Prosperity
  by: Author Unknown, Source Unknown

A rich man asked a Zen master to write something 
down that could encourage the prosperity of his 
family for years to come. It would be something 
that the family could cherish for generations. On a 
large piece of paper, the master wrote, "Father dies, 
son dies, grandson dies." 


The rich man became angry when he saw the 
master's work. "I asked you to write something 
down that could bring happiness and prosperity to 
my family. Why do you give me something 
depressing like this?" 

"If your son should die before you," the master 
answered, "this would bring unbearable grief to 

your family. If your grandson should die before 
your son, this also would bring great sorrow. If 
your family, generation after generation, disappears 
in the order I have described, it will be the natural 
course of life. This is true happiness and 
prosperity."