Real Prosperity A rich man asked Sengai to write something for the continued prosperity of his family so that it might be treasured from generation to generation.
Sengai obtained a large sheet of paper and wrote: “Father dies, son dies, grandson dies.”
The rich man became angry. “I asked you to write something for the happiness of my family! Why do you make such a joke of this?”
“No joke is intended,” explained Sengai. “If before you yourself die your son should die, this would grieve you greatly. If your grandson should pass away before your son, both of you would be broken-hearted. If your family, generation after generation, passes away in the order I have named, it will be the natural course of life. I call this real prosperity.”
Word Series: Real Prosperity Poster. Size: 18 x 24 in. On a matte paper. Heavyweight stock.
“Art can be deeply meaningful, but so can teaching, engineering, raising a family, repairing bicycles, or running a small shop. When someone can’t see the value in other people’s choices, it usually comes from a narrow mindset and a limited perspective.”
“And the big daddy that I learned from all this: I actually CAN’T paint like other artists, and nor do I want to. That’s the best thing this exercise has taught me over the years; it’s fun to experiment, to try out what other artists are doing, but if I only ever did that I’d be unfulfilled and dissatisfied. I’d be surrounded by a vegetarian buffet and craving steak.”
“Self-made” means a person has achieved success, wealth, or status through their own efforts, especially by rising from a position of poverty or obscurity. It implies success that is not inherited or the result of privilege, but rather earned through personal talent and hard work. The term can also be used literally to mean “made by oneself”.
Real Prosperity A rich man asked Sengai to write something for the continued prosperity of his family so that it might be treasured from generation to generation.
Sengai obtained a large sheet of paper and wrote: “Father dies, son dies, grandson dies.”
The rich man became angry. “I asked you to write something for the happiness of my family! Why do you make such a joke of this?”
“No joke is intended,” explained Sengai. “If before you yourself die your son should die, this would grieve you greatly. If your grandson should pass away before your son, both of you would be broken-hearted. If your family, generation after generation, passes away in the order I have named, it will be the natural course of life. I call this real prosperity.”
Word Series: Real Prosperity Poster. Size: 18 x 24 in. On a matte paper. Heavyweight stock.
Real Prosperity A rich man asked Sengai to write something for the continued prosperity of his family so that it might be treasured from generation to generation.
Sengai obtained a large sheet of paper and wrote: “Father dies, son dies, grandson dies.”
The rich man became angry. “I asked you to write something for the happiness of my family! Why do you make such a joke of this?”
“No joke is intended,” explained Sengai. “If before you yourself die your son should die, this would grieve you greatly. If your grandson should pass away before your son, both of you would be broken-hearted. If your family, generation after generation, passes away in the order I have named, it will be the natural course of life. I call this real prosperity.”
Word Series: Real Prosperity Poster. Size: 18 x 24 in. On a matte paper. Heavyweight stock.
“Art history reminds us that fame is fickle. Many artists adored in their time are now forgotten, while those once overlooked have become pillars of artistic legacy (van Gogh, Herman Melville, Johannes Vermeer, etc..). Present acclaim rarely predicts enduring relevance.”
