The Bridge

Wisdom Teachings
|The Journey Inside
Building the Bridge

There is a saying that you can lead a horse to a drinking trough, but you cannot force it to drink water. The horse only drinks when it is thirsty. It is the same with people who seek wisdom. Some are particularly thirsty, others are just curious and inquisitive, but not so thirsty that they would jump into the pool of wisdom.

Among many students there are only a few who are thirsty enough to penetrate into deeper wisdom through their sincere practice of the teachings. They are full of fiery aspiration and ready to work with the teachings in their lives and to transform themselves. This creates a true relationship between them and the teacher. During their prayers, meditations and sleep they receive much more information and teaching from the teacher. The teacher can supply them greater energy for they are fit to receive the energies. For the other students, such a supply of energy is neither permitted nor is it possible.

The teacher is generally available to all and instructs all. The sincere disciples who pick up the teaching and use it with joy build a bridge between themselves and the teacher; they gain access to the inner chamber of the teacher’s being. The bridge between teacher and student is built by the knowledge the teacher communicates. Wisdom forms an eternal connection between teacher and disciple, between the Hierarchy and humanity. The Vedas say, “If wisdom is not taught, there can be no bridge to Hierarchy.” The Masters are the outposts of wisdom; they not only convey the knowledge and the related rules but also illustrate them in their daily lives.

But it is up to us to build the bridge of wisdom in order to reach the Hierarchy. We cannot connect to the teacher until we have connected to his teachings. A sporadic emotional connection to the teacher does not yet build the bridge to let the needed energies flow from the teacher to the student. The bridge will remain as long as we follow the teachings and translate them into our daily lives. As soon as we no longer follow the teaching, the bridge dissolves, and we are then disconnected from the teacher, even if he is next to us.

We are so accustomed to physical things that we think that the presence of a teacher is also physical. But it is never physical. A teacher is one who has realized in himself the Buddhic consciousness, who has realized himself as a soul and who has built a bridge to the universal soul or God. He lives in connection with God, with the universal energy. He is able to convey to the seeker the sublime states of consciousness. Therefore, it is said that the presence of the teacher transforms the disciple just like a piece of iron is magnetized near a magnet. In the same way, the presence of the Master manifests in each aspirant who invokes the name of Master CVV. As a result of this presence, Prana flows from the surrounding space into the aspirant.

The presence of the teacher or Master is a catalyst. It is simply there, and the one who receives this presence transforms himself. The presence itself does nothing, it IS only. Being in the presence of a person who lives in Buddhi and does not let himself get entangled in mundane matters, is the easiest and most effective way to build the bridge to the super-mundane and to cross that bridge. Therefore, the presence of a Master should be regularly contemplated.

Building this bridge is the essence of all paths to God. The first step is to build the bridge between the mind of the soul and the mind of the body, from the etheric brain to the physical brain. The etheric brain has much greater knowledge and awareness. The physical brain needs to be transformed so that we can receive impulses from higher planes and manifest them on the physical plane. By pondering on what the teachers have said and by contemplating the Light of wisdom - the Light of Buddhi - the Light illumines our brain cells. Thus, our mind becomes more receptive and we can understand higher thoughts.

The mind is the most valuable tool that nature has given us to build this bridge. An ineffective mind is a weak bridge that does not allow the influx of energies. An average intellect thinks that an aspirant is an impractical daydreamer and is building bridges into the sky. But the truth is that you can build bridges into the sky, into the super-mundane world, when the sense of subtle perception is developed. Thus, we can see many possibilities that were not visible to us before.

The bridge is not on the physical or astral plane but in the matter of the mental plane. It is a combination of matter of the mental plane and the Buddhic plane. You need a teacher at this point. He guides and strengthens us to master the challenges of life when our intentions are serious. When we invoke the Master, he answers us and builds the bridge down to us. Master CVV said, “Just call me by phone every day. I will come to you and build the bridge. You call and I will answer via the telegraph.” People thought that these were all crazy statements. With telephoning, he meant contacting the higher intelligences, and with telegraphing, that we decode the impressions we have received and do the work. Buddhi is the plane for transmission to higher circles and also for reception from there.

The bridge from the lower to the higher planes leads via the body consciousness, then the personality consciousness into the soul consciousness and finally connects with the consciousness of the supersoul. To be able to begin building the bridge, we have to practice the steps of the Yoga path - especially the first two basic steps of regulation and correction - and submit ourselves to the soul, the higher self. Yoga speaks of the alignment of the personality to the soul with the help of regular practice of conscious breathing. Slow, gentle, deep and uniform respiration brings the mind into resonance with the pulsation and leads to the fusion with the subtle pulsation. The sound of respiration slowly becomes OM, the sound of Prana. OM is the bridge that connects the separate consciousness with the oceanic consciousness.

The first part of the bridge goes from the solar plexus to the heart, from the personality to the light of the soul. The bridge then continues from the heart to the brow centre. This centre between the eyebrows should not be confused with the Ajna. It is the highest point at which the personality can rise. It belongs to the pituitary gland (hypophysis).

The next bridge leads from the eyebrows to the Ajna, the seat of the soul. It is described by Master CVV as the 'Higher Bridge'. There is a mantra given by the Master to meditate on this bridge - 'Higher bridge beginning'. One of the most ancient meditations to build this bridge between the pituitary and the pineal is to contemplate a bright star in the Ajna centre and visualize ourselves in the bridge between the eyebrows. When this bridge is built, we will experience that we are living in the etheric body of golden light, even when the body of flesh and blood dies.

As soon as the bridge between the pineal and the pituitary is built, the central point between soul and personality gets activated. It is called the birthplace of Indra (Indra Yoni). Through this centre the soul manifests into the personality; this is called the soul-infused personality. Whenever the soul intends acting in the three worlds, this centre becomes activated and the heavenly mind manifests in the human body. From this point of light within the mind of God, light streams forth into our minds: “Let light descend on earth.”

The last part of the bridge leads from the Ajna to the top of our forehead. The upper end is called the Eye of Shiva; it is much higher than the third eye. We cannot build this bridge from our side. It is built from top to bottom rather than from bottom to top. Our effort to contemplate the highest bridge is through the grace and blessings of the Master. The Master himself presides over the students to enable building the bridge. With every prayer he stimulates in the students the ray of Uranus. Master CVV said that he would build the bridge and transform us if we invoke his name during the prayer. This is the Avatar, the great descent; this is the synthesis.

Brahman builds the bridge to enter into us, and he leads us over this bridge to HIM. When the individual identity has merged in the totality of identity, this is called the seventh initiation, Samadhi. People talk a lot about it not knowing the steps involved. Then we become THAT and dissolve in IT. I AM joins THAT and only THAT exists. The wave has connected to the sea. It is then said that we are one with Brahman. Anyone who is one with the Brahman works and lives in such a way that he always stays in touch with Brahman. He stays in touch with the Absolute, descends into various planes of activity, conducts the work and then goes back to Brahman.

Sources used: K.P. Kumar: Uranus. Notes from seminars. Dr. E. Krishnamacharya: Spiritual Astrology. The World Teacher Trust - Dhanishta, Visakhapatnam, India