What “When the Student Is Ready, the Teacher Will Appear” Really Means
Exploring the saying through the Beatles, personal experiences, and ancient sages
The first time I heard the quote, “When the student is ready, the teacher will appear” (attributed to several wise individuals, including Buddha and Lao Tzu), I got the wrong end of the stick. I thought it meant that a sage-like instructor would come into my life as long as I was spiritually awake. Perhaps they would even knock on my front door! At the very least, life would orchestrate a meeting.
However, the saying doesn’t mean individuals on a spiritual growth path always meet a teacher when ready. The idea that you will find a sage in your midst at a specific point sounds magical. It’s so magical that it’s not true.
However, plenty of spiritual seekers have mentioned meeting wise teachers on their journey toward enlightenment, and their stories fuel the notion that’s how things should happen.
Even the Beatles met the Maharishi (a spiritual guru). David Chiu, writing for Rolling Stone, reports that by 1968, they were “spiritually exhausted.” They were wealthy and contemplating what life was all about. After all, they had strived to succeed and make money in their youths and achieved their goals.
