When the Student is Ready

Traveling through India, a young seeker complained that he couldn't find a true spiritual master willing to guide him. "When the student is ready," he was told time and again, "the teacher will appear."

On returning to America, he completed college, married, raised a family and built a successful career in business, yet no teacher appeared. Books were his only guidance for prayer, meditation and the spiritual life. Still, whenever famous Eastern gurus or renowned spiritual teachers came to town, he'd always attend their lectures, hoping to find his teacher. Yet, not one of them appealed to him, and the words heard many years before in India continued to haunt him, "When the student is ready, the teacher will appear."

He passed from middle age into retirement years and then into old age, where he finally gave up his quest for a spiritual teacher. When diagnosed with an advanced stage of cancer, he requested to die at home in his own bed. "No need for a teacher now," he said to his favorite grandson, who was youthfully excited about the spiritual quest. As the youth nodded in agreement, a knock came to the door.

"I'll bet that's Old Death making a house call," the old man joked to his grandson. "Go and answer the door, lad."

The young man returned, beaming, "Grandpa, he says he's your teacher!"

– Anonymous

October 1, 2006