FOREWORD

Compiled at Bapak's suggestion, this book contains - with one exception - a representative selection of letters and extracts from letters written by Bapak in reply to members' questions on a wide variety of problems and printed in the Pewarta Kedjiwaan Subud, volumes 1 - 12'11.

The exception is letters about helping, of which only a few - of the broadest interest - appear here. The main substance of Bapak's advice in that field appears in the companion book to this one, Bapak's Advice and Guidance for Helpers, published in a new edition earlier this year. That book is available to all members, whether helpers or not.

Incidentally, much additional advice on helping has appeared in volume VIII of the Pewarta, just completed.

A still more recent piece of advice ( to be printed formally in the Pewarta volume IX, number I ) is that Bapak's gambang tape should not be played during latihan.

Clearly, then, we must relate the guidance quoted in this book to what Bapak has written in volume VIII of the Pewarta and to what he may write in subsequent volumes.

Bapak's replies are to specific questions from individual members but nevertheless there is almost invariably some­thing of general application in every reply.

What Brodjo wrote in the introduction to the Helpers' Guide about the problem of how to handle the contents of that book applies equally to this book: "My experience in all these years is that the greatest benefit from Bapak's wise advice and guidance is got by reading and accepting it peacefully and in tranquility, letting its wisdom soak into us, so that when the need arises the answer is there within us, flavored with our own personalities."

If in doubt, it may be added, consult a helper.

Readers who have occasion to refer to the original printed sources of the guidance quoted here will find the volume, issue and page numbers of the appropriate Pewarta given in that order at the end of each quotation.

Sometimes only an extract from the original is quoted here in a particular section - other extracts from the same letter may appear in other sections - and in such cases the reader who refers back may need to read a page or two on from the page references given here in order to find the passage being sought.

As in the Helpers' Guide, where necessary the English has been brought into accord with the more easily read style evolved in the more recent volumes of the Pewarta.

May this book prove of help not only to brothers and sisters throughout the world but also to Bapak himself. By referring to this book for guidance on many problems - and when necessary also to helpers - we can greatly lighten the burden of correspondence which has absorbed much of Bapak's time and attention for many years. We can thus free Bapak to help us and future generations of the Subud Brotherhood in other ways.

The Editors, July 1971

CONTENTS

APPLICANTS, OPENINGS
THE LATIHAN
HELPERS, TESTING
PURIFICATION, CRISIS
MIXING
RELIGION
ATTITUDES, FEELINGS
LOVE, MARRIAGE
CHILDREN
WOMEN
HEALTH, SICKNESS, DEATH
WORK, ENTERPRISE
UNDESIRABLE HABITS
MISCELLANEOUS

APPLICANTS, OPENING

The development of Subud - a miracle of God

Perhaps you already know that the latihan kedjiwaan of Subud exists because of the Grace of Almighty God, and is not obtained from any teaching or sect. So we only surrender the matter of the progress or retrogression of its development in the West to the Power of Almighty God.

The latihan kedjiwaan of Subud has spread to all corners of the earth not because of propaganda but by itself, and in an unexpected way. That is why we are convinced that this development of Subud has really happened because of a miracle of Almighty God. (  V11/5/27 )

Telling people of Subud

REGARDING the spread of Subud to the general public, we have already received a saying in Subud that goes: 'Give to those who ask, and do not force those who do not care to receive'. So there is no need of the method of spreading Subud by propaganda and by forcing on people that they must want to receive; it is enough if we just prepare to give to those who really and sincerely wish to receive it.
(  11/5 - 6/120 )

The probationary period

A man or woman (  of eighteen years of age ) wishing to enter Subud should first become a probationer for three months at the most. A married woman whose husband has not yet joined Subud is required to get permission from her husband.

Only the following are exempt from the three months probation period: ( a) those who have reached the age of sixty-three or over; ( b) those people from distant places who are on a short visit and in whose city there is no Subud Committee yet; ( c) those who are ill and cannot move about and the wife of a Subud member and Subud members' children who have reached the age of eighteen.

The reason for the probation period is that people should get acquainted with the helpers and get the necessary in­formation or clarifications from them about the meaning and aim of Subud. This is needful so that they can really come to some understanding about Subud and will not feel disappointed when opened. This applies also to those exempted from the probationary period. They too, however, should be given explanations of the meaning and the aim of Subud before they are opened.
(  II/11-12/353 )

Why a wife needs her husband's permission to be opened

Because the husband is the head of the household, e should be in touch with what happens within his house and needs to know, in outline, the activities of his wife.

 The husband has to be able to maintain justice within his household but, as you know, justice is not obtained by the person-in-charge putting himself in the forefront, so it is preferable that justice take effect through negotiation. This means it is necessary to consider always, with pure feelings and full conviction, how the needs of the family's life will benefit, outwardly as well as inwardly.

If this behavior can be realized, every action of the one partner will be approved by the other, until sooner or later the two can act as one.

In Subud, as perhaps you begin to see, we are trained by the Power of God, free from the influences of nafsu, heart and mind. This means that the latihan we have received is really by the Will of God, given in order that our inner-feeling can become good and clean. Our inner-feeling will thus become a house big enough to be occupied by the Great Life Force that can make the life of a family happy.

Such will be the fruit of the latihan kedjiwaan of Subud if we can receive and persevere with it. Clearly, Subud does not wish husband and wife to be separated and it is pre­ferable for everybody interested in Subud, especially the married women themselves, to discuss their intention with their husbands before being opened.

Such a course is normal according to the highest way for us and will not cause dissension between one and another in family relationships.

Regarding the women's group mentioned, who have another opinion owing to the change in their usual custom, Bapak leaves it to their insight to take the responsibility if disagreements arise later between husbands and wives.

Bapak does not in the least hope such disagreements will happen; on the contrary, Bapak hopes everything will go smoothly according to the hopes of Subud.

Since we are only human beings with physical bodies which can easily be touched by something and so caused to suffer both inwardly and outwardly, how excellent it would be if we could act in all matters with care. (  1/3/66 )

Applicants who take drugs

With regard to the acceptance of people interested in joining Subud, those who still wish to use drugs and who are indeed in the habit of doing so will not be accepted as members of the Association of the Spiritual Brotherhood of Subud. (  VI/1/38 )

Should an epileptic be opened?

Bapak gives his approval for the opening of (  name ); only is necessary to explain to him and his family that, since he is an epileptic, he should not feel troubled if, after being opened and following the latihan kedjiwaan o! Subud, he has a further attack of the disease. For the way of the latihan kedjiwaan of Subud which he will follow will automatically bring goodness and cleanness to his inner-feeling, which is impure and wrong.

Further, Bapak hopes that later, through following the way of the latihan kedjiwaan of Subud, the illness from which he suffers may gradually disappear. (  VI/4/41 )

Not to open the mentally ill

Bapak has often said that at present we cannot yet open one who suffers from mental illness, for firstly, we do not yet have a hospital for this kind of illness, and we do not even have a strong house in the various centers where people who suffer from this illness can be guarded and taken care of; and further, we are not yet strong enough - that is to say, we do not yet have doctors who are doctors in the outer sense and are experienced in the field of the latihan kedjiwaan of Subud. (  VII/4/27 )

The Opening is done by the Power of God

Bapak feels it necessary to explain that the opening of a person who wishes to enter Subud is not done by the helper at all, but by the Power of Almighty God, and the role of the helper is only to be surrendered to the Power of Almighty God, so that the inner-feeling of the one to be opened may be quieted and separated from the influence of the passions which always oppress his inner-feeling, and so that at that very moment he may be able to receive the life contact from the Power of Almighty God which is free from the influence of the nafsu. (  VII/3/23 )

The Opening words

We are helpers in the Spiritual Brotherhood of Subud and we are here to be as witnesses to your wish to worship the One Almighty God. We hope that your wish is truly based on sincerity.

'You know that the One Almighty God is the Creator of the whole universe, of all that can be seen as well as of all that cannot be seen with our ordinary eyes. God is All-Glorious, All-Knowing and All-Powerful. Therefore in your worship, to which we bear witness, it will not be right to make use of your own self-willed desires and thoughts. For this reason we hope that at this moment you do not concentrate your thought, but open your feelings, truly surrender and submit your own will to the Will of God, and be patient and sincere before the Glory and Greatness of the One Almighty God.

'So that your feelings can become calm, we would like you to close your eyes, and to stand quite relaxed and to pay no attention to other people exercising. Also, when movement arises within your body, do not resist it and do not feel anxiety, but freely follow whatever arises within you.'

(  See also Pewarta Vol. VIII, Nos 1 and 6, about the declaration of belief to be made explicitly by the person being opened. )

THE LATIHAN

We stand before the Power of God

In fact, as Bapak has so often said before, with the existence of the latihan kedjiwaan all of you stand directly before the Power of Almighty God, so that the correction of your whole being, outwardly and inwardly, will come directly from His education and guidance. But there is one thing you must never forget - you must have constant feel­ings of patience and surrender. This is essential, for then, while receiving education and guidance from Almighty God, you will not easily be influenced by your own heart, which wants a short cut to well-being, happiness, and felicity. (  III/3-4/104 )

Before beginning, stand free and quiet

Before you begin the latihan kedjiwaan you should stand free and quietly. This is necessary in order that, in receiving the movement from inside, you will be able to feel it through your whole inner-feeling, and so that every part of your body will be able to move according to its own rhythm. If this can be achieved and proceed well, actions and movement which are harmonious, just as you experienced when Bapak did the testing with you all (  at the Congress in Tokyo ), will then appear.

Maybe it is still rather difficult for you to do this; so it is good for you to start little by little, provided that before you beginning the latihan kedjiwaan you are not in a hurry. You should first quieten and calm your inner-feeling. (  VI/3/l3 )

Don't think of anything beforehand

The reason why (  name ) still has little movement is his own fault because he still has a lot of thoughts and ideas whenever he is about to do the latihan kedjiwaan, but it is not because he was not opened properly. So he should not think about anything or have any ideas before doing the latihan. He should just say within himself only: 'God, God, God.'

If he can do this, he will be able to feel a vibration of life, that is, the vibration of the inner-feeling when it is touched by the contact from the Power of Almighty God. This vibration finally manifests itself in the movements and energy that are called the latihan kedjiwaan. (  VII/3/19 )

It is best to begin together

Usually the helpers give the order 'Relax', and then 'Begin'. This is necessary in order that the members, together, may be free and surrender and think of nothing else except facing Almighty God. The reason for this is that, if such an order is not given, each member begins on his own, so that their situation appears to be disorderly.

In other situations, if there are no helpers at a certain place, or helpers have not yet been appointed there, and the total of the new members is only two or three people, they may do the latihan kedjiwaan alone: but although that is so, the way to do the latihan well is to do it together (  at the same time ) as far as possible, because, if they do not start together, those who have not yet done the latihan will always see those who have already begun, so that there will be a disturbance for those doing the latihan kedjiwaan. (  VII/3/11 )

How long should latihan last?

The question of limiting the time of the members' latihan to only a half-hour arises from the large number of members and the smallness of the latihan premises. So if, for example, there are two hundred members to do the latihan and the latihan premises can accommodate only twenty people, clearly the members' latihan must be limited to half an hour. For, unless it were arranged in this way, some would certainly not have the opportunity to do the latihan there.

It is different in Tjilandak. Apart from there being plenty of space for the latihan, most of the members are able to stop the latihan by themselves. Many, moreover, stop before the end of the half-hour.

So in fact the time for doing the latihan is not fixed at half an hour. Hence, if you feel that your situation is similar to that at Tjilandak - for example if the latihan premises are spacious but there are not many members doing the latihan - it is quite all right to allow the members to do the latihan kedjiwaan until late at night, or just to let them continue until they are able to stop the latihan by themselves.

Actually, if we really weigh this and feel it, half an hour or a little over is sufficient for members to do the latihan kedjiwaan. It is also sufficient for them to do the latihan twice a week. In view of the fact that the capacity of the inner-feeling, heart and mind is not yet in proper balance with the developing djiwa, if a person does the latihan kedjiwaan too frequently he will be likely to experience a tumult in his inner-feeling, and this is what is called a crisis.

For this reason, Bapak hopes that you will arrange the latihans for members in the ordinary way. And if you really consider it necessary to have more latihan, you may lengthen the latihan by adding fifteen minutes to the time, and you may increase the total number of latihans by one only, so that there are three latihans a week.
(  VII/3/11 )

How many group and home latihans?

