image":61,"author":185,"source":186,"quote_tag":187,"commentary":50},362208,"If three people are travelling and one of them is confused, they can still get where they are going. That´s because the confused one is in the minority. If two of them are confused, they´ll have a hard time and won´t get there, because confusion prevails.",{"id":5,"author_name":6,"slug":49,"author_name_first_letter":7,"article_count":8,"image_url":50},{},[188,193,196],{"id":189,"tag":190},2131955,{"id":191,"tag_name":192},828,"confusion",{"id":194,"tag":195},2131957,{"id":53,"tag_name":54},{"id":197,"tag":198},2131956,{"id":199,"tag_name":200},7140,"decision-making",{"currentPage":202,"totalPages":81,"totalItems":8,"itemsPerPage":203},1,10]