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."