Generally speaking latihans are fixed for twice a week. For those who are considered able to stop by themselves, one latihan a week at home can be added. (  II/3-4/65 )

Not every day

Your desire to do the latihan kedjiwaan of Subud every day is, in fact, not so good. It is enough for you to do the latihan twice or three times a week, provided that each time you do the latihan kedjiwaan you should always have a feeling of patience, quiet and peace. It is this that makes it possible to be able to receive the development of your djiwa with ease. (  V/2/61 )

Should an isolated member latihan alone three times a week?

IF she really cannot take part in the general latihan twice a week because she lives too far away from the place of latihan, she can do the latihan alone at home twice a week using an alarm clock and setting the alarm for half-an-hour. She can fix the two days for these latihans as convenient. (  II/3-4/66 )

Latihan coming on spontaneously

If latihan really and truly comes on one spontaneously (  not by will ) it is in fact a latihan needed by the djiwa. This may be received and followed as long as it is needed by the djiwa. However, it may be that if it lasts too long and takes too much of your time (  for instance during working hours ) you should ask God's permission for His Power to stop it and to continue it during leisure hours. (  II/3-4/66 )

May one let the latihan come on at odd times to relieve tension or physical discomfort?

Because the spiritual exercise of the latihan kedjiwaan comes from beyond our will, ways of doing the latihan based on desires of the heart are not allowed. Uncomfortable feelings and confusion in heart and mind already disappear by receiving and doing latihan twice a week, as mentioned above, so it is not necessary to do latihan more frequently. (  II/3-4/65 )

The vibration of life

It is necessary to explain to (  name ) that the Grace of God given to us members of Subud manifests itself in the vibration of life which is felt in our inner-feelings and then moves our inner-feelings until it brings into being the energy and movements we call the latihan kedjiwaan.

For this reason, with regard to (  name ) the question is: has she or has she not yet been able to receive and feel the vibration of life mentioned above? If she has already been able to feel what has been mentioned above, in order to continue receiving she should continue her latihan in the group or with those helpers who have the opportunity to assist her. But if in fact she is not yet able to receive and feel at all, then she should be given a special latihan by one of the helpers until she is really able to receive and to feel. (  VI/3/15 )

Thinking - an obstacle to attendance

You say you find it difficult to attend the latihan kedjiwaan: this is because you think rather a lot. For this reason, make your heart and mind quiet and peaceful every time you are about to go to the latihan, and just feel the Greatness of Almighty God Who created you and Who is All-Loving and Compassionate towards all His creatures.
(  VII/6/27 )

Should one deliberately start moving?

No, never do it that way. It is better not to move, if not moved from within, because by the nature of movements which do not come from within, nafsu will be aroused in the heart and the heart is the nest of the lower forces, which easily affect our service to God. Thus the best way is to be patient and wait and surrender completely to God, so as to be able to receive from within, and beyond the expectations of the heart. This means that the arousing is caused by the Power of God, as Bapak has explained al­ready in his talks. (  II/3-4/703 )

Letting heart and thoughts into the latihan

With regard to Subud and the way of the latihan kedjiwaan, as you know the latihan kedjiwaan of Subud is a receiving; that is, a receiving which comes from Almighty God through His Grace. So the person who receives the latihan has only to be patient and to surrender to the Will of Almighty God.

For, through the feeling of patience and by surrendering with full trust in the Power of Almighty God, the person's heart and mind and inner-feeling will avoid the influence of the nafsu which rage within him.

So, clearly, the purification arid improvement which go on within the person who receives will take place by themselves, while the heart and thoughts are only spectators in this matter. If, every time you receive and do the latihan kedjiwaan, you still let your heart, thoughts and imagination play a part in it, your inner-feeling will feel dark and your thinking will feel confused. You will thus feel you have lost the peace of your inner-feeling. This will cause your faith in the Power of Almighty God to be slight and weak. (  VI/3/15 )

No manifestations: 'Is Subud not right for me?'

The latihan kedjiwaan of Subud comes from the Power of God and is by His Grace. Thus it does not depend upon the person, whether he is young or old, rich or poor, and it pays no regard to race or religion. For the essence of the latihan kedjiwaan of Subud is nothing else than the growth and awakening of the feeling of the inner-self, which has been given grace by God so that it can be touched by the Great Life Force which envelops it.

Now, for this reason, the only preparation needed beforehand by anyone who wishes to be able to feel the touch of the all-enveloping Life Force is to push away all desire and imagination. What is needed at that moment is only to call inwardly upon God, God, God, while feeling what is happening in the inner-feeling. It you can really do this, you will immediately be able to receive the vibration of the Life Force, which you will then feel moves your inner-feeling, and this is called the latihan kedjiwaan. Bapak therefore advises you to follow what he indicates above to avoid any waste of time in still being unable to feel and know what we call the latihan kedjiwaan of Subud. (  V/1/18 )

No feeling or movement after eleven years

Dear Brother, Although your letter was directed to me, I translated it for Bapak to answer because I wanted to give you the opportunity, to receive Bapak's ex­planation about your state; but in case this Bapak asked me to answer your letter, and my answer is as follows:

First of all, I thank Almighty God that YOUR BELIEF IN GOD AND YOUR BELIEF IN YOURSELF are very strong. This means, in fact, that you are already in the state which is the basis of all religion. Therefore God has blessed you and the result is that you have changed in many ways in yourself, even though after eleven years of doing the latihan kedjiwaan you have no movement at all. But, through your strong faith in God and in yourself, your inner-self develops beyond your heart and mind so that you are unable to know and to penetrate the deepest part of your feeling. If you remember that only by the help of the Power of God is someone able to reach Him, the only way for us to reach Him is by SURRENDERING COMPLETELY TO HIS POWER.

As you know, God created two kinds of angels: those who follow the Will of God and those who are against the Will of God. The latter are one with the heart and mind. It is clear enough that we are not able to be freed from these angels who are against God if we still use our heart and mind in seeking God's guidance.

If we do the latihan kedjiwaan of Subud, by the Grace of God our heart and mind are separated from our inner-self, so that there is contact between the Power of God which envelops us and the Power of God which is one with the inner-self, so that our heart and mind, including the angels who rebelled against the Will of God, are truly made inactive by the Power of God. In such a state, we are really able to feel how merciful God is, and under God's guidance we feel peaceful - calm - quiet and free from the influence of our passions.

If, during the latihan kedjiwaan, someone has the desire to try to find out or to feel from where the movement comes, this means that the person concerned does not do the latihan, but he concentrates by seeking something in his feeling. Usually, a person who does the latihan like this never re­ceives the contact, or there is no movement at all, but he just stands like a statue. This is the general reason why, in the case of a few members in Indonesia, they did not receive any experience after doing the latihan kedjiwaan for several years.

With regard to your state ten years ago, if we compare it with your present state, it is quite different, because you are now more or less rather natural and beginning to become obedient towards the truth. You are also beginning to be aware that it is still a question whether what is good for the heart and mind is also good for the inner-self, and whether what is good for the inner-self is understood by the heart and mind.

 Because of this, I suggest that you follow Bapak's advice to members who are not yet able to experience the emptiness of the inner. Bapak's advice is as follows:

Every night, before you sleep, you should sit on the floor with your eyes closed and quieten yourself for about fifteen or twenty minutes; do not think about anything, but in your inner you should say: 'God - God - God, forgive me for all my sins and guide me on the right way'. After that, you should feel your whole self and if it is already felt that there is movement, you should follow this movement and do not prevent it, because it is the movement of the life-force which, after it is developed, is called the latihan kedjiwaan of Subud.

To end this letter, I only hope that God may bless you so that you may be brought in the right path. (  Sudarto ) (  V/5/148 )

Just feel your own self

When you do the latihan kedjiwaan with many mem­bers in the group, and you stand among the others who are doing their latihan, you should not pay any attention to the others. You should just constantly feel your own self, and do not think a lot. Also, Bapak prays that through the Grace of Almighty God you may be able to receive and feel clearly the awakening and movement of your whole inner-feeling. (  VI/3/15 )

Do elderly people always have quiet latihans?

These older people do not, in fact, feel quiet as yet, and the reason for their quietness and lack of movement during the latihan is because they are not yet able to receive the latihan truly. Because if they can already receive, their bodies will certainly move and the movements will spread all over the body and they will feel that the whole body is alive. They are therefore advised really to set aside all thoughts and everything which comes into their mind and heart. They will thus be instantaneously able to receive truly, which will be perfectly shown by movements of their bodies.
(  II/3-4/76 )

Does it matter if one's movements in latihan diminish?

The character of the movements of the latihan always changes. Sometimes in the latihan we receive in those parts of our body which do not make movements like those of the arms or legs or the whole body. So the lady you mentioned in your letter does receive in her latihan but the character is different. This is not a thing to be regretted, and she will later be able to feel the changes and the dif­ference she receives in the latihan. (  II/3-4/78 )

Does not increase impurities and suffering

The latihan kedjiwaan of Subud is not a form of latihan brought about by the will, using a method or a system as students usually do, but is something which, at the beginning, is activated by the contact from the Power of Almighty God at the moment when the influence of the nafsu, heart and mind is not at work.

For this reason it is clear that the latihan kedjiwaan of Subud is present spontaneously whenever a person's inner-feeling is not influenced by the nafsu, heart and mind. People who have been blessed with the Mercy of Almighty God usually call this a receiving, because it acts and proceeds by itself and does not need to be controlled by the heart and mind, while the person receiving the latihan kedjiwaan has only to follow with patience, surrender and sincere trust every time he receives it.

Bapak has often said that the latihan kedjiwaan of Subud is in fact guidance and direction from the Power of Almighty God towards the perfection of our worship. Of course, the way of the latihan kedjiwaan of Subud is also connected with the inner-feeling or with every part of the body that suffers from illness or mistakes. In fact, for this reason the latihan kedjiwaan, which manifests itself in energy, move­ment and action, cleans the impurities existing in every part of the body and restores to a good condition nerves that are working wrongly.

Now, the reason why the inner-feeling and the parts of the body that are sick do not yet feel clean and good, even after such a long time, is clearly that the impurities in the inner-feeling have gone very deep and the nature of the illness present in parts of the body is also very deep and complex.

Such is the way of the latihan kedjiwaan of Subud that you receive. So one should not say the latihan increases the impurities in the inner-feeling and the suffering of the parts of the body affected by illness. Such a view is really out of place, because everything that goes on in the latihan kedjiwaan of Subud is carried out by the Power of Almighty God, while the person who receives it only follows. In fact, only Almighty God can effect this.

So Bapak advises you to be willing to continue receiving and following the way of the latihan kedjiwaan of Subud. As for the procedure: every time you are about to receive and follow the latihan you should quieten your heart and mind, and surrender in sincere submission to the Power of Almighty God. This is the only condition for us Subud members, which makes it possible for us to obtain relief from all kinds of suffering and to find a way of life leading towards the perfection of our worship of Almighty God. (  VII/1/21 )

Do not be concerned about criticism of the latihan

Regarding criticism from people that the latihan kedjiwaan of Subud is not good, you should not be concerned, because such is indeed man's habit - he likes to criticize other people and considers himself to be right.

As you know, the latihan kedjiwaan Subud is a latihan which works when the power of the desires, heart and thought is rendered null. Since desires, heart and thoughts are themselves channels through which the influences of the lower forces enter the inner-feeling of man, it should be clear that the awakening of your inner-feeling such as you have received is brought about through contact with the Life Force via a pure current. The pure current is usually referred to as coming from the Power of Almighty God. (  II/11-12/365 )

Why do people stop attending latihan?

As you know, the latihan kedjiwaan is an exercise aroused by the Power of God; it is not caused by the nafsu, heart or mind. Clearly, therefore, the latihan is an exercise outside the function of mind - meaning that how to do it is not to be thought out, but that instead one should surrender oneself to the Power of God, according to His Will.

Those who do not care to continue the latihan feel it does not accord with their mind and logic, and so they have left Subud. This happens not only here, but in other places too, but those who have left come back again to Subud later. Maybe they come to the conclusion that what is true is indeed something beyond their expectations. So it is not strange for us that some of you have left Subud. They may come back to Subud, as others have done in other places. (  11/3-4/75 )

The lower forces during worship

Bapak has heard from various sources that when you receive and follow the way of the latihan kedjiwaan of Subud you hold hands, dance, sing and make all kinds of sounds. If this story is true, are you able to be aware whether this situation is awakened by your djiwa because of the Will of Almighty God?

As you know, there are lower forces in your inner nature which are attributes in your lives, and these lower forces also want to receive God's blessing, just as man receives it. It is God's Will that they should receive their share.

