The World Is a Bridge

Maitreya (Guilherme Urso) reports – with photos, videos and lyrics of his songs – about the recent well-attended launch event in Brazil for his new EP

Welcome

You are entering a sacred temple.
It’s time to forget about the world.
It’s our moment.
A space where we’ll leave all our defences behind. Where we’ll connect heart to heart…
a space of stillness, joy, and love.

It’s your home.
It’s our home.

Enjoy the show!

With this welcome message, around 30 people attended the concert to launch my new album, The World Is a Bridge. As a way of introduction I spoke a little about the creative process of the lyrics and the composition, that they were all original songs, and that the title was inspired by the sentence: “The world is like a bridge – don’t make your house on it.” ¹ chosen by Indian emperor Akbar’s wise men to greet visitors to Fatehpur Sikri, the special city he was going to build. Osho mentioned this quote several times in his discourses and it was through my Master that I came to know about it.

For the event I had rented a simple hall and prepared it the previous day, arranging the chairs around a ‘stage’ and decorating it with a plant, and of course setting up my sound system. I wanted the space to be simple and clean. To me, music is spiritual; it is meditation, connection, joy… and it’s this kind of energy that I like to share at my events, as if we were in a sacred temple.

I had also hung up some quotes on one wall for people to read when they entered the place. The quotes were meant to summarize everything I wanted to express that day.

The first was from van Gogh, the Dutch painter. It always makes me cry when I read it – there’s nothing more beautiful. In fact, it’s from his last letter before he died:

In the life of a painter, death perhaps is not the hardest thing.
For myself, I declare I know nothing about it.
But the sight of the stars always makes me dream.
Why, I say to myself, should the spots of light in the firmament be inaccessible to us?
Perhaps we need death to reach a star? And to die of old age to get there on foot?
For now, I go to bed, because it’s late.
I wish you a good night and good luck.
With an open heart.
With love,
Vincent

The second is from Gautama Buddha. The power of this quote is indescribable. Short and potent:

Be a light unto yourself!

The third is from Jesus. Perhaps the most emblematic phrase ever spoken:

It is like a grain of mustard seed, which a man took, and put in his own garden. It grew and became a large tree, and the birds of the sky sheltered in its branches. ²

The fourth is from the Master of Masters. It’s almost impossible to choose just one quote from him due to the vastness of his wisdom. Any quote is precious. But this is the one I chose:

Courage is risking the known for the unknown, the familiar for the unfamiliar, the comfortable for the uncomfortable arduous pilgrimage to some unknown destination. One never knows whether one will be able to make it or not. It is gambling, but only the gamblers know what life is. ³

Speaking of him… I started the event with a meditation. Tears started to fall. I felt his blessings shower over me.

Let the show begin!

During the first part, which lasted an hour, I was seated, and so were the guests. I played beautiful songs – mine and those of other Brazilian artists. One of them, The Most Beautiful Songs, is part of my new EP and is one of the most touching lyrics I’ve ever received from life:

The Most Beautiful Songs (As Mais Belas Canções)

Watch on YouTube
Stream from tratore.ffm.to

When I saw you, time stood still
And the moment, so rare, was shared
Eternity knocks at the door
For a moment, I was there
I saw white beaches, the sea so deep
And nothing stands above love

Beloved, I hope
That you sing
That you dance
The most beautiful songs
And your soul
May it overwhelm you
May it tear you
With the most beautiful emotions

I wanted to ask for your forgiveness
Nothing happens without reason
For everything is below love
If there’s fear of being lost
Perhaps there’s light in surrendering
And life is reborn with the Dawn

Beloved, I hope
That you sing
That you dance
The most beautiful songs
And your soul
May it invade you
May it tear you
With the most beautiful emotions

Before performing this song, I asked everyone to listen with their eyes closed because I believe that the secret of this music is in the silence. I’m not sure what each person felt, but one friend cried deeply. She understood everything!

To me, music is also an experience. You must live it, feel it, taste it.

And it’s no surprise this album took a while to be released – it needed to mature so I could fully understand its title and the challenge it presented. Production began in early 2024 and was finalized in late November – and the EP was only released last month.

My perfectionism and insecurities made me go back and forth during the production process, and that affected the final result. At the same time, many external and internal changes were happening – ones I struggled to let go of. Or rather, I had built a house on the bridge: my three-and-a-half-year relationship ended (today we’re best friends and happy), I left a job that no longer made sense to me, and the way I was living my life wasn’t working anymore. When my mala arrived in December 2024, a new phase in my sannyas had begun. I wrote about it in ‘Maitreya of Aldebaran: A Journey with Osho’.

Another highlight of the first part of the show was when I sang the song Free Like That. It tells the story of a friend of mine and his father.

In 2023, we were both part of a meditation group, where he shared, emotionally, that back in
2017, during a Path of Love retreat, he felt that he had managed to resolve his personal issues with his father.

Happy with the group’s progress, he called his dad to plan a fishing trip – something they used to love doing together – and both were excited with the idea. But when, after the retreat ended, my friend returned to the city, he found that his father had passed away.

Later, in 2023, he and I were in another meditation retreat, and this came into our conversation. He shared that the fishing trip they had talked about and so much wished to take – had somehow remained unresolved. A few months later he visited a medium, who said that his father’s spirit wasn’t even aware that he had died. A few days later, my friend had a beautiful dream, where he could say goodbye to his dad and encourage him go free: “Father. You are gone! Be free.” And the father understood.

I cried then. Something hit me so deeply.

And it became a song!

