Peace be with you and the Blessing of God and His Grace.

As this is the time of silaturachmi - that is, the time when it is customary for Muslims in general to ask one another for forgiveness for all their mistakes - Bapak and Ibu, in return for your silaturachmi offered to them, would also like to ask you please to forgive Bapak and Ibu for any wrong they may have done you, knowingly or unknowingly. Further, Bapak and Ibu pray that by the Grace of the One and Only God we shall not continue to wrong one another so much, but begin instead to do what is truly good and useful for us and for society.

Now, the silaturachmi being over. Bapak will speak about the formation of the Dewan Kedjiwaan of Helpers for the Centers, the Regions and the National Center. Bapak feels this is very important because by forming the Dewan Kedjiwaan of Helpers for the Centers, the Regions and the National Center, the affairs of the Subud membership in Indonesia can be put in order and it may become possible for the progress we hope for to appear. This is why you were needed to come here, for besides holding the ceremony of halal-bil-halal ( silaturachmi ) - as it happens to be the month of Sjawal - Bapak must form as soon as possible the Dewan Kedjiwaan of Helpers in your Centers and Regions.

Actually, Bapak has already announced this, but perhaps the announcement has not yet reached you, and it is unlikely to have reached the members of the Sub-Centers and Groups. So now Bapak will read what was in the announcement:

In response to a certain pressing situation that requires action by all the helpers in every country or area, Bapak herewith announces that our Spiritual Brotherhood of Subud in each country must have a National Helpers Group and establish it as a council for matters pertaining to the kedjiwaan, in addition to having its National Committee. In that way, the helpers will really have duties and obligations that are clearly outlined.

Bapak will explain what he has read so far. Why is this being done? Because so far the situation of the Subud helpers has been rather like that of ordinary members. At meetings the helpers often sit in a corner at the back. When asked how many active and non-active members a Center or a Sub-Center has, the helpers have always turned to the committee for such information. Seemingly this work has become the responsibility of the committee members.

Bapak feels it has gone that far because during his recent journey abroad it was the committee members who spoke about the affairs of the membership at each place Bapak visited and where a congress was also held. Almost nothing was heard from the helpers' side, although the members' progress or regress and whether they are active or non-active is the responsibility of the helpers, and it is their obligation to report on it to the congress.

Owing to this situation of the helpers, many of them do not know, or are insufficiently informed about, how many members there are and whether or not they have made progress. This state of affairs is comparable to that of a school teacher with his pupils. How is it possible for the pupils in a school to make progress if the teacher does not pay attention to them, and how is it possible for most of the pupils to be diligent enough even to go to school if the teacher himself is hardly ever there? Clearly, it is largely the fault of the helpers themselves if it has come about that many Subud members do not yet understand the basis and aim of the latihan kedjiwaan of Subud and that quite a few of them therefore become inactive.

Brothers and sisters, as you know, our Subud Association is an association of a spiritual brotherhood, or a brotherhood of the kedjiwaan. So what is most important in Subud is the kedjiwaan. Organizational or committee problems in our Spiritual Brotherhood of Subud are only the administrative aspect. That is needed so that notes are always taken of everything which happens in the Association of our Spiritual Brotherhood of Subud. In fact, whenever a congress is being held, the greater part of the discussion deals only with worldly matters. Yet Bapak himself, when traveling from place to place, allots foremost importance to the latihan kedjiwaan besides giving talks to the members and testing with them about the kedjiwaan.

You need to realize, brothers and sisters, that the helpers are in truth Bapak's helpers, and they are the ones who open men and women who wish to join Subud. So they should watch carefully what happens to those they have opened and make clear to them the meaning of Subud and the basis and aim of its latihan kedjiwaan. If the helpers do this with sincerity, the outcome will be that the members will have the qualities of susila budhi dharma. Thus the work of the committee members will be lightened because the members will be aware of their obligations as members of the Association of the Spiritual Brotherhood of Subud.