Take, for example, the material life-force. Although the material life-force is one of the lower life-forces whose influence must be put aside whenever man carries out his worship of Almighty God, man would not be able to make himself prosperous and happy without it. For example, he would not be able to cut meat and kill animals for food if he did not have such tools as a knife or a rifle. Also, a human being would not be considered to be following a good way of life if he or she did not wear clothes and adornment; and a man would become wet from the rain and suffer from the heat of the sun if he did not live in a house. Similarly, he could not travel long distances quickly without a means of transportation, and so on.

As for the vegetable life-forces, man's flesh, bones, muscles and blood would not be nourished if he did not eat vegetables. He could not give up the animal life-force because, if he did not eat the meat of animals, he would not care to work or to have sexual intercourse. The djasmani life-force, which is one of the life-forces below the true human life-force, is also necessary for man's life, because the djasmani life-force awakens him so that he is able to feel the bliss of life in this world, and the way of doing this is through marriage.

Through God's Will, all these lower life-forces have become man's attributes in his life, and they all want to receive their share of God's gift. For this reason, you some­times manifest movements and energy like those of material objects, plants, animals and human beings when you do the latihan. You need to be careful about this; do not let yourselves be influenced by the lower forces which always accompany you in carrying out your worship of God. So, when you are receiving and following the latihan kedjiwaan of Subud, it is best to accustom yourselves to feeling your own inner-selves and to direct your inner-feeling only towards Almighty God. This is necessary in order that you can gradually come to feel what arises from the human djiwa and what arises because of the lower life-forces which are its attributes.

This is Bapak's brief advice to you, and Bapak advises you all, especially the helpers, not to get into the habit of doing the latihan kedjiwaan carelessly or improperly - that is, by shouting, screaming and dancing together.

It was different when Bapak did the testing with you. Bapak made you dance, cry, laugh and so forth. Bapak made you do this because Bapak was in fact testing the extent of the knowledge of your inner-feeling and your djiwa.

In short, you should not imitate Bapak before you are really aware of the working of the lower life forces in your inner-self. (  I/11/5/7 )

What is the real difference between receiving from the Power of God and from another power?

It is still difficult for the person who receives to distinguish, to be able to know which power is from God and which power is from another source, because, even if the power is from another life-force, it too has its origin in the Power of God. For this reason, in fact, almost every Subud member who receives the latihan kedjiwaan acknowledges that what he receives is from Almighty God. But actually, if it is tested from the Rochani level (  the life-force higher than the life-force of the human being, without desire towards the life of people in this world ), the movements and things done at that time still indicate that they are movements and actions from the animal force. This is because the original content of the member's inner-self at the time is still the animal life. Of course, as he is still on the animal level, although the movements and actions he receives arise as a result of the touch of the Great Life Force, they are still the movements and actions of an animal with a human body. This situation can be compared with a person tapping on something - if he is clever at playing the piano, a clear and melodious sound is heard, but if he knocks on wood or tin the sound is certainly not nice to hear.

To give an illustration of the true situation of the life-forces in the structure of the Great Life: the life-force of the human being is, as it were, in the center. Below the life force of the human being are the material, the vegetable, the animal and the ordinary human life-force, all having desires - that is, they want to be able to experience the pleasures, the comforts and the nobility experienced by human beings. Above the life-force of the human being are the Rohbani, Rochmani and Rabbani life forces. These life-forces have absolutely no desire for the way of life of human beings in this world because their excellence and high quality are far above the life of human beings in this world.

A human being who is already in the center of the life-forces can feel and receive the condition of these life-forces in relation to his inner-self. But how can someone whose life-force is still on a lower level differentiate between what receiving is good and without desire and what receiving still contains desire? This is why it is necessary to do the latihan kedjiwaan, which is founded on surrender, trust and sincerity towards the Will of Almighty God. And the im­portance of experiencing a crisis when it is the Will of Almighty God is that all the various contents of the inner-self which cause one's nature to lack excellence and obstruct the development of one's inner-self are thereby broken down, and this is accompanied by clarifications and explanations about its true meaning. (  V/5/139 )

Can one get rid of lower forces by receiving from a lower force?

This is obviously impossible. Only the Power of Almighty God, which works within, is able to wipe away the strength of a lower force within a person's self so that he becomes free from it. It is sufficient for the person to surrender to the Power of Almighty God with real trust and sincerity.

Just to give an example, suppose within someone's self there is a lower force which tries to get rid of itself: such a lower force as this would be extraordinarily good and sincere, because in so doing it would cause its own death. So it is clearly impossible for a lower force to be eliminated by a low life-force. Moreover, a person who has the strength of a lower force within him - which means he has been dominated by it - cannot possibly 'normalize' his inner-self as that of a human being because, so long as he is receiving the strength of the lower force, he has the inner nature of that lower life-force.

That is all, and Bapak hopes this short reply of his may to some extent fulfill your hopes and those of the members. (  V/5/143 )

What dies in the latihan

With regard to your saying 'I die', in the latihan, what is being killed is the influence of the passions, and not your coarse physical body. Nevertheless, although this is so. it is best that your heart remain surrendered with complete trust and sincerity towards Almighty God. (  VII/1/23 )

Playing Bapak's gambang tape

As for the matter of playing Bapak's gambang tape recording, it is best to play it only two or, at the most, three times a month, and if members who first listen to it are women, then the men must wait in another room until after the playing of the tape has ended. In this way there will be no mixing of the movements of different sexes.

The limitation set by Bapak to just twice a month is to prevent the members from becoming accustomed later to wanting to do the latihan kedjiwaan only if they can also listen to the playing of Bapak's gambang tape.

Indeed, in Indonesia Bapak's gambang tape recording is played very seldom unless really necessary, as for example, if there is a member whose heart is not yet calm, or if there is a member who truly is not yet able to receive and feel the existence of the latihan kedjiwaan of Subud. Then in such situations Bapak's gambang tape may be played so that the heart may become calm, and the one who is not yet able to receive movements of the body may become able to move. (  VII/3/15 )

What do Bapak and Indonesian helpers mean by 'praying to God' for something?

What the helpers from Indonesia meant by 'pray to God' is just the same as the latihan you do. Thus, before you do the latihan you pray in your heart, you ask for His Grace that you may receive the explanation or indication you ask for; however it is not sure that you will receive it soon because all is God's Will. (  II/3-4/70 )

May married couples latihan together?

Bapak does not really approve of married couples in Subud doing the latihan kedjiwaan together, and Bapak does not permit this because, in fact, the latihan kedjiwaan of Subud which you are following is your worship of Almighty God. As for the way in which you worship Almighty God, in this you are guided and directed by His Power. You must realize this, because in your worship of Almighty God your inner nature must be completely free from the influence of the nafsu, whereas if men and women members do the latihan together, simultaneously and in the same place, it will actually attract the influence of the nafsu.

This, of course, will easily cause both men and women members to experience a turmoil of the nafsu asmara (  passionate love ), which they will be powerless to prevent.

If, at the time of the opening, women must be opened by women helpers and men must be opened by men helpers, then why, after they are able to receive and do the latihan kedjiwaan, should they suddenly be permitted to receive and do the latihan together, simultaneously and in the same place? Clearly this only comes from the pressure of the nafsu, and they are not yet aware that the latihan kedjiwaan is quite different from the ordinary latihan, which is awakened by the will and the nafsu.

In fact, Bapak forbids such behavior, seeing that the latihan kedjiwaan of Subud which you receive and follow is really and truly guidance and direction from the Power of Almighty God.

You should feel very fortunate that the nafsu, which usually control you, can be put aside through the Grace of Almighty God. So, as far as possible, you should no longer permit yourselves to be playthings of the nafsu which influence your heart and mind.
(  I/11/3/15 )

Should someone who is drunk be allowed to latihan?

The best thing to do is to advise the addict or drinker not to take any alcohol before latihan, in order to be able to receive, and then she will be able to cleanse herself from her thirst for it. If she can do this, she has a very good chance of getting rid of her drinking habits. She has to accept this and carry it out, but if she refuses the advice and help and keeps on drinking, it would be better not to accept her in the general latihan for the time being, because she will influence the others, who will not feel tranquil and calm in the latihan. If she insists on participating in the latihan while still drunk, it is better to let her do the latihan separately and to let a helper accompany her if there is one available. As far as her utterances are concerned, clearly these do not come from within and not by the Will of God. That is because her heart and mind are confused by the fumes of the alcohol. (  II/3-4/79 )

Reincarnation and the latihan

Bapak confirms that experiences such as you have received in the latihan do indeed exist in Subud. Many brothers in Indonesia as well as abroad have had similar experiences. This is because the latihan kedjiwaan of Subud is very wide and everything can be met with that accords with one's own nature.

As you already know, the latihan kedjiwaan of Subud is moved by the Power of Almighty God and the nature of the latihan is to make the whole self alive, from the coarse part as well as the fine part up to the djiwa, beginning in the lowest and moving to the highest. This is necessary, so that our body, both coarse and fine parts, can become good, and also our djiwa, which has fallen because of our faults.

From the development of our life, proceeding from God in the above way, we automatically experience changes and improvements in ourselves towards perfection. So if in the latihan we receive, for instance, that formerly we lived as a king, a priest, a very rich man and so on, also that formerly we lived as an animal - an elephant, a cow, a snake, a tiger, a monkey, etc. - all this needs to be cleaned and repaired so that our inner nature can improve to a state of perfection, and at the end we need not live again as we have in the past.

There are religious societies which teach about reincarnation, but reincarnation is in reality only a stage because, as it is said, if a man has reached the stage of virtue he will not reincarnate again as a man unless it is needed by Almighty God.

From all this it is clear to us that the question of reincarnation does exist in the latihan kedjiwaan of Subud but with this difference: reincarnation in Subud is a life-process for a man, worked out and acted upon by the Power of God, not by the desire of man. That is why we may easily experience purifications and improvements within ourselves

Proof of this has already been given in the latihan kedjiwaan of Subud in which many among our brothers have shown themselves in the latihans as priests, rich men. famous men, poor men, stupid men and so on, and not a few have shown themselves as wild and tame animals. All these are spiritual experiences and truly need to be cleansed, so that finally the perfect state can be attained.

That is all concerning the subject of reincarnation, which we may witness in connection with the latihan kedjiwaan of Subud we have now received. So if you like to describe your experiences of this matter, that is all right, provided it is made clear that they constitute experiences only. (  I/3/68 )

Some latihan-state visions interpreted

When you saw your body floating in the air, this illustrated that when your djiwa has received the Grace of God it will be able to live in a greater world which lies beyond this earth. And the small human figure standing on your navel is a picture of your life on this earth. With regard to the djiwa, this is the content of a certain natural object
(  the body ), which is derived from various spiritual levels; for example the material, the vegetable, the animal, the ordinary human, the Rochani, and so on. It is really neither necessary for you to ask about this nor should you do so, since you can only arrive at the solution through the guidance of Almighty God. If you wish to know the way of it, it is very hazardous for human beings, because every transformation of the content of a natural object (  body ) goes by way of death. Therefore, if possible, it is best if you simply surrender to God, for God alone can resolve this critical state.

The fire you saw, which later turned into a human being, illustrated that man comes into being because of the nafsu which is enveloped by life, and in that life are contained djiwas originating from several spiritual stages of the djiwa.

As R... the artist whom you saw, he is none other than your own heart. Indeed in the spiritual world the human heart is symbolized as a person. And this artist said you were beautiful, and indeed you are beautiful, but it is not your body and face that are meant but rather that your heart and feelings are beautiful.

Certainly in a dream latihan you will be able to turn somersaults and fly in the air, since what is doing the latihan in a dream is only your feelings, unaccompanied by the physical body which forms the vehicle for the feelings. Even in the ordinary latihan - meaning when one is not asleep - one may also sometimes feel oneself lifted up and flying in the air. (  V/3/84 )

Ladies first if not simultaneously

For the building reserved for latihans has enough rooms space, men and women can do the latihan at the same time but in different rooms. But if there is not sufficient space available to do the latihans at the same time, it is advisable and would be better to let the ladies have their latihan first, and the men can then enter the room after the ladies have ended their latihan. To prevent waste of time by waiting, it is better to limit the time for the latihan to half an hour for each group. (  II/3-4/67 )

Of two stories, should women use the upper?

About the place or which floor of the building is best for ladies and which for men, nothing special can be said as to which group should do the latihan downstairs or upstairs. If the ladies group finds it convenient to do the latihan on the upper floor, there is no objection, but if they find it more convenient to use the lower floor because the upper floor is much too high, it is better to let them do the latihan downstairs. In other words, it is up to you to allot the rooms to each of the groups.
(  II/3-4/68 )

The right place for latihan

Actually, the place that is right and best for the latihan - which in truth is your worship of Almighty God - is within your own selves. If you are calm and quiet within yourselves, free from the influence of the nafsu, then your inner-feeling will be broad and tranquil wherever you do the latihan. You need to become accustomed to this so that, in fact, you are not influenced by the material life-force.

