Brothers and sisters, Bapak gives thanks to Almighty God that through His Grace you have been able to plan your Fifth Congress well.

As Bapak always says, although our congresses are externally no different from those of any other organization, in fact they are very different, because you must conduct all your discussions at your Subud congress in a state that is free from the influence of the nafsu, which are used as tools by the lower forces.

It is for this reason that Bapak hopes you will all be cautious when you discuss matters at your congress.

Bapak feels that you already know that the influence of the nafsu, which are dominated by the lower forces, may cause you to have the feeling of wanting to win and to assert your own opinions. This is one of the things that may easily result in the discussions failing to reach a successful conclusion.

Bapak will now give you some clarifications about the kedjiwaan, on which you may also touch during the sessions of the congress.

As the latihan kedjiwaan of our Subud Brotherhood is the most important thing in our Subud Brotherhood, the duties and responsibilities of the Subud helpers, who are in reality Bapak's helpers, should certainly be like those of Bapak. This means that a helper's entire behavior and actions come only from what exists and occurs in the latihan kedjiwaan of Subud.

Perhaps you are already aware that the latihan kedjiwaan of Subud exists because Bapak exists. Similarly, in the case of the members, there are Subud members because there are helpers. So if there were no helpers, there would be no Subud members. This is why Bapak says that a helper is the most important member in our Spiritual Brotherhood of Subud, and that is why he should behave like Bapak. For instance, he should give the clearest possible explanation about the basis and aim of the latihan kedjiwaan of Subud to those people who are interested in becoming members. This is necessary in order that they should really and truly understand that the latihan kedjiwaan of Subud is based on man's worship of Almighty God in accordance with His guidance and direction which are manifested in the latihan kedjiwaan of Subud, and the aim of Subud is that those who receive it ( mankind ) can become, through God's guidance and direction, human beings of excellent character and obedient to the commands of Almighty God.

It is very necessary for those who inquire about Subud to hear clarifications such as the one Bapak has mentioned above, in order that they may realize there is no guarantee that, as soon as a person has received the latihan kedjiwaan of Subud, he will experience happiness in his life. It is not certain, for instance, that he will immediately be able to find a better job than before, or that his business will be more profitable than before, and so on.

Bapak does not blame such a wish, for everyone wants his life to be pleasant and happy, but in reality one's life will become pleasant and happy only if one pays for it first by prihatin - that is, by cutting down on all kinds of pleasures and patiently accepting whatever is then received. This is the kind of clarification the helpers should give to those interested in joining Subud.

The helpers can make their clarification clearer by adding that a person's ill luck in life is caused by his own inner nature; that is to say, by the mistakes made by his forbears who pass them on to him. However, someone who receives and follows the way of the latihan kedjiwaan of Subud is fortunate because there is the possibility, through the latihan kedjiwaan, of gradually opening the blind alley ( cul de sac ) - formed by faults in the inner feeling - which closes the way to a happy and peaceful life. Nevertheless, it is still necessary for him to be patient and to surrender with sincere submission to the Will of Almighty God, because it is only God Who is able to do this.

Further, with regard to the duties and responsibilities of a helper, a helper should guard the unity of the membership. For this reason, helpers must give clarifications to anyone who does not yet understand the basis and aim of the latihan kedjiwaan of Subud. It is also necessary to hold special latihans with those members who do not attend the latihan any more because they are not yet able to receive what is called the latihan kedjiwaan of Subud.

Bapak gives you this advice because in many countries there are still many members in every Subud center who do not attend the latihan because they have an insufficient understanding of the basis and aim of the latihan kedjiwaan of Subud, and they cannot yet receive what is called the latihan kedjiwaan of Subud.

Also, by giving this attention to the members, the helper will become more perfect in carrying out his duties as a helper, who is in fact the most important member in the Spiritual Brotherhood of Subud, and whose nature resembles that of an elder brother towards the members.

Furthermore, in this way the helpers will be able to take a definite attitude towards a member, once they find out whether his non-attendance at the latihan is because he really does not want to follow the latihan kedjiwaan of Subud and wants to withdraw from membership. If this is in fact the case, his name should immediately be deleted from the list of Subud members.

As for the helpers themselves, they should keep their promise by attending the group latihan regularly, both when there is an opening and when the general latihan is held. In this way, the work can be well distributed among the helpers.

If a helper is unable to attend at the place of the latihan when there is an opening or a latihan, he should inform the other helpers beforehand, giving the reasons for his absence. His non-attendance can be accepted if it does not happen continually, because, if he is continually absent, an extra burden of responsibility will be placed on the shoulders of his fellow helpers who are active.

Further, if there is such a helper, he should return his helper's card to the local helpers' group, and he should be prepared to be made non-active as a helper. This is necessary in order that the helpers' group can immediately propose a member who is considered suitable to replace him.

As Bapak has said above, a helper is Bapak's helper in the field of the kedjiwaan of Subud. So everything he does for the Subud members should be only from the kedjiwaan, which he receives and experiences through the latihan kedjiwaan of Subud. He is not permitted at all to mix any other practice with the latihan kedjiwaan of Subud, and he may not give explanations which are outside our Spiritual Brotherhood of Subud. All the helpers must hold fast to this regulation in order that the condition of the members may always be safe and calm. But if there should be a helper who does something which deviates from the regulations established by our Spiritual Brotherhood of Subud, such as practicing some spiritual teaching and mixing it with the latihan kedjiwaan of Subud, and giving the members advice which deviates from Subud, the helpers' group must remind him not to do so.

The reminder mentioned above is just a mild one. It must be mild so that the helper will immediately wish to stop behaving in such a way, and so that he may return to his obedience to God's guidance and leadership, which are manifested in the latihan kedjiwaan of Subud. But if he takes no notice of the reminder and stubbornly continues to act on his own, he can be reported to Bapak, and it can be proposed that he be relieved of his functions as a helper. Then, when Bapak has agreed to the proposal, his helper's card should be returned to the helpers' group, to be kept in the files, and he should be sent a letter explaining that on such-and-such a date, with Bapak's agreement, he was relieved of his functions as a Subud helper and that all his actions - those related to the kedjiwaan of Subud as well as his external behavior - are outside the responsibility of the Subud helpers and outside the responsibility of all the members of the Spiritual Brotherhood of Subud.

The above explanation is very necessary, so that the helper's action will not involve our Spiritual Brotherhood of Subud, whose good name is recognized in every country and which has been given legal status.

Bapak feels it necessary to send this message to the helpers who happen to be in Germany at this time, so that they can decide on an attitude to adopt if something happens among the helpers such as has occurred in Latin America and in North America.

In this way our Spiritual Brotherhood of Subud can proceed along the right lines and in accordance with the basis and aim of the latihan kedjiwaan of Subud, which we have received through the Grace of Almighty God.

For the sake of the unity of all the Subud members who truly hope to be able to worship Almighty God in accordance with His Will, perhaps you are able to receive and to be aware of this message from Bapak.

Bapak prays that this Fifth National Congress of Subud Germany may go well, and that it may bring benefit to all Subud members.