That is what Bapak wants to explain to you, adding to what is written in the announcement. The explanation is needed so that you can come to a clearer understanding of the announcement. Now Bapak will continue to read:

That is why Bapak makes the urgent announcement that the National Subud Center in each country must establish Councils ( Dewan ) of the Kedjiwaan, beginning with the Centers, then the Regions, then the National Center.

If a Dewan Kedjiwaan of Helpers is not set up for Regions because a country is small, then proceed from the Center to the National level, that is, to the National Dewan Kedjiwaan of Helpers

The duty and obligation of the helpers on the Dewan Kedjiwaan of the Center is to make sure they always keep themselves informed about the work done by the helpers in the Sub-Centers ( Ranting ) and the Groups ( Kelompok ), and you will learn this from the supplementary letter Bapak will read presently.

Helpers for the Dewan Kedjiwaan of the Region are chosen and appointed by the helpers of the Dewan Kedjiwaan of the Centers by testing. Take for instance Central Java. The Region of Central Java embraces the Centers of Subud Semarang, Solo, Jogja, Magelang, Purworedjo and Purwokerto. So one man helper and one woman helper from each Center should be on the Dewan Kedjiwaan of the Region. Thus the full number of helpers on the Dewan Kedjiwaan of the Region is twelve - six men helpers and six women helpers.

Regarding the location of the Dewan Kedjiwaan of Regional Helpers for Central Java, since the Dewan Kedjiwaan should be in the same place as the Subud Committee for Central Java and since Semarang was chosen for the organization for Central Java, Semarang should also be the place for the Dewan Kedjiwaan of Regional Helpers for Central Java.

The duty and obligation of the helpers on the Dewan Kedjiwaan of the Central Java Region is to keep themselves informed about the work being done by the helpers of each Center, and if necessary to assist in that work. It is also their duty and obligation to answer members' questions which helpers of the Centers have been unable to resolve. So the duty and obligation of the Regional Helpers and the Center Helpers is to work together, to assist each other, to appreciate each other and to be willing to give and take.

To begin with, the helpers on the Regional Dewan Kedjiwaan should go and see their Centers once a month or at least once in six weeks. Later, when everything is running well, they can make these observational visits to their Centers once in three months.

The helpers who serve on the Dewan Kedjiwaan of the National Center of the Association of the Spiritual Brotherhood of Subud should be chosen from among the helpers on the Regional Dewan Kedjiwaan, one man helper and one woman helper. And a vacancy that occurs through the appointment of a Regional Helper to serve as helper on the National Dewan Kedjiwaan should at once be filled by a helper from the same Center. Further, when there is a vacancy among the helpers of a Center it should at once be filled by a helper from a Ranting ( Sub-Center ), or it may also be filled by a Center member who, through testing, has been found suitable to be appointed a helper in order to fill this vacancy.

Apart from keeping themselves informed about the work of the helpers in the various Regions and assisting them in their work if necessary, the helpers on the National Dewan Kedjiwaan who are chosen by the Regions have also the duty of obtaining reports about the members' situation and of replying to members' questions that the Dewan Kedjiwaan of Regional Helpers is unable to resolve.

The position of the Dewan Kedjiwaan of the National Helpers is parallel to the National Subud Committee, and it functions also as advisor to this Committee.

Concerning the position of a Councilor on the organizational side of Subud, in doing his task he needs to be accompanied by a helper, man or woman. This is necessary so that when the International Subud Congress is being held, both can report on the Subud membership of their country, the one about the worldly situation, the other about the kedjiwaan situation.

Such is the content of Bapak's announcement circulated to all National Subud Centers of the various countries. In the National Subud Centers visited by Bapak this announcement about the formation of the Dewan Kedjiwaan of Helpers is only for their information, but Bapak hopes that the National Subud Centers he has not yet had the opportunity to visit will at once make arrangements on the above lines. Everything should be completed before the beginning of the International Subud Congress.