In the meantime, since you do not yet have inner qualities of this kind, Bapak advises that, if you want to find a latihan place that feels good to you, it is best to have this tested by the helpers, the committee and by some of the members whose latihan is already good. This is necessary so that many Subud members can feel whether or not the place is right.

In this matter Bapak hopes that the helpers, the commit­tee members and other members will have patience and sincere submission, based on mutual love, mutual respect and harmony.

If you can follow the above advice, then there is the possibility for God to direct and guide you all towards the true way which accords with your hopes.

This ends Bapak's message to you, and Bapak further prays that the Mercy of Almighty God may always be with you and protect you. (  V11/5/9 )

(  See also the eight points about latihan premises in Pewarta Vol. VIII, No. 3, pages 87-88 ).

HELPERS, TESTING

Basic requirements for potential helpers

The problem of proposing or deciding that a member is worthy to become a helper must be considered, first of all, on the basis of the following five requirements:

1. a member who has an excellent character.

2. a member who is able to adjust himself to the brothers who will be under his guidance.

3. a member who is loved and respected by the brothers who will be under his guidance.

4. a member who is experienced in the latihan kedjiwaan and who does not make use of other practices in receiving and following the way of the latihan kedjiwaan; and also who will not use other practices in giving explanations to the members, whether or not they are to be under his guidance. Thus, the explanations he gives to the members must be in accordance with the experience he has obtained from the latihan kedjiwaan of Subud.

5. a member who is able to accept and carry out the responsibilities allotted to him as a helper and who does not think only of his own interests.

Thus, these five requirements should really be the basic conditions for a member to be worthy to be proposed as a helper, and there is no exception, even in the case of a child or grandchild of Bapak's. (  VII/6/25 )

Helpers only intermediaries

In reply to your letter, you are herewith informed that guidance in the latihan kedjiwaan of Subud is the Power of Almighty God. 

As for the helpers, including Bapak himself, they are only intermediaries who serve the latihan of the Subud members. Hence, with regard to the worship of Almighty God, all of you should direct yourselves towards the Power of Almighty God.

However, although the helpers are only like intermediaries and servants, they should so far as possible, have the character of human beings possessing the qualities of Susila, Budhi and Dharma.

The helpers should therefore set a good, outstanding example for the members.
(  VII/5/21 )

Honorary Helpers

A helper who feels he is no longer able to come fre­quently at the time the latihan is held and at the time of opening people who have fulfilled the three months' candidacy should sincerely resign as a helper and return his helper's card to the local helpers' group for safekeeping in the archives. In recognition of his services, the helpers' group and committee should give him a letter, as a sign of their appreciation, appointing him an Honorary Helper*.

(  VI1/5/23 ) (  *'Honorary Member' was the term originally printed but it transpired that 'Honorary Helper' was intended. A recent letter from Bapak ( in Pewarta Vo. VIII No. 6) adds that an Honorary Helper may resume the functions of an active helper if his group needs him to do so and if he is willing. )

May a helper advise a member to stop doing latihan for a while?

With regard to your question whether a helper may in some circumstances advise a member to stop doing the latihan for a while, etc., Bapak says it is indeed very necessary for helpers to stop the latihan of a member who they feel is always confused in his receiving, and later, when it is felt he is no longer confused, they can suggest he return to the latihan. (  V/4/117 )

If a member will not heed the advice of the helpers

It is actually your obligation as helpers to look after the brothers and sisters (  the members ) so that they obey all the/regulations of the Association of our Spiritual Brotherhood of Subud, and also so that they can become people of good character in accordance with the guidance and direction of the Power of Almighty God, which manifest in the latihan kedjiwaan of Subud. Even so, the helpers do not, in fact, have the right to force a member to follow their advice and their rules if the member does not wish to respect these.

So, if a member is stubborn and does not want to heed the advice and the rules of the helpers, and if this happens several times, his (  the member's ) name may be immediately removed from the members' register of the Association of the Spiritual Brotherhood, and whatever he does is no longer a responsibility of either the helpers or the committee of Association of the Spiritual Brotherhood of Subud.

We are obliged to act in this way because we have to remember that, although we are concerned with the spiritual life, we still continue to live as people who are under the protection of the laws and regulations of our respective coun­tries. And as, in fact, the laws and regulations of these countries are made for the order and safety of the population, if the behavior and the actions of a member really deviate from the rules of the Association of our Spiritual Brotherhood of Subud, which is recognized and legally established by the respective countries, we must act in accordance with the regulations which are laid down for us.

Therefore people interested in joining Subud have to observe a three-month waiting period as applicants. This is necessary, for during that time the applicant needs to find out what Subud really is, while the helpers need to find out what the applicant's situation really is. Further, it is necessary for the helpers to test whether the person's wish to enter Subud is genuine and sincere or whether he wishes to enter merely because he wants to try it out and to join Subud without good reason. (  V11/4/25 )

Testing and the latihan

When a helper or a member carries out testing in the spiritual way (  kedjiwaan ) of Subud it is similar to doing the latihan kedjiwaan. The difference is: when testing, the person who tests has a question to ask before doing the latihan, to which he or she then receives an answer in whatever form he is able to receive it; whereas when one does the latihan it is necessary first to empty oneself of ideas and imaginings, to surrender in trust and sincerity to the Will of Almighty God, and then one will receive and follow the guidance and direction that come from the Power of God manifested in the latihan kedjiwaan.

This then is the difference between testing and just receiving and following the latihan kedjiwaan. If, therefore, a member or a helper tests frequently, because there are many different questions, he will be obliged to reduce the time spent in receiving and practicing his latihan, which is, essentially, following the guidance and direction that come from the Power of Almighty God.

It is indeed necessary for people to test as well, but if this is done it is for reasons such as the need to know on what spiritual (  kedjiwaan ) level a person now stands, or to enable one to know for oneself why it is that after being in Subud for a number of years one is still unable to receive experiences that can be felt. Testing can also be carried out when someone wishes to know how to behave in order to lessen the influence of the passions (  nafsu ) that still continually oppress his inner feeling, and in other cases where there is a connection with spiritual matters (  kedjiwaan ). So, too, testing can be done to select someone to serve on a committee or as a helper, since these duties are always connected with spiritual matters.

The cases just mentioned certainly fall within the spiritual category and are in harmony with the way of the latihan kedjiwaan, which is essentially guidance and direction from the Power of Almighty God.

As you know, the latihan kedjiwaan of Subud comes and has its being through the Grace of Almighty God. Evidence of this is that its presence stills the thoughts and imagination and causes the working of heart and mind to cease. This is clear proof, and you yourselves have witnessed it.

If the latihan kedjiwaan has come into being by the Grace of Almighty God, it is only fitting that we should hold it in high respect, and not practice it simply as our hearts wish. For if we only follow the desires of our hearts when we do the latihan, it means that we degrade the guidance and direction of Almighty God, the All-Glorious and All-Wise.

On the other hand, if we do the latihan kedjiwaan and use it following the spiritual way, this means that we truly hold in high esteem the guidance and direction of Almighty God, manifested in the latihan kedjiwaan which we have received and are practicing. It is for this reason that, so far as is possible, we do not employ testing for purposes that fall outside the field of spiritual matters.

If necessary, you may also test in order to be able to know your fate, and what to do so as to be able to change it for the better. But you should not then ask about all your various needs, as if you were questioning a 'dukun' (  witch-doctor or fortune-teller ). This sort of thing is indeed work for a witch-doctor or fortune-teller. But for us, whose primary aim is the worship of Almighty God in accordance with His direction and guidance, such a habit is rather far removed from our original objective.

The fact is that many questions can be weighed and examined with your hearts and minds, such as wanting to move house, to change your work, to discover how to pay your debts, to know how to manage your property, to find a marriage-partner or to improve an unfortunate lot in life. But occasionally, if it is obvious that heart and mind are inadequate to reach a satisfactory conclusion, only then should you ask the helpers to test about such a problem. For if you fall into the habit of asking about all kinds of things, you will eventually get into the way of being just an expert questioner, and you will not understand that the Subud latihan kedjiwaan, which exists by the Grace of Almighty God, will enable you to know for yourself all that is necessary. It is better, therefore, not to make a habit of testing such problems.

It may be that you feel such questions as these to be very important for you. Well, yes, if you feel that they are important, maybe every kind of problem that becomes a necessity in your life is important. But the essential purpose and content of these questions does not tally or correspond with your intentions at the time when you were about to enter the Spiritual Brotherhood of Subud.

If you will remember the situation at the time when you were about to enter Subud, you were reminded that the latihan of Subud exists by and comes through the Grace of Almighty God, and is in its essence man's worship of God according to His guidance and direction manifested in the latihan kedjiwaan.

This is the purport of what you were told. As for questions of healing, setting right the djiwa and purifying the inner-feeling, which relate to one's fate in life, all this will proceed of itself, because the improvement of the djiwa and the purification of the inner-feeling are carried out in the course of the latihan kedjiwaan, which is truly direction and guidance from Almighty God.

So, clearly, if you really do surrender, patiently, sincerely and trustfully to the Will of Almighty God, your djiwa will be raised up towards a superior level, and your inner-feeling will be cleansed of the impurities and faults which are the cause of your misfortune, so that subsequently you will be filled by a djiwa of superior quality, and the purity of your inner-feeling will make your fate in life a good one.

You will not, of course, be able to experience all these results immediately, because your djiwa has sunk too low, and the impurities and faults of your inner-feeling form a closely interwoven network. Except through the Grace of God, these results could never be achieved at all. (  VI/2/3 )

Are non-helpers forbidden to test?

The following are Bapak's answers to the questions put to him in your letter: 1. For the sake of order and regularity it would be right for testing to be done only by helpers. An ordinary member whose latihan has become a good one can also test; but if he is then allowed to test on his own, this would upset the arrangements already made, so that everyone would act on his own, and then what would be the use of appointing helpers?

2. Once in a while, so long as it does not happen every time, a member is allowed to test, provided he is accompanied or taken care of by helpers. No one who is not a Subud member may test.

3. Testing is not a special right of the helpers, but it is one of their responsibilities to serve their brothers (  the members ) in this way when questions are put to them. ( V/l/20 )

Receiving answers when testing

The way one should test is that before doing the latihan one must first explain what one wants. After that one must banish all one's own desires and wishes and just leave it to the Greatness of God.

To put it more clearly, while testing one has to be entirely free from the influence of the heart.

In this way ( by being free from the influence of the heart and mind ) one's inner-feeling will become clean, and this cleanness of one's inner-feeling will enable one to receive the contact with the Great Life Force. This contact will manifest itself in the form of energy and movements which one receives, and these movements will indicate the answer to the question asked by the heart before the beginning of the latihan.

Of course the nature of the reply one receives will be neither more nor less than the one who receives is himself capable of receiving. For instance, if the spiritual development of the person who receives is still at the stage of receiving in the coarse part of the feeling i.e. in the form of 'energy and movements - the reply will, of course, also be received in the form of energy and movements.

If the person receiving has already reached the stage of being able to receive indications with feeling filled with understanding, he will be able to receive the answer to his question with his understanding.

At a still further stage, if his latihan has already developed to the level of consciousness, the reply to his question will be received by the consciousness of his djiwa.

This is the method which is usually called testing, and it is not a means of testing in any way connected with the mind or the desires. That is why some people when testing can receive the reply with their understanding, while others are only able to receive the answer through the movement of their bodies. ( II/1-2/12 )

May unspoken questions be tested?

Although silent questions can be put to be tested, it is better that they be mentioned orally. ( II/3-4/125 )

Test only when necessary

Regarding testing, as Bapak has always said, the necessity for testing arises when a member submits a question. If there is no question, then you should not inquire if someone is willing to ask a question, because then the helpers use their own desires to test the members and know their state. If possible, they should not do this because it will easily bring about a feeling of hatred on the part of the members, who are unwilling to have their state seen.

So it is excellent that testing be done when necessary, which means when it is necessary to answer questions submitted by members. ( V/2/61 )

Questions not connected with worship should be kept to a minimum

Bapak wishes to say that truly it is inappropriate for members to ask the helpers or Bapak questions such as those you mention in your letter. If you try to fit this kind of question into the original purpose for which members join Subud, you will see that these questions scarcely accord with the reality of it.

