The first words that are read by seekers of enlightenment in the
secret, gong-banging, yeti-haunted valleys near the hub of the world,
are when they look into The Life of Wen the Eternally Surprised.
The first question they ask is: 'Why was he eternally surprised?'
And they are told: 'Wen considered the nature of time and understood
that the universe is, instant by instant, recreated anew. Therefore,
he understood, there is in truth no past, only a memory of the past.
Blink your eyes, and the world you see next did not exist when you
closed them. Therefore, he said, the only appropriate state of the
mind is surprise. The only appropriate state of the heart is joy. The
sky you see now, you have never seen before. The perfect moment is
now. Be glad of it.'
The first words read by the young Lu-Tze when he sought perplexity in
the dark, teeming, rain-soaked city of Ankh-Morpork were: 'Rooms For
Rent, Very Reasonable.' And he was glad of it.
-- Terry Pratchett: PBUH
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