"One of the foremost contemporary translators of classical Buddhist and Taoist literature."--Library Journal

"There is no doubt in my mind that Thomas Cleary is the greatest translator of Buddhist texts from Chinese or Japanese into English of our generation, and that he will be so known by grateful Buddhist practitioners and scholars in future centuries. Single-handedly he has gone a long way toward building the beginnings of a Buddhist canon in English."--Robert A. F. Thurman, Tricycle

A stunning translation of classic Zen teachings conveyed by great Zen Masters.This book, translated by renowned and respected translator Thomas Cleary, presents a thousand years of Zen teachings for the modern reader in a way that preserves the dynamic flavor of these talks, sayings, and records of heart-to-heart encounters. From the earliest adepts to the last of the great masters, The Zen Reader is a compendium of Zen at its best. Cleary's translation makes these teachings succinct and accessible, allowing the gift of Zen Buddhism to be received by anyone, anywhere.