As you know, the only aim and purpose of the latihan kedjiwaan of Subud is the perfection of our worship of the Power of Almighty God according to His Will which we have been receiving from the beginning.

This should make it clear that the most important thing for us in Subud is to surrender patiently, trustfully and sincerely in following anything that happens in the latihan kedjiwaan. We are not to be distracted from this by asking the helpers, and Bapak, personal questions and problems.

It does seem, however, that members rather forget the original purpose of their entering Subud. This is obvious from the enormous number of questions Bapak and the helpers are asked. To mention a few, there are questions such as: Is it good or not for A. to marry B.? Is it right or not that Mr. C. should divorce his wife? What course should D. follow to enable him to work well or to get a good job to support his family? What should E. do so that his love will be returned by the woman he loves? How should F. overcome the chaos that has arisen in his family? What place and what kind of work suit Mr. G.'s djiwa? What will E.'s future be like and what will happen to his children? And all sorts of other questions which need not be men­tioned here.

Bapak does not forbid Subud members to do this, because it is quite proper that sons and daughters should seek advice from parents; but they should not ask questions having nothing at all to do with any experience obtained in the latihan kedjiwaan. If they do, the relationship is merely that of an inquirer to a spiritual healer or fortune-teller.

You must never get into the habit of doing this, because, truly, this course deviates from your first aim and purpose, and lessens your potentiality for receiving education and guidance from the Power of Almighty God.

As you know, our movements in the latihan are not intentionally produced. They come to us when we no longer think of anything and feel only surrender to the Power of Almighty God. So whatever happens in the latihan is not in any way influenced by our heart and thoughts, which house the nafsu of djatmika ( wise acceptance ), desire, arrogance and wrath. Usually it is the last three nafsu that are used by the lower forces.

So, obviously in our latihan kedjiwaan we are truly being educated and guided by the Power of Almighty God - free from the influences of our own nafsu that are so closely related to the lower forces.

God does not educate and guide us as a man educates and guides another man. His way of education and guiding us is revealed in such a way that our entire inner-feelings are moved to correct and purify all faults and impurities existing within them. Because of this, whoever among us has made progress in the latihan kedjiwaan, his inner-feelings which were previously impure are becoming pure and his character which was not good is becoming good.

It is essential for us to be educated and guided towards this, for then our inner-feelings and our heart will no longer be stumbling-blocks to the development of our djiwa on its way to perfection.

As we receive education and guidance in the latihan, we certainly experience changes in our heart and inner-feelings. These changes sometimes cause us to have strange feelings. For instance, we may now look at something in which we previously found pleasure as if it were empty of meaning; we may also feel that we are entering a new life. But this condition of ours will eventually be different in that our inner-feelings and heart will become quiet and undisturbed by changes, and be aware of everything we face.

Perhaps with these explanations members will come to a better understanding of the true aim of Subud, or of our aim in joining Subud - that is, solely the worship of Almighty God by way of the latihan kedjiwaan we have received from Him.

So problems and questions on subjects other than our worship should as far as possible be reduced to the minimum. ( 111/3-4/104 )

May testing be used for a business advisory service?

As you already know, the latihan kedjiwaan of Subud which we receive is a Grace from Almighty God, which truly guides and leads us towards nobility of the djiwa in the life hereafter. Accordingly it is out of place for us to use the latihan kedjiwaan of Subud for non-spiritual purposes.

For worldly matters for instance, finding the means for our life on earth - we must use our heart and mind and nafsu, since these are the tools given us for that purpose. We may of course turn inward when our heart and mind are in difficulties and darkness. But we should not customarily want to use our inner-feelings as a means to find satisfaction for our heart, mind and nafsu. For this call easily cause the impurities which are already beginning to be cleaned out to come back into your inner-feelings, so that these feelings will become darkened again without your being aware of it and your passion for acquiring worldly goods will grow stronger and more far-reaching.

 We need to remember that the Grace of God which we receive - in the form of the latihan kedjiwaan of Subud - is something we cannot obtain by using our heart, mind and nafsu, since its advent and existence are beyond their capacity, being truly due to the Grace of God. It is therefore right that we should keep God's Gift as high as possible and not fall into using it for common necessities which can be obtained by the cleverness of heart, mind and nafsu.

For these reasons it would be better that you should not continue with your intention and wishes mentioned in your letter. You may of course do testing for your own needs, but it may not become a money-making effort. If, for instance, you need to do something to cover your living expenses, the right thing would be for you to work at a job in which you are already skilled and which accords with your education and the ability of your heart and mind. In this way you will be able to understand the difference between the djiwa and the body, the inner and the outer life. ( V/4/118 )

Helpers may not conduct testing of the kind Bapak does

The testing which Bapak has conducted with Subud members of the different centers he has visited is not the usual testing, but testing whose nature is an examination for the members so that they may be able to experience to what extent they feel the development of their djiwa. Therefore testing of the kind which Bapak does may not yet be done by the helpers. ( VII/5/21 )

PURIFICATION, CRISIS

What is the meaning of purification?

The meaning of purification in the kedjiwaan is the purifying of wrong actions or behavior, and the cause of this wrongness is, in fact, that the inner-feeling of a person is influenced by the lower life-forces.

Indeed, generally, when a person behaves wrongly he himself is not aware that he is acting under the influence of the lower life-forces, and so he continues to behave wrongly and just feels happy or content in doing so.

This is Bapak's explanation, if you are wondering about the meaning of purification and why it is necessary for a person to experience purification within himself.

We Subud members are very fortunate that the faults woven into our inner-feeling can be cleansed through the latihan kedjiwaan which we receive and follow, even though this is done gradually. But for others, who have never received or followed the way of the latihan kedjiwaan of Subud as we do, it seems that their wrong actions will con­tinue without their being aware of them. That is why Bapak has said above that we Subud members are very fortunate to be able to experience and feel the process of cleansing carried out by the Power of Almighty God in our inner-feeling. Because of this, we should be careful and alert on future occasions so that we do not repeat our mistakes. ( VII/5/17 ) 

Direct indications from God

What is meant by 'direct indications from God' is actually very difficult to understand with the mind, because the relationship between God and man is not the same as the relationship between man and man, but resembles the relationship between man and his own under. standing and his own consciousness. Clearly, then, if a man does not yet understand about God, it means that his understanding is not yet filled by the Will of God or that his understanding has not yet been filled by understanding from God about God.

It is the same too if a man is not yet conscious about God; this means that the consciousness in his inner-feeling is not yet made conscious by the Power of God.

This is what Bapak meant when he said that within a man there are 'living letters', which can give indications for his life. If he already possesses these 'living letters', he will by himself be conscious of all that has been explained above, so that he no longer imagines the relationship between God and man to be the same as the relationship between man and man.

This is why what the person receives in the latihan kedjiwaan of Subud is not the same as what is received from the will - which is controlled by the heart and mind - but comes from the Power of God, free from all influence of nafsu, heart and mind.

So the movements of the body which one has received are really movements from one's inner-self that are not motivated by the nafsu and the heart and mind.

The movements in the parts of our body which have already become alive will gradually spread throughout our body, until they permeate our entire being, so that we will feel that our whole inner-feeling has become alive, in such a way as it has never been before.

These movements are also, in fact, a form of cleansing from all kinds of impurities and faults which had been in us for a long time previously, These movements will begin to purify our inner-feeling, and this is what is called purification.

To make this clearer, those who do the latihan need to undergo a kind of purification first, and only after one has been made pure will one be able to feel the real thing - that is, the holy feeling of one's inner-self. So one cannot reach one's inner-self if one's whole inner-feeling is not yet purified; and after one has become purified the 'living letters' within one will manifest themselves, as has already been said above. ( II/1-2/12 )

Purification is necessary

As you know, the latihan kedjiwaan of Subud is a latihan which comes from the Power of Almighty God. So in receiving the latihan we have no need at all to use our hearts and minds still; on the contrary, we should just receive and follow whatever movements may arise spontaneously from our inner-selves. These movements will gradually increase, day by day and month by month, so that later on they will take the form of various kinds of human behavior and actions. Outwardly, such movements only appear to be ordinary human behavior and actions, but in fact this is the way to cleanse every kind of impurity and correct all the faults in our inner-selves.

This process of purification and correction is necessary, so that after we have become pure and perfect our inner-feelings may become a suitable place for our human djiwas to develop to a noble state, inwardly as well as outwardly.

This is the main benefit of the practice of the latihan kedjiwaan Subud, which is not moved by the nafsu, heart, and mind, and which also is not done deliberately according to a certain theory.

As is evident, and as you yourselves have been aware, the smoothness of the process of purification and correction of your inner-selves and the completion of the development of the djiwa will go on of its own accord, at its own right time, so that it is not necessary for you to push forward with a strong will to quicken this process.

Indeed, you have to put aside such will power, as this is in fact the nature of the power of the passion of greed, which usually becomes the tool of the lower forces, and these forces always aim, by using the passion of greed, at the failure of man to reach the noble state described above.

So Bapak hopes that, whenever you receive and practice the latihan kedjiwaan, you will be patient and will surrender and will accept sincerely whatever has been willed by Almighty God.

This is the best way for you to follow to enable the process of purification to go on smoothly in your inner-feelings, and thus the development of your djiwa may also become easier. ( IV/2/73 )

Only God can purify

Bapak has safely received your letter and Bapak informs u that you are at present experiencing a period of purification; that is, the purification of all the impurities or mistakes that have been in your inner-feeling for a long time.

Usually, a person who has been opened and who follows the latihan kedjiwaan receives movements and energy from within which, in fact, remove the impurities that are in the inner-feeling and also begin to correct the faults therein.

Of course, you feel ill, as though suffering from a disease, while impurities are being broken up and the faults corrected. But in fact, in spite of this, you can eat and sleep as usual and moreover your heart and thinking feel quite calm.

Now, the impurities and faults within your inner-feeling are not mused only by your own wrong actions and behavior; they have their origin in your parents who gave you birth. For this reason the impurities and faults in the inner-feeling are like sugar and its sweetness. So, in fact, these impurities and faults cannot possibly be separated from the inner-feeling, except by the Power of Almighty God.

Thus, the only way for us Subud people is to surrender everything to Almighty God, for He alone can remove the impurities and correct the faults that are woven into the inner-feeling without damaging its fundamental nature.

This is how it is, so Bapak's advice to you is just that you should be faithful in receiving and following the latihan kedjiwaan of Subud, with complete patience, trust and sincerity, and Bapak prays that you may be able to receive the Grace of Almighty God so that your hopes may be fulfilled. ( VII/5/15 )

Purification and one's habits

Following the latihan kedjiwaan, there are indeed times hen you experience periods of purification. It is this purification that is sometimes felt as an unusual happening; e.g., if before Subud you were used to speculation and enjoyed going out frequently, then at times you experience purification and are made, as it were, to forget these habits and desires. So there is no reason to worry about deviations from these former habits, because it will end well. ( II/11-12/361 )

Purification and the needs of daily life

You are at present experiencing a period of purification. So long as you are passing through this stage you feel that your heart and mind are powerless and disinclined to attend to or think about anything, as if there were no need to trouble about anything at all.

Such a condition of the heart and mind is necessary in the course of spiritual development, so that the process of purification shall not be hindered. But, even though this is the case, it is necessary - since your life in this world is maintained by food and the other necessities of human existence, and because these have to be earned - that you should more or less compel your heart and mind to give attention and thought to ways of obtaining food and other necessities of life.

The kind of work you should look for is something you really know and which you feel will give you satisfaction.

As to marriage, you had better put this aside for the time being, and think about it again once you have found suitable and satisfactory work. ( From Bapak: Brodjolukito ) ( V/3/73 )

Experiences during purification

Your experiences that began on June 4th until June 5th were actions of purification happening to your inner-feelings.

True, parts of the things you have received have validity externally, but it should be sufficient for you just to know and listen, as it is unnecessary to think about their validity. Furthermore, it is unnecessary for you to tell others about them, because all this is meant for the one who receives - in this case, yourself.

While receiving such experiences you correctly felt as though affected by brilliant lights. It was as though you were being endowed at that moment with a wide spiritual knowledge. The meaning of this is that your whole inner-feelings and the whole understanding of your heart and thoughts were submerged in the atmosphere of the Great Life or in the Power of Almighty God.

At the time when you were submerged in such an atmos­phere your condition was like a child finding itself in a large room full of various kinds and forms of new things which made this little child think all it saw belonged to it. In reality, this is not so. You are allowed to see because it is shown to you, but you are not entitled to possess any of it except one or two things appropriate for you. Therefore, while having this experience, the one who receives ( yourself ) is required to have a feeling of patience and surrender, without thinking at all about this or that, because if you do think, your heart will be influenced by lower forces which make you confused in your heart and feelings.

