Last week, MF Selena asked me to contribute something to the Zoroastrianism folder. Unfortunately, I am not acquainted with that religion and their views on investing. Instead, I'll stick with Zen, which I know a little about.

In The Way of Zen, Alan Watts relates the following, "The Chinese proverb 'What comes in through the gate is not family treasure' is understood in Zen to mean that when someone else tells you is not your own knowledge."

I see this in Foolish terms. If a broker calls you up and says that ZYX Corp is a screaming great buy based on inside knowledge of some great event, you are seeing a stock tip coming through the gate. You have no personal knowledge of ZYX being a good buy, just the received knowledge from the broker. Contrast this with the Foolish Way; you hear about ZYX from a source (which might even include a broker's tip), investigate it and determine that it passes the Foolish checklist. You buy the stock and now you own another gem.

You possess many different types of wealth. A valuable one is that you will not take outside advice as the truth, no matter how Wise the source is. Knowing that you have to work to separate the gold from the dross may be one of the greatest family treasures you can have. Doing research before investing is something worth more than any hot stock tip. It is the gold band that holds all the gems in place. Best of all, the investment ethic's highest value is that it can never be stolen.

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