Can one who believes they know the path to righteousness guide another who is uncertain? At first glance, it seems plausible. If someone is experienced, wise, or knowledgeable, shouldn’t they naturally serve as a guide to those who are less so? But let us pause and examine this assumption carefully.
What does it mean to “know”? And is righteousness—like farming, cooking, or engineering—something that can be taught as a method or a technique? The Farmer and the FieldAn experienced farmer can teach another how to improve their methods—how to till the soil, irrigate the land, or protect crops from pests. These are skills based on observable cause and effect, built upon experience and experiment. The teacher in this case has tangible knowledge, something that can be demonstrated, replicated, and tested. But compassion, righteousness, or inner transformation—can these qualities be transferred in the same way? If I follow the actions of someone compassionate or righteous, does that inherently make me compassionate or righteous? Is imitation transformation, or is it something else entirely?
Conformity vs. Transformation: When someone follows a prescribed path laid out by another, what often emerges is conformity. The follower adjusts their behavior to align with the teacher’s expectations, rules, or methods. Outwardly, there may appear to be a change: they may act more kindly, speak more gently, or adopt what seems like righteous conduct. But is this true transformation? Or is it merely a mask shaped by external pressures—approval, reward, or fear of judgment? Consider this:A person who conforms to a standard may remain deeply divided within themselves. Their outward behavior may comply, but their inner world could still be filled with conflict, desire, or ambition. Such conformity is fragile, easily broken by internal urges or external circumstances. True transformation, on the other hand, arises not from outward influence but from a profound shift within.
The Fragility of Secondhand Righteousness: When righteousness is borrowed—when it comes from following another’s path—it rests on tenuous ground. What happens when the external guide is no longer present? Or when new pressures—social, emotional, or material—emerge? A person who has merely conformed may revert to their previous ways, because the change was never rooted in deep understanding. Righteousness or compassion, if imposed, is not real. It is a façade. True transformation requires something entirely different: a direct perception, an awakening within oneself.
Learning Together: If true transformation cannot come from another, then what is the role of a teacher? Can a teacher truly “teach” compassion, love, or righteousness? Or is the role of the teacher and the taught to learn together? Imagine two people standing before a vast, unfamiliar landscape. Neither knows the way, but both are observing, questioning, and exploring together. The teacher is not one who declares, “I know, follow me,” but one who says, “Let us look together.” This shared inquiry creates an environment where both can discover—not through authority or obedience, but through direct perception and mutual exploration.
The Awakening Within: Inner transformation is not something that can be given, taught, or imposed. It must arise from an individual’s own insight and understanding. For this to happen, there must be freedom—freedom to observe without judgment, to question deeply, and to discover without fear. When you observe your own mind—its desires, fears, ambitions, and contradictions—you begin to see yourself as you are. This seeing is not the result of another’s instruction; it is a direct awakening. It is only in such observation that true transformation takes place.
Compassion as a State of Being: Compassion is not a method, a practice, or a skill to be acquired. It is a state of being that arises naturally when there is clarity and understanding. When you see clearly the pain caused by selfishness, the futility of ambition, and the division created by comparison, compassion is the natural response. It does not need to be taught; it simply flowers when the mind is free of its own distortions.
The Freedom to Discover: In the end, the idea that one who “knows” can guide another to righteousness is itself a limitation. It assumes that righteousness is a fixed destination and that the one who knows is somehow separate from the one who does not. But righteousness, like truth, is not fixed. It is alive, dynamic, and must be discovered anew in each moment. Both the teacher and the taught must approach the inquiry with humility, realizing that they are not separate but are part of the same movement of life. It is only in this shared exploration, free from authority and dogma, that there is the possibility of real transformation.
So, can someone who “knows” guide another? Perhaps the more profound question is: Can we together discover what it means to live rightly, without the baggage of authority, imitation, or conformity? In such discovery, there is freedom, and in freedom, there is the flowering of a mind that is truly compassionate and righteous.
Leave a Reply