So you must accept all you have received with patience and surrender. Refrain from telling others about what you received; the fact that you have known them is enough, because the nature of these experiences is a delivery of all you have been thinking about and of things that have been hidden in your imagination.

Regarding your wish to marry, you are advised not to carry this out for the time being. Eventually, when you have received the solution of all that is required for your individuality - that is, the completion of this purification that has been happening to you - you may then prepare yourself to marry a man chosen by your inner-feelings which will be awakened by your djiwa. ( III/5-6/18 )

Visions of bright-colored patterns

The visions you saw were pictures of your own inner-feelings undergoing purification. So the various colors stand for qualities of nafsu being cast out. In this way your inner-feelings eventually become purified - freed from the pressures of nafsu normally used by lower forces. So you should not worry about these visions. ( III/3-4/127 )

Kinds of crisis

Crisis is a word used by Subud members to describe the state of a member in whom the contents of the inner-feeling, heart and mind are being exposed to the surface in the process of following and receiving the latihan kedjiwaan of Subud. It was, in fact, necessary for the member to pass through this state. There are three kinds of crisis in the field of the kedjiwaan. There are:

1. A crisis in which one's inner content is exposed in a violent way. In this kind of crisis it looks as if the person concerned forgets all good manners and social behavior.

2. The second kind of crisis is gentler in nature. The person concerned looks calm and he behaves rather well.

3. The third kind of crisis is very subtle in nature. The person concerned sometimes behaves like a teacher or guru, i.e., he is very fond of giving advice to anyone who happens to be near him. Moreover much of the advice he gives is correct.

In reality, the exposure mentioned in 1, 2 and 3 above is the way for every Subud member who receives and follows the latihan kedjiwaan of Subud, which is truly worship of Almighty God, because this exposure, or laying bare, really has a significance: it is the breaking up and throwing out of all the mistakes of one's parents as well as one's own mistakes made during one's own lifetime. For this reason, if the process of the stripping away or exposure can be completed, the person's inner-feelings will eventually become clean and wide, as in the case of soil which becomes fruitful because it is cleared of stones, hard ground, plants whose fruit has no use whatever, and other things which hinder its fertility. Thus, to sum up, the laying bare or exposure of a person's self, as mentioned under 1, 2 and 3 above, is in fact very necessary and you should receive and experience it if you really want to be cleaned of all your wrong behavior.

You will be able to achieve this by surrendering to the Will of Almighty God with trust and sincere submission. Further, a person's self is like a vessel, that is, a vessel for souls ( rub ) or life forces ( daja hidup ) or the inner-force ( djiwa ). For this reason, if the vessel has become too full of mistakes or impurities, its inner space will of course become narrow, and because of its narrowness it cannot possibly become the vessel of an excellent soul or life force or inner force. So, clearly, the real reason why a person comes to be filled with a low inner-force is that his self, which Bapak has just compared to a vessel, is filled with many mistakes. It is therefore not surprising that when the purification, the breaking down or laying bare of his self, takes place, it seems as if something terrible is happening. But everything that happens to him is like an illustration of the mistakes long interwoven within his self. This is like the saying: 'Whoever plants an apple tree will eventually receive and taste the fruit of the apple; whoever plants a red pepper bush will eventually receive and taste the hotness of the pepper'. This is why one is advised in religion not always to follow the anger and wrath of the heart and mind, because the time will come when one will be frightened by the anger and wrath of one's own heart and mind. Or, in other words, whoever does good is sure to receive good, and whoever does wrong is sure to receive wrong.

In fact, brothers and sisters, one who is able to worship Almighty God in the true way, through His Grace, will not feel that a crisis or laying bare, such as Bapak has explained above, is something strange, for he will be aware that it really is the way for him. Moreover, a Rabbi once said that perfect worship is certain to be preceded by an explosion of all kinds of faults or impurities that have been woven into the inner-feeling for a long time.

These words are really very appropriate for people who do not seem to behave like ordinary people because they have gone too deeply into a spiritual knowledge and who are even called 'mad' by others.

This is how it is, so please do not misunderstand and think that it is wrong. For you are more or less convinced that the latihan kedjiwaan of Subud which you receive and follow is a latihan which comes into existence because of the Grace of Almighty God. It is not in any way a kind of physical training ( as in sports ) or a latihan to strengthen or sharpen and develop the heart and mind.

A person can achieve shrewdness and cleverness ~y using ordinary methods, but, in fact, he is separated from the essential characteristics of his inner nature.

Indeed, a person who is not a Subud member may say that the latihan kedjiwaan of Subud is bad or dangerous because it causes a person to forget himself, as in the case of John Ross, and your own sister.

If this is what you think, are there, then, no Christians or Muslims who make mistakes, and do none of them ever do anything desperate?

It is clearly not the person's religion that causes him to be like this, but the character and content of his self, as Bapak has explained above.

The helpers, in fact, are very careful. So the rule has been made in the Spiritual Brotherhood of Subud that who­ever wishes to join Subud must go through a probationary period of three months. The probationary period is necessary so that a person can make a thorough investigation of Subud and the helpers can make a careful observation of the probationer's true situation.

We have made this regulation so that we will not be accused of forcing people to join Subud or of accepting people at random as Subud members. For the nature of Subud and its latihan kedjiwaan is only worship with trust and sincere submission, in surrender to the Will of Almighty God, and it is based on His Grace which we are able to receive. For this reason, we have the principle of only giving it to people who would like to receive and follow the latihan kedjiwaan of Subud, and of not giving it to anyone who does not want to receive and follow it.

Brothers and sisters, it really seems to be a habit for some people to blame the giver if something goes wrong with a gift, even though they themselves have made the mistake. But if what is given is good, then most people forget the one who gave the gift.

But because we Subud members follow and obey the Will of Almighty God through the existence of the latihan kedjiwaan, we always pray that the members who receive and follow the latihan kedjiwaan of Subud, which in reality is the guidance and direction of Almighty God, may through His protection always be able to do things well and subse­quently become human beings of excellent character.

This is all, and Bapak hopes you understand. ( VII/3/3 )

What is the difference between a crisis which is purification and an 'omprengan' crisis?

A crisis in the spiritual field cannot be called merely purification. It is also a breaking-up and stripping away of all kinds of habits in a person's life, the habits which manifest in his behavior as well as those stored away in his imagination, ideas and thinking. Since the crisis arises as a result of the Life Contact which has been received, and since the Life Contact is really guidance from the Power of Almighty God, the experience is always ac­companied by clarifications and explanations about its meaning.

Actually a crisis is something ordinary, a way to be followed for those who dive or penetrate into the spiritual sphere. But many Subud members are still afraid of ex­periencing a crisis, because they think a crisis may go too far - until a person really goes mad - or at least that his life will be disturbed. But really, through the experience of a crisis, his habitual behavior and character will change and become good, and he will also become aware of his inner talents. Possibly he may even become a human being with a high and excellent djiwa.

There is a story about Sunan Kalidjaga. After being opened by Sunan Bonang, it is told, Sunan Kalidjaga was in a state people do not normally experience. He sat for years on the banks of a river far away from everybody, until the plants growing round about covered him. But he had great faith in the Power of Almighty God and really surrendered with trust and sincerity to His Will. Hence, the process of breaking down and stripping away all the habits of his life - those which had taken the form of bad and cruel behavior and also those still stored away in his imagina­tion, ideas and thinking - was accompanied by clarifications and explanations about its meaning. Also, he received guidance and direction towards the perfection of life, so that he later became a Wali ( Muslim saint ) above all Walls. This illustrates the actual truth about someone who experiences a crisis and who is really trustful and sincere before the Will of Almighty God.

The difference for Subud brothers and sisters is that they often experience a crisis while still working as usual, in the midst of society, so that it seems that everything they experience arouses prejudice and misunderstanding in the people who see it; whereas in reality it is similar to the process of breaking down and stripping away, as related above.

Some Subud members even consider a crisis a dangerous thing for the person who receives it. So not a few Subud brothers and sisters are afraid of the very word 'crisis'. Proof of this is that, if there is a brother or sister who experiences a crisis, the wife or husband and the family become excited and immediately look for a dukun ( witch doctor ) to cure him or her. This really will not help at all. On the contrary, it will disturb and confuse the state the person is experiencing. And for this very reason the person is forced to stop half-way or even a hundredth part of the way.

Now, with regard to other brothers and sisters who although they have done the latihan kedjiwaan for a long time appear never to experience a crisis: it is only that it is unbeknown to them, for in fact they do also experience a crisis, that is, a crisis in installments, which means that they experience it gradually - what is usually called waton asal selamet lit doesn't matter so long as one is on the safe side ). A crisis of this kind is usually considered to be a good crisis, because people feel it does not cause any anxiety, whereas it actually takes longer for the person to obtain some truth about his own inner talents and excellence.

Here is another example of the reality of the crisis. The behavior of someone who is active in what is called kesepuhan ( the advanced class of a certain Javanese field of spiritual knowledge ) usually seems out of the ordinary. The behavior of some even seems like that of a mentally abnormal person. The experts in kesepuhan consider this quite normal. So, clearly, the crisis state experienced by Subud brothers and sisters is not in fact an isolated phenomenon. Only, the difference is that a Subud member who experiences a crisis receives it suddenly and unexpectedly.

Such is the real meaning of the crisis experience. As for the crisis called omprengan, it does not in fact exist in Subud. The word omprengan in the spiritual sense is used only for those brothers and sisters whose actions still follow the nafsu of their own will. This is even more disastrous in the act of union between man and woman. This is the kind of behavior called omprengan because the forces of life below the human life-force 'hitched a lift' on the inner-feeling. ( V/5/135 )

Recognizing a state of crisis

What is meant by crisis is a situation in which a member shows confusion of heart and mind. The situation is similar to that of an abnormal person, although in fact he is still receiving all that is required or necessary from the Power of God. So the service rendered to him by the helper should be done in patience and quietly, and in surrender to the Omnipotence and Grandeur of God, in order that the member in crisis should regain his consciousness and calm. As far as the feelings you experienced are concerned, these are not of a crisis, but a kind of cleansing. ( II/3-4/72 )

Those in crisis must just go through it

Regarding members who are in a crisis ( purification ), the helpers should just let them go through it, because their wishing and their behavior during this period are not stimulated by their desires, heart and thoughts, but originate from within. Essentially, this is the throwing away of the inner disturbance ( things that have been in existence in the inner-feeling ). Thus allowing them to go through this means that the way of purification is quickened. Although this is the situation, however, the helpers should not forget their alertness; i.e., the helpers should look after their movements with patience and quietness.

If a member not in crisis behaves in a way that is not good and this seems to be done intentionally, then he should be given advice so that he does not act in such a way any longer. ( II/11-12/361 )

MIXING

To mix concepts with your receiving will confuse you

Bapak has often said that the latihan kedjiwaan of Subud is a receiving from the Power of Almighty God. Bapak has therefore often advised Subud members that they should not think about whatever they receive in their latihan nor still want to mix that receiving with various concepts.

As you already understand, the latihan kedjiwaan means it is the djiwa that is exercised, and the djiwa is the content of the body, while the body consists of the whole system of the senses, including the heart and mind. For this reason the correction of the djiwa, which forms the content of the body, cannot possibly be accomplished by all five senses, with the heart and mind, but only by the Power of Almighty God, which through His Grace has been manifested in the latihan kedjiwaan of Subud.

If you sincerely follow whatever you receive in the latihan, your heart and mind will not fluctuate and so cause your heart and feelings to become confused and uncertain.

According to what you have said in your letter, you have a feeling of love towards God. It is true that you really feel this love towards God but, in reality, this is still the heart's love; and the heart and mind cannot know God, since, in the first instance, they are man's instruments for his worldly needs and, secondly, they are also the home of the nafsu.

God, it is said, is All-Great and All-Powerful, without form or color, friend or family, has no wife, no abode and no time, but He exists, and precedes all beginnings and completes all endings. Such is the account given by the men of old whom we know as Prophets and Saints. This descrip­tion has therefore become a basic belief, needed in order that men should not use their hearts and minds in a direction by which the goal cannot be reached.

The danger of using the heart and mind in this direction is that it permits them to become easily confused. For this reason it is best for you not to think too much, and if you still want to receive and carry out the latihan kedjiwaan you should always receive it with patience, submission and complete faith in the Greatness of Almighty God. ( V/2/53 )

To practice hypnotism etc. is to lack faith in God

Bapak feels it necessary to explain why it is not right for Subud members still to want to use such practices as hypnotism and the like.

As you know, the latihan kedjiwaan of Subud is a latihan which, by the Grace of God, is present at the moment when the influence of the nafsu that always weighs upon your inner-feelings is arrested. Clearly, then, the latihan kedjiwaan is present precisely at the time when the influence of the nafsu in your hearts as well as your inner-feelings is inactive.

If you say God is All-Knowing and All-Powerful, then surely God in all His ways is beyond your understanding and control. And it is indeed a fact that human beings will be unable to receive anything beyond the ordinary so long as the nafsu lingering in their hearts and minds have still not been swept away. In truth, something that comes from the Grace of God is a pure channel which will open the way for human beings to worship before His Power and Greatness.

In short, in Subud we should in every way surrender with trust and sincerity to the Power of Almighty God, and especially in our worship of Him.

God knows your situation and your capacity to receive. Thus whether your receiving and progress in the latihan goes quickly or slowly depends upon whether the capacity of your inner-feeling is great or small. This is why each of you who receives and practices the latihan kedjiwaan of Subud often needs to experience a purification of the inner-feeling, which is necessary so that the guidance of God Almighty which manifests in the latihan can truly be received. So long as you still practice hypnotism, it means you lack faith in God, Who knows all, and in fact are relying more upon the strength of your own will than upon the Power of Almighty God. The longer you do this, the tighter will you be bound in the chains of the nafsu. Whereas the power of the nafsu will disappear of its own accord when you come to face death.

This is clear, and the difference between this and the latihan kedjiwaan of Subud, which exists by the Grace of Almighty God, is that the feeling of life you experience in the latihan kedjiwaan remains and becomes the inner-feeling of those able to live in the hereafter, free from the influence of passions and desires. This is what you need to feel and consider before it has gone too far, in which case it becomes difficult to return to your origin. ( For Bapak: Prio Hartono ) ( V/2/57 )

A mystical theory will feel alien to your inner

In answer to your letter of December 18th, 1964, you are hereby informed that the latihan kedjiwaan of Subud which you receive and practice is an awakening of the inner-feeling by the Grace of Almighty God. So the latihan kedjiwaan of Subud is in fact guidance and direction from Almighty God. Hence it has become easy for you to free yourself from the influence of the nafsu that always disturb the quietness and calmness of your heart as well as of your inner-feeling.

For many people outside Subud, so easy a receiving is felt to be impossible because usually, before they can reach this state - or, in other words, before they encounter such a contact with this Life Force - they practice abstinence from every kind of pleasure and desire for many years. Some among them even isolate themselves in lonely places far from the crowd.

Such is the way people usually follow in order to find a contact with the Life Force. There are even people who have followed this path and yet, in the end, were still unable to find the contact. This is the difference between the latihan kedjiwaan of Subud and what are called mystical ways. For the latihan kedjiwaan of Subud is based on the fact that we practice the latihan because we are awakened by the Power of God, as Bapak has mentioned before; that is to say, in Subud we are guided and directed by the Power of Almighty God, whereas someone who practices mysticism is, as it were, searching for God and His Power. Thus we or you no longer need to speculate about or search for God and His Power. For since you were opened and began to receive and feel the vibration of life which later took the form of the movements and energy we call the latihan, you have been moved, guided and directed by the Power of God which always envelops us inwardly and outwardly. This accords exactly with what is written in the Holy Scriptures: namely, that the Power of God always accompanies everything that exists, including mankind.

So the needful and most important thing for us is that we should just follow whatever movements and actions are received in the latihan. For the movements and actions we receive in the latihan are filled with the Will of God, which is free from the influence of the nafsu that make their home in the heart and mind. Bapak does not prevent you practicing theories from a mystical way if you still feel you need to do so; only Bapak's view is that, seen from the spiritual angle, theories drawn from an esoteric teaching will truly not be of any benefit to you in receiving and practicing the latihan kedjiwaan.

As you know, the latihan kedjiwaan of Subud you receive is, in fact, a growth of your own inner-self. This means that your inner-self will grow according to your own strength, capacity and ability. Whereas, if a theory from a mystical way works in you, you will feel it as something alien to your true inner-feeling, because it does not come from your own inner-self, but originates from someone who has found it. Such a situation may be likened to an apple tree that bears something other than apples. Thus, in fact, you will experience something strange and out of place.

Some of you are apparently of the opinion that, by the use of theories from a spiritual teaching in addition to the latihan of Subud, the purification of the inner-feeling and smooth correction of the djiwa will be increased and made easier. In reality, however, by mixing a theory with the latihan kedjiwaan of Subud you will feel obstructed and your heart and mind confused, and consequently you will feel cut off from the direction and guidance of Almighty God.

Regarding lack of progress and smoothness in receiving the latihan kedjiwaan of Subud, this is nobody's fault but your own. For this fault originated with your ancestors, and has always been increased by the behavior of their descen­dants until it finally reached your own selves. This is why your own state is such as it is. In spite of this, you should not feel sad, for the Grace of God towards men is always there, provided you have the feeling of patience, and truly surrender to Him with trust and sincerity. Although progress may be slow, you will be able to reach the required state.

This is Bapak's advice to you, and Bapak hopes you may be protected by God so that you will be able to avoid the influence of the nafsu that wish to lead you astray from your pure aim - the perfect worship of Almighty God. ( IV/4/141 )

The practice of concentration

It is also necessary to say here that it is not good to make a habit of the practice of concentration, because this is really a strengthening of the will of your heart which it elf is the home of the nafsu djatmika ( wisdom of acceptance?, of desires, arrogance and wrath. Usually it is the last three nafsu that readily enter and permeate the inner-feelings because of the influence of the lower forces. These can easily cause a man to have the following characteristics: desiring to gain the upper hand, to be the cleverest, to become the most famous and most powerful, and to be the richest of men. Also he has no feelings of compassion towards his fellow-men. Of these four nafsu, only one is worth possessing - that is the nafsu djatmika. But this cannot possibly be possessed by a man if he still indulges in the use of the power of his heart and mind.

The nafsu djatmika is one that causes a man to have a feeling of patience, to submit and surrender with sincerity before the Power of Almighty God. Hence, this nafsu in you makes it possible for you to receive and practice the latihan kedjiwaan.
( III/5-6/14 )

Danger to the djiwa

The latihan kedjiwaan of Subud is the awakening of a person's inner-feeling by the Grace of Almighty God. In receiving this awakening, everyone receives in accordance with the strength and ability of his inner-self. So great is the Power of God that truly this will cause no harm to the inner-feeling of the person receiving. It is quite different with something worked out or stimulated by the nafsu. Even though it may seem no different from what is experienced in Subud, clearly it is still directed by the nafsu that are commonly influenced by lower forces and these can easily cause the state of the true human djiwa to degenerate.

There is no prohibition for ordinary Subud members who still like to follow other practices, since Subud does not stop anyone who - because he does not yet understand the latihan kedjiwaan of Subud, which is in its nature guidance and education from the Power of Almighty God - likes to do this sort of thing. But for a helper, who should by now act according to what is in Subud, a liking for following other practices is truly out of place and is not allowed. ( V/1/22 )

Don't mix Yoga with the latihan

It is useless for you to feel self-pity any longer about the past unhappy years of your life, because it all originated in your own mistakes.

What you must do now in order to change your condition from its past state, is to practice your latihan kedjiwaan and refrain from mixing it with Yoga and occultism.

As you know, the latihan kedjiwaan of Subud is not based on theory, nor does it result from our own intentional action. It is awakened by itself when we are no longer influenced by the desires of our heart and the understanding of our mind.

In effect, the latihan kedjiwaan you practice is not something you perform intentionally, but a latihan in which you only follow impulses coming from within which eventually permeate your entire body so that movements and other manifestations are aroused.

Because everything that happens in the latihan kedjiwaan comes not from our will but from our surrender to the Power of Almighty God, it should be clear that the latihan cannot be tainted by nafsu that are customarily made use of by the lower forces.

From the above, it should also be clear that, each time we receive the latihan kedjiwaan, there is no need whatever of any theory that we think might help accelerate the process of the latihan.

The proof is in the experience we have received. The various movements that occur in the latihan truly represent education from the Power of Almighty God. In time the education gets wider in scope and makes it possible for those guided to arrive at a level of goodness, honesty and nobility in their inner-feelings, heart and djiwa.

This is why Bapak hopes you will not mix Yoga and other occult systems with the latihan kedjiwaan of Subud. ( III/3-4/129 )

Exorcism should be left to the latihan

Bapak wishes to let you know that your act of exorcising somebody, as mentioned in your second letter, was in fact very hasty.

As Bapak has said in his previous letter to you, you are at the moment experiencing a state of delivery and purification. Due to this, what is essential is for you to feel patience, and to surrender anything that happens to you before Almighty God.

It is true that a person in this state may know all that is bad and impure, to the extent that he may instantly want to get rid of or exorcise the badness and impurities from the vessel they are contained in. But seen in its true light, the situation is this. It is not the man that must be exorcised, but the faults and the impurities existing in his inner-feelings, heart and thoughts. Hence exorcism is appropriate only when it occurs inwardly, from one's inner towards another inner; that is - to say it clearly - it should take place while the two are doing the latihan kedjiwaan.

Usually, when this happens in the latihan, impurities and faults within a person's inner-feelings and heart will soon disappear or be driven away from their place, but this person will still be where he is. You are lucky that it happened to someone else; but if, for instance, this exorcism was directed towards yourself, would you then perform the action of driving yourself away also?

This is not as impossible as it sounds, It has sometimes been experienced by Subud members who forced them­selves to stay away from their home or the place where they were.

These things have also been experienced by some other members; and it is but the result of misunderstanding spiritual matters. What belongs to the inner life is mixed up with the knowledge of heart and thoughts, or an inner experience is mixed up with an outer problem.

This is why, in our doing and receiving the latihan kedjiwaan, our hearts and thoughts should never be allowed to interfere. What is essential for us while in the state of receiving is to feel patience, utter surrender and sincerity before the Will of Almighty God, for it is God alone Who can change and correct anything spiritual.

So Bapak hopes that you and other members of Subud will truly feel patient in doing and receiving the latihan kedjiwaan with submission, trust and sincerity before the Power of Almighty God. ( III/54/19 )

Write about Subud experiences not about teachings

Bapak did not mean that you should write a book about the relationship of the physical body and the djiwa, let alone about higher matters.

What Bapak meant was that members should write about their experiences since being in Subud and following the latihan kedjiwaan, for other members to read. The content of the writings will thus not depart very far from what exists in the sphere of the kedjiwaan, based on the Grace of Al­mighty God manifested in the latihan kedjiwaan of Subud, which in reality is guidance and direction from the Power of Almighty God.

If you write about things you have learned from books or from teachings, even though these teachings are generally called spiritual knowledge, and you then relate these things to what you receive in following the latihan kedjiwaan of Subud, which in reality is the guidance and direction of Almighty God - this can cause your inner-feeling to feel empty or dead.

It seems necessary for Bapak to give some explanation here about the reasons for this. As you know, the latihan kedjiwaan which we receive is a latihan of the djiwa, that is, the content of our whole self, which is composed of all the five senses together with the innermost heart ( hati-sanubari ) and the brain.

If we say that the djiwa is the content of our whole self, clearly it is the djiwa that takes the lead or plays the most important role in our lives. Thus, obviously, the heart and brain, or the ideas and the thoughts, however broad they may be, are still the instruments of the djiwa. So if the djiwa, which is the content of the self, is of a lowly nature ( material ), then it will not be aware that the perspica city of the heart and the intelligence of the mind possess a character less than truly human. The proof of this is that not a few people who are well educated and who know what is right and what is wrong behavior still do things that fall short of excellence.

So we very much need to find a way that can become the means of arresting the influence of the nafsu and cause our real djiwa to be uncovered.

It is fortunate for us that, through the Mercy of Almighty God, we are able to receive His Grace, which we feel as a vibration of life within us and which subsequently manifests the energy and movements we call the latihan kedjiwaan. And, at the moment when the vibration of life is present, ire feel the influence of the nafsu that dwell in our heart and thoughts come spontaneously to a standstill. That is why we say this happens through the Grace of Almighty God. For, in truth, it is difficult to put a stop to the influence of the nafsu that dwell in the heart and mind, and supposing it were possible to stop it, this would mean the death of the person concerned. So, dearly, the way to stop the influence of the nafsu and change the djiwa for the better lies through death, although usually if a person dies he really dies.

This is why Bapak explained above that we are really fortunate to be blessed by God so that, although we are unable to stop or to put aside the influence of the nafsu, we can receive His Grace. For in this situation only God can act, and it is only necessary for us to follow the latihan kedjiwaan, which is a guidance and direction, with patience, trust and sincere submission.

This is how it is, so you should not mix or connect all kinds of theories with your receiving when you receive and follow the latihan kedjiwaan of Subud, because if you still do that it will readily cause you to become confused. Bapak therefore hopes that, if you still wish to write, you will write about all the experiences you have had in following the latihan kedjiwaan of Subud. ( VII/5/29 )

Those who mix should be warned

It is necessary to warn those members who still wish to · follow practices such as spiritualism that they should not do so any more, because this may easily confuse the heart and mind and bring darkness to the inner-feeling. VII/1/38 )

We are very lucky

You should believe that God is Almighty, All-Knowing, and All-Enveloping. If you do not deviate from your direct worship of God, you will be guided toward~ the true path according to the life line He has destined for you. So Bapak always says and advises that you should fulfill your worship of Almighty God which has been manifested within your inner-selves in the form of the latihan kedjiwaan that you have received and are practicing. You should not be easily disturbed by your doubting and vague heart and mind. Moreover, you should not try to apply certain theories such as, for example, hypnotism, spiritism, occultism, etc., as a consequence of your confused and doubting heart and mind. This is indeed dangerous for your life, because you would really be influenced by the lower forces which would cause you to deviate from your true worship.

Therefore, in receiving and doing the latihan kedjiwaan of Subud, you are only required to follow with patience the movements and behavior that come from your inner-selves and to be full of faith in Almighty God. As for the possibility of slow progress eventually, this is not because you were wrongly opened or not really opened, or because you were opened by an inexperienced helper, but because your inner-self has been filled with faults from your ancestors and also from your own wrong deeds. What is meant by 'faults' is every action that causes you to benefit and other people to be harmed. To make yourselves happy while leaving other people to remain poor, hungry, and dying; to look for pleasure and satisfaction without wanting to act and to work are 'faults'. So Bapak suggests to you all that you act and use your entire physical body according to its divine decree, so that your wish to worship God perfectly can be realized.

It can be said that we or all of you are very lucky and happy. This is true because during our lifetime here on earth, in which we ought to work, we have been graced by Him to be able to receive this guidance, so that, even if it is not yet complete, we can gradually enjoy its benefit already. This benefit, accumulating as the days go by. should be looked after carefully so that the connection between our inner and outer parts can become even closer. In this way ~here will be no break in your worship of Almighty God, and you will even receive the contact with this Power while doing your physical work. If you have reached this state, you can be said to be Susila, Budhi and Dharma ( SUBUD ), meaning that by the Grace of God you possess a human character, or a nature that loves his fellow-beings. ( V/3/71 )

RELIGION

Subud is not a religion

As you know, the Spiritual Brotherhood of Subud is not a religion, and it has no teaching whatsoever. In fact, it is a receiving from Almighty God and is a way of putting into practice what is found in religion.

This is why Subud can accept people of various nationalities and religions. So it is clear that, in following the latihan kedjiwaan, which is really guidance and direction from the Power of Almighty God, one will find true evidence of what one has learned in one's religion, whether it be Islam or Christianity. ( V11/5/27 )

Subud is the technique of religious/spiritual movements

Bapak would like to emphasize the nature of the latihan kedjiwaan you have all received. The latihan kedjiwaan of Subud is the technique of all kinds of theories or teachings which already exist both inside and outside the religions. That is why one can always associate the latihan kedjiwaan Subud with any kind of religious or spiritual movement.

Thus, in fact, Subud is like a circle which encircles every kind of spiritual movement, so that in truth members from different religions and creeds who do the latihan kedjiwaan of Subud feel no difference in their worship of God. With their Christian conscience, for example, they will reach God; with their belief in Islam they can also reach God. The same occurs with other religions.

For us, who have already received the latihan kedjiwaan of Subud there is no objection at all to our remaining in our own belief or religion; on the contrary, the latihan kedjiwaan of Subud will strengthen our worship of Almighty God. If you said that the Christian mystic and the Subud mystic are the same, that is indeed true, but it does not mean that Subud has its own mysticism.

Subud is the technique of the religions and other spiritual movements. ( II/1-2/18 )

The connection between a religion and the latihan kedjiwaan

With regard to your question about the spiritual significance of Islam, and how Subud members stand in relation to it, Bapak says that the latihan kedjiwaan of Subud is a receiving from the Grace of Almighty God, and in its working and its course is really more like a guidance towards cleanness of the inner-feeling and goodness of the djiwa so that, in truth, the one who receives is really able to worship Almighty God.

So, supposing someone who is a Muslim has received the latihan kedjiwaan of Subud, every time he follows the path of the latihan he will be guided along the lines of his Islamic faith. He will thus come to a clear understanding of what Islam is. Such is the case too with Subud members of the Christian, Buddhist, Hindu, or other religions. For this reason, the Association of the Spiritual Brotherhood of Subud can accept all nationalities of various religions.

Clearly, then, although those who received the latihan kedjiwaan of Subud are of different religions, they are in constant harmony in receiving and following the way of the latihan kedjiwaan and feel as though among their own family, and they also feel united in serving and worshipping Almighty God.

What has been said above is truly the reality, and we experience it every time we are in the latihan place where we receive and follow the way of the latihan kedjiwaan of Subud. With the existence of the reality we attain to by the latihan kedjiwaan, it is clear that Subud is not a religion nor a cult but truly only a place of latihan, or a latihan in which those who receive it can find clarifications of everything they have studied, especially of the respective religions they have followed and believed in. As for the name Subud, it is the name of the Association of our Spiritual Brotherhood that has been enabled by the Grace of Almighty God to receive the contact from the Great Life Force originating in the Power of Almighty God, and which we finally call the latihan kedjiwaan of Subud.

It is necessary that we use the name Subud, or in full, Susila Budhi Dharma, because the name accords with the existence of the latihan kedjiwaan we have received and follow; and in following its path we feel guided and directed towards cleanness of the inner-feeling and goodness of the djiwa in worshipping Almighty God. So in using the name Subud we hope for the Grace of Almighty God to enable us to become beings with the nature of Susila, Budhi and Dharma. Such is the meaning of Subud and this is what the latihan kedjiwaan really is.

Now that Bapak has clarified the meaning of the name of Subud and its latihan kedjiwaan, you may yourself be able to feel more or less, what and how the connection is between a religion and the latihan kedjiwaan of Subud. ( V/3/81 )

The way to follow and understand your religion

Bapak does not prevent you from following a particular religion, since religion represents regulations and a norm for mankind in order that men should believe in God and in His Power. But if in following your devotions you mix into them the needs of the heart and mind, then your heart and mind will in fact become confused. The right way - and one enabling you to understand anything said in a religion - is that when performing your devotions you should maintain a feeling of patience, submission and sincerity. The same applies to a Subud member who, in re­ceiving and carrying out the latihan kedjiwaan, only needs to have a feeling of patience, submission and sincerity, since guidance and education from the Power of God will always be received correctly if the feelings and the heart are calm and peaceful.
( V/2/55 )

The wish to join Islam

With regard to your question about joining Islam, Bapak does not forbid it nor does Bapak order you to do so. If your wish to become a Muslim is based on complete sincerity, Bapak just leaves it to you. ( V/3/81 )

What is the significance of circumcision?

As for the question of circumcision, from the outer point of view it gets rid of and Cleans away the unclean blood originating from ancestors, so that subsequently, after circumcision, a person can have fresh and good blood in his life. But for the Muslim community, this is not all, because it is really very necessary in their religion.
( V/3/81 )

Lent and Ramadhan

In reality, Lent and Ramadhan have equal value. Christians feel that fasting in Lent is very important for them because it is derived and adapted from what was done and experienced by Jesus Christ.

You say that Jesus Christ carried out the religious observance of fasting in the wilderness for forty days at the time of Lent. This may be taken to mean that Jesus Christ fasted during this time so that his inner-feeling might be swept clean of the influence of the nafsu causing darkness ( wilderness ) within.

For Muslims, the religious observance of fasting in the month of Ramadhan is the same. This too is derived and adapted from what was done and experienced by the Prophet Muhammad.

It is told that the Prophet Muhammad fasted in a cave at that time ( this too means in darkness ). He carried out the religious observance of fasting in the cave so that the inner-feeling could be swept clean of the influence of the nafsu causing darkness. It is therefore said that the revelation that he was to be the Messenger of God came to him in the cave. In other words, it was then that he received the first com­mand of the One God.

This is Bapak's explanation concerning these two religious observances of fasting, as seen from the Spiritual point of view. So Bapak feels that Lent and Ramadhan are of equally great and high value.

Furthermore, any individual Christians, or Christians in general, may follow the religious observance of fasting during Ramadhan if they wish to do so, because, although this is not usually customary for Christians, if the fast is observed it is also a method whereby the influence of the nafsu, which always constitutes a temptation and a hindrance to the quiet of the inner-feeling, can be separated and swept away from the inner-feeling. Conversely, it is the same for Muslims who wish to carry out the religious observance of fasting during Lent.

Now, of course, you ask: how is it for us or for Subud members?

Bapak would like you to know that, because our brother­hood of Susila Budhi Dharma consists of members of various nationalities and religions, it is best for each member to observe the fast of his own religion unless he wishes to observe another as well.

Concerning the explanation you may want about prihatin: This actually is cutting down one's pleasures in eating, sleeping and other enjoyments. For, if one practices prihatin, it accustoms the heart not to be deceived all the time by the nafsu. If the nafsu, which arise in the heart and mind, are not given their way so much ( that is, if one restricts the pleasures of eating and sleeping and restrains the nafsu of anger and greed which drive away all contentment ) then the nafsu will automatically weaken, and a feeling of patience, surrender, trust and sincere submission will become manifest.

Prihatin may be practiced by anyone wishing to do so, anyone who hopes to become a person of patience who surrenders with trust and sincere submission to the Will of Almighty God. Usually when a person can really carry this out his situation will be one of well-being and happiness.

This kind of prihatin may be done by way of fasting every Monday and Thursday, without saur ( that means without eating in the middle of the night ) or by cutting down on one's food every day; for instance, if one is accustomed to having beefsteak and potatoes, then one eats only potatoes and vegetables, provided one does not take too much of these either. One can also cut down on sleep; not sleeping often with one's wife and not sleeping before midnight.

This is done in the hope that one's life situation, or one's lot in life, may improve: also so that one's inner-feeling, which still continues to feel dark or hindered by the influence of the nafsu, may become calm and quiet and the influence of the nafsu, which always interferes with the calm and quiet of the inner-feeling, may be avoided.

This is why Bapak always says that a good and noble life can be achieved only if one really practices prihatin beforehand. It must be remembered that even Jesus Christ and the Prophet Muhammad did this. How much more does an ordinary person need it. One should not be quick to complain so often, or to feel despair just because one lacks things in life, nor should one feel overjoyed if one happens to have unusually good fortune.

This is Bapak's answer to your question. Bapak gives praise and thanks to Almighty God and hopes you will accept the above explanation in a good way. ( V11/4/25 )

How to explain Subud to Catholics who want the latihan?

This is indeed a rather difficult question to answer, because an answer which should be arranged to suit certain wishes and beliefs must be prepared by using the mind to find the proper words; while in truth we must be frank and say what exists and happens in the latihan kedjiwaan of Subud.

What happens in the latihan is that we receive and follow whatever is willed by Almighty God, as the latihan exists and comes through the Grace of Almighty God.

We can say this because it happens that only by surrendering our selves and our djiwa to the Power of Almighty God - an act anyone can do - are we immediately able to feel the movement of the inner-feeling which is free from the influence of the nafsu lodging in the heart and mind. Thus, for our spiritual experience we do not train or exercise; rather, it is we who are trained through the Power of God. In receiving and practicing the latihan kedjiwaan we are really trained and guided by Him.

All that we receive and experience in the latihan proves that through the Wisdom of God we are trained according to our own personal nature, which means according to the strength, ability and condition of each one of us. For this reason, in the Spiritual Brotherhood of Subud there are no religious or national barriers.

Usually a man who is an English Christian will be treated as such by the Power of God when he receives the latihan. Similarly for a man who is an Indonesian Muslim: in receiving the latihan he will be treated by the Power of God as an Indonesian Muslim.

Also, a man who is an Indian Buddhist will be treated by the Power of God as an Indian Buddhist, while a man who has no religion will be guided by God's Power, when he receives the latihan, according to his national traits and in line with the religious evidence he would be inclined to accept.

This is what usually happens in the latihan kedjiwaan of