title: Kukai On The Philosophy Of Language
author:  Shingen Takagi 
description: Kkai, the 9th Century Buddhist monk and polymath left an indelible mark on Japanese history and culture. Now, because of the excellent scholarship and work of Thomas Eij Dreitlein and Shingen Takagi, readers the world over will benefit from some of Kukais most important works in this authoritative collection of English-language translations. This expertly annotated, 428 page work offers some of Kukais best known writings including: Sokushin jbutsu gi (Buddhahood Immediately and in This Body); Sh-ji-jiss gi (The Meanings of Sound, Letter, and Reality); Unji gi (The Meanings of the Letter H); Konsh-ky himitsu kada (Secret Gths on the Suvaaprabhsa-stra); Kann no sho (On Encouraging Those with a Connection to Buddhism); and several more. Each work is carefully dividing into sections, presented in both its original language and English which provides great value for scholars and serious students of Japanese Buddhism. The addition of extensive annotations provides the reader with a wealth of background information, important historical and philosophical context, and expounds upon many of the more difficult teachings. The authors exhaustive annotations provide the keys to unlock Kkais teachings for the average reader which gives this work an appeal with a much broader audience. For this reader, one of the real gems of this work is the exhaustive 65-page glossary nestled among the appendices. Useful far beyond the confines of the book in which it rests it now has a permanent place at my desk and is often one of the first places I look for answers.
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  ![](images/00001.jpg)
  
  
  
  
  
  ## Thud!
  
  
  A NOVEL
  
  
  OF DISCWORLD®
  
  
  ## Terry Pratchett
  
  
  ![](images/00002.jpg)
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  > [The first thing Tak did, he wrote
  > himself.](Thud_split_005.html#filepos4752)
  
  
  > The second thing Tak did, he wrote the Laws.
  
  
  > The third thing Tak did, he wrote the World.
  
  
  > The fourth thing Tak did, he wrote a cave.
  
  
  > The fifth thing Tak did, he wrote a geode, an egg of stone.
  
  
    
  
  
  And in the twilight of the mouth of the cave, the geode hatched, and the
  Brothers were born.
  
  
  The first Brother walked toward the light, and stood under the open sky. Thus
  he became too tall. He was the first Man. He found no Laws, and he was
  enlightened.
  
  
  The second Brother walked toward the darkness, and stood under a roof of
  stone. Thus he achieved the correct height. He was the first Dwarf. He found
  the Laws Tak had written, and he was endarkened.
  
  
  But some of the living spirit of Tak was trapped in the broken stone egg, and
  it became the first troll, w