Free Just Like That (Livre Assim)

Watch on YouTube
Dowload from tratore.ffm.to

I dreamt of you
In a field of flowers
We were talking
As the path was carrying us

I held you
You were gone
Please understand
You are gone
Understand
You are gone
Be free
You are gone
Free just like that

They told me you were happy
I took the plane for our meeting
After days and days on the path of love
I was ready
Ready for that talk we always dreamed of
In such a beautiful field
As the path is not leading us in any direction
Without a goal

I held you
You were gone
Please understand
You are gone
Beloved father, understand
You are gone
Be free
You are gone
Free just like that

Now to the other three songs. One speaks of how a flower can bloom even in the desert. That’s exactly the sannyasin’s path – to bloom in the desert.

Desert Flower (Flor do Deserto)

Watch on YouTube
Streaming from tratore.ffm.to

Even a flower can bloom in the desert
In all its glory, though everything’s uncertain
Even the storm might bow to her
Just imagine she refused a place in the window
Eyes, wind, scorpion
Space, stars, the infinite
Screams, dance, loneliness
Just don’t forget your feet
Watch out for the scorpion
Even a flower can bloom in the desert
To look within is to give water to yourself
Even the storm might bow to her
Just imagine she’s not seen in the window

Eyes, wind, scorpion
Space, stars, the infinite
Screams, dance, loneliness
Just don’t forget your feet
Watch out for the scorpion
Eyes, wind, scorpion
The courage
Space, stars, the infinite
Screams, dance, loneliness
The courage
Just don’t forget your feet
Watch out for the scorpion

Another song tells the story of my relationship with my ex-partner, and is based on her diary, where she says that the simplest things become the best when there’s love.

The Best (O Melhor)

Watch on YouYube
Streaming from tratore.ffm.to

The best sandwich you’ve ever eaten
The best book you’ve ever read
The best birthday you’ve ever had
The best movie you’ve ever seen
The best restaurant you’ve ever been to
The best nickname you ever had
The best morning coffee talk
And dinner conversations too
Because everything is the best
When there’s love
When there’s you
The best sadness of your life
Is saying goodbye to a beautiful day
The best hug you’ve ever had
The best cry you’ve ever seen
The best adventure of your life
Began in that coffee shop
On March 12, during the best weekend
Because everything is the best
When there’s love
When there’s you
When there’s us two

And the last one is about those meditative, celebratory Sunday afternoons.

All the Sunday Afternoons (Todas às Tardes de Domingo)

Watch on YouTube
Streaming from tratore.ffm.to

Wrap your leg around me, I want to feel you
The dog yawns, the sun doesn’t lie
Birds are courting, trees are hugging
They make me believe that life is a child in the garden

Sunday means pasta, that old guitar
Joy is laughing without any reason
Play your cards – you’re the winner!
The sun sets on the road, enjoy the dusk

For all the Sunday afternoons
For all the Sunday afternoons

Wrap your leg around me, I want to feel you
Rock that hammock or lie with me on the ground
Birds are courting, trees are hugging
A child laughs while life passes by

Sunday means pasta, that old guitar
Joy is laughing without any reason
Play your song! What’s the score?
The sun sets on the road, aren’t you going to dance?

For all the Sunday afternoons…

Singing in the circle

For the final part of the event I wanted to sing and play the most celebratory songs from my repertoire.

Before we started with the first song, I asked everyone to hug each other, even if they didn’t know each another. We are all one family! It was beautiful to see a young man happily hugging my 87-year-old grandfather – and he hugged back. That’s quite rare here.

The first song went well, but I was not satisfied. I missed some closeness and warmth. The sound system was glitching, so I unplugged the guitar, we moved the chairs and everyone gathered in a circle, and I sang right in the middle of them. It was beautiful, wild, unpredictable, and timeless!

Then everyone started singing with me – songs by other artists and mine, including It Is Like.

I was fully present, taken by a mysterious, incredible energy.

As I sang, I looked deeply into each person’s eyes – no fear, there was no one. It felt like every movement was “perfect,” perfectly timed. I was supposed to be singing for that person, then that one, and the next.

Their eyes were glowing. They were truly happy, being seen in their inner essence. It was moving to see my family dancing and singing joyfully too. As if it were rehearsed – but it wasn’t – I finished the last song by thanking each person present. I stepped out of the centre and joined them, this time, as one of them.

We all held hands, and I spoke some beautiful words – I don’t even know where they came from. I told the group the show would reverberate for days – and it truly did.

It’s echoed inside me in a way I’ve never felt before. It’s as if my heart had expanded and I’m melting like ice does. There was also presence, and a delicate, maternal love for each participant – indescribable.

After the show, each person received a handwritten, personalized message I had written before the event. As if I connected with something greater, I held each person in my heart, and let the words flow. Everyone was so happy.

And as I seem to be a true Taurus, we ended the day with lots of laughter and some delicious vegetarian and non-vegetarian snacks I had ordered from a restaurant. There were esfihas (little topped flatbreads), savoury pastries, cheese risoles, and juices to drink.

I thank life and my Master for giving me this unforgettable gift. He had received a few words from me at the beginning of the show:

Beloved Master,

Are you melting me and making me evaporate without even telling me in advance? Can’t I prepare first? Or have you already done this before I could start thinking?

Play a little more with me. I’ve been loving this.
Take the candy from the child.
We’re not in a hurry.
Or are we?
This game is so beautiful.

A crazy game.
Our game.

What’s the next step?

I’m ready!
And you?

Sources

Osho, The Discipline of Transcendence, Vol 1, Ch 8, Q 1
From the Gospel of Luke: wikipedia.org
Osho, Come, Come, Yet Again Come, Ch 4 – Osho, Courage: The Joy of Living Dangerously (Amazon *)