Bapak said earlier that he would read the content of the supplementary letter to the above announcement which has been circulated to the Subud Centers of the various countries:

Clarification of the duties and obligations of a helper

A helper needs to:

1. Give explanations about the basis and aim of the latihan kedjiwaan of Subud to those interested in joining Subud. It must be explained that the latihan kedjiwaan of Subud cannot be obtained through a teaching or the practice of a theory, but that it is received through the Grace of the One Almighty God and is based on surrender to His Greatness with complete patience, trustful acceptance and sincere submission. So the basis of the latihan kedjiwaan of Subud is our constant devotion to Almighty God in accordance with His guidance and leading which manifests in the latihan, and the aim is that we may become human beings with characters of fine quality.

Such are the explanations that should be given to those who wish to join Subud, in order that they may understand that the latihan kedjiwaan of Subud is not a magical practice.

This needs to be explained because many people think that by doing the latihan kedjiwaan they will obtain benefits in all they do; they think, for instance, that a person will be able to make large profits in business, win promotion if he works in an office or get a big increase in his salary. They also think that a person who is ill will soon be cured.

Actually, brothers and sisters, everyone desires to have a healthy body and sufficient means in life, but such things are not the objective in Subud, although by following the way of the latihan kedjiwaan of Subud a person is able to receive the latihan, which has a purifying effect on the inner feeling and develops the djiwa, and this makes it possible for a bad fate in life to change to a good one and for illness to be cured. It is most important that a person joins Subud - so that he becomes able to receive and feel the vibrations in the inner feeling which then manifest as the latihan kedjiwaan - through true devotion to the One and Only God with patience, trustful acceptance and sincere submission in surrendering body and djiwa to God. So the improvement of one's fate in life and recovery from an illness - all this is left to the Power of the One Almighty God.

2. It is the helpers' obligation to open people who have completed their period of probation, and to attend their latihan kedjiwaan until they are really able to receive and feel the latihan kedjiwaan of Subud.

Bapak needs to explain paragraph 2 so that the helpers may fulfill their duties and obligations really well.

When traveling abroad, Bapak constantly came across people who claimed to have been in Subud, say, four years, but had not yet received and felt what is called the latihan kedjiwaan of Subud.

Bapak asked: 'Why did this happen? Did you not inform the helpers about your inner condition and ask them to help you and really attend to you?'

They replied 'No, because we trusted we would finally be able to receive it. So whenever a general latihan was held, we just followed and copied the way other members did the latihan.'

Bapak did not want this problem to go on any longer and asked them to stand in front of Bapak. Not long after that their bodies received movements, and some among them even wept.

When the latihan was ended, Bapak asked them 'How was it? Could you feel it this time?' They replied 'Yes, just now we could receive and really feel the latihan kedjiwaan.'

So Bapak hopes all helpers will truly deal with this kind of situation.

2. A helper must attend the latihan kedjiwaan whenever there is a general latihan and an opening of brothers or sisters who have completed their probationary period, even if other helpers are there. This is indeed an obligation of a helper in order that there may always be a good atmosphere in the group and a deep feeling of brotherhood between members and helpers. Then, automatically, this will enable the inner and outer relationship between members and helpers to become firm, and the members will regard the helpers as older brothers/sisters who are worthy of respect and love.

Clearly, many helpers are not loved and respected by the members, and that is truly their own fault. They are unable yet, in fact, to fulfill their duties as helpers who should be able to take care of their younger brothers and sisters and serve them.

3. As far as possible a helper must keep watch to see that there is no falling off in the membership, so that it remains complete. Thus, if a member does not come to the latihan for some time, the helpers must attend to this and ask why it happens. This is very important so that the helpers can come to know the true situation. Supposing a member does not attend the latihan because he is not yet able to feel what is called the latihan kedjiwaan of Subud, then the helpers must immediately try to help him so that he can receive and feel it as soon as possible. The way to achieve this is by doing the same as when you open a new member; that is, by asking the member to stand in front of you, and not to think of anything but just to surrender with trustful acceptance and sincere submission to Almighty God. Then the helpers do their own latihan and surrender this brother to the One Almighty God.

If there is no result when you do this, you must do it several more times, so that this brother can truly receive and feel.

Bapak would like to give the helpers some advice on this. If, while doing the latihan with a member as above, you find it takes rather a long time before he or she shows movements, do not give him or her any kind of counsel at all, and do not move his or her body or hand. It is enough in this case if you do the latihan in the way Bapak has advised above.

To prove that the way Bapak has described above really has results, Bapak will tell you what he experienced when recently traveling abroad. Bapak met a doctor who said he had been in Subud for a long time, but during all that time of following the latihan he had never been able to receive and feel the vibrations in the inner feeling which manifest in the form of the latihan kedjiwaan. Bapak asked him to stand upright in front of Bapak. After about ten minutes the doctor fell down and rolled to and fro. Finally Bapak said 'Finish', and the doctor sat down again. Then Bapak asked him 'What about it, doctor? Have you been able to feel it now?' He replied 'Yes', and appeared to be very satisfied.

Bapak experienced something else while in Paramaribo. There were many people who had joined Subud, but most of the members just wanted to be in Subud without sincerely caring about it. Perhaps they thought that the latihan kedjiwaan was something like performing prayers. This showed while they were doing the latihan, for they just said prayers altogether, followed by their sembahjang ( ritual Muslim prayer ) the way it is usually done; and they ended the latihan after saying 'Salam'
( Peace be with you ).

Bapak let this pass, but then asked Nak Barnbang why the members were still so much in this condition. Nak Barnbang answered that many of the members just wanted to be in Subud, but that some among them could really receive. Bapak advised Nak Bambang that those members who could not yet receive and feel what is called the latihan kedjiwaan of Subud be at once opened again in the way it is usually done by a helper and opener. Such was Bapak's advice to Nak Bambang on this. Fortunately, the following evening Bapak had the opportunity to give clarifications about the latihan kedjiwaan of Subud, so that they could know a little more about it.

Now Bapak will continue to read about the duties and obligations of a helper as written in paragraph 4:

However, brothers and sisters, if the situation is otherwise - for instance, if helpers have made several visits to the member who has not come to the latihan for a long time and it is clear that the member really does not want to be in Subud any longer - then the helpers can discuss the matter with the committee, who should send a letter to the member in order to obtain confirmation of his wishes. If it is the person's sincere wish to leave the Spiritual Brotherhood of Subud, his name is to be removed from the members' register immediately. Thus the helpers and committee members are no longer responsible for his actions.

5. A helper has no obligation to arrange financial matters in the Association of the Spiritual Brotherhood of Subud.

Clearly, it is not a helper's duty to take part in the financial arrangements of the Association of the Spiritual Brotherhood of Subud, because his duties are only in the field of the kedjiwaan. Regarding his requirements in order to visit the homes of members who have not attended the latihan for a long time and the homes of members who are ill, the committee will make arrangements for the expenses to be met and should be prepared to pay them.

6. The helpers have equal duties, and there is no chairman, secretary and treasurer in the helpers group. So the helpers can hand over to the committee any necessary correspondence.

When the helpers feel it needful to make a decision about something, and when they have to answer questions put forward by the members, they should do so by testing together. The way of doing testing is like doing your latihan kedjiwaan of Subud, that is, surrendering whatever you need to the Power of the One Almighty God and being ready to receive whatever indication is shown within you.

7. The helpers have the right to propose to Bapak a member or several members to be appointed helpers. Of course the members thus proposed are ones who have been tested for their good behavior, for being fairly well experienced in the kedjiwaan, able to take care of the members and loved by them, and also for whether they are really needed as helpers by the group.

8. The helpers' duties are international in character. So a helper's position cannot be the same as that of a committee member. Beyond the latihan place of his group he remains a helper.

To make it clear, their position is the same as that of the Subud members from abroad who are here. Although Indonesia is not their country, yet because they are helpers they remain helpers as in their own countries. The only difference is that they should not open Indonesians who wish to join Subud, if they have not been asked to do so by the Indonesian helpers. Conversely, Indonesian helpers who happen to be abroad may only open people who wish to join Subud if they are required to do so by the local helpers.

Bapak has often explained this. As a helper is Bapak's helper and like a pioneer in the development of the Spiritual Brotherhood of Subud, Bapak has given him or her the right to open people who wish to join Subud, provided the local helpers of a place permit and require it. But in a locality which happens not to have a Subud organization and helpers as yet, he can simply open those who wish to join Subud there. However, he must inform the nearest Subud organization or committee of his action. This is necessary so that that committee can form an organization or committee there as soon as more than ten people have been opened.

9. Opening people who wish to join Subud: men must be opened by men and women by women. Also testing concerning members: when it concerns men it must be done by men helpers, and when it concerns women it must be done by women helpers. So, too, with regard to visiting a sick member: if it is a woman, then women helpers visit her, and if it is a man, men helpers visit him.

10. Helpers are not permitted to mix other theories and practices with the latihan kedjiwaan of Subud.

In fact, many members have already experienced what is mentioned in paragraph 10, and they have become confused through it.

As you know, the latihan kedjiwaan is based on total surrender to the Power of Almighty God, whereas mixing other theories and other practices into the latihan kedjiwaan of Subud opens the way for the nafsu to enter a person's inner.

11. A helper who is chosen by the general membership to serve on the committee of the organization must become non-active and be relieved of his helper's duties. He becomes active again and takes up his duties when he is no longer a member of the organizational committee.

12. The duties of a helper are not limited in time. A helper can continue to carry out his duties year after year. He may give up his duties only when he himself feels that he is no longer capable of fulfilling them, and in that case he himself must write a statement which is endorsed by his fellow helpers, and this letter then be sent to Bapak in order to obtain Bapak's approval.

Furthermore, a helper can be compelled to resign from his duties as a helper if he deliberately mixes the practices and theories of some teaching with the latihan kedjiwaan of Subud. Decisions about this are to be made by Bapak on the basis of a report from the local helpers group.

So much about the duties and obligations of helpers. Now Bapak will continue to speak again about the arrangements for helpers and about their position in, for instance, East Java.

As for the organization, it has already been established there. It starts with Centers, goes on to Regions and then to the National level, that is, the National Center. But for the kedjiwaan no such arrangements have been made yet. Hence we must now begin to make them for the kedjiwaan, so that in every Center is formed a Dewan Kedjiwaan, formerly called 'helpers group'. Out of the Centers arises the Dewan Kedjiwaan of Regional Helpers, and the helpers who serve on the Regional Dewan Kedjiwaan originate from every Center belonging to the East Java Region.

The duties and obligations of the helpers are as stated in the supplement to the announcement which Bapak has just read out. So, not only will the affairs of the Subud membership be well ordered through the arrangements that are going to be made, but the service to the Subud members will also proceed well. Further, questions from members about the meaning of their experiences, and other questions, can be answered immediately by the Dewan Kedjiwaan of the helpers of a Center. But if questions still remain that are not answered by the Dewan Kedjiwaan of Center Helpers, they can be sent in writing to the Dewan Kedjiwaan of Regional Helpers to be resolved by them. If the Regional Helpers too cannot resolve the questions, they can be sent to the Dewan Kedjiwaan of National Helpers. And further, if it is clear that these cannot resolve them, the questions can then be sent to the Center of the Spiritual Guide of Subud in Djakarta.

Maybe you feel about this: Why such an arrangement of levels? And will it not hinder getting replies to letters?

Yes, that is indeed possible, but you have to see the significance of the arrangement; that is to say, by the establishing of this method and order, the helpers of Centers, Regions and the National Center can put into practice the experiences they have received in the latihan kedjiwaan of Subud. Thereby they will not so habitually depend on the International Center of the Spiritual Guide. And, certainly, the way of settling answers to questions must as far as possible be speeded up.

Bapak also feels it necessary to explain here that in the past years Bapak has always been inundated with letters containing all kinds of questions from Subud members from various countries. And of course, although these letters contained questions which were not so difficult to answer and which could perhaps have been answered by the local helpers, yet Bapak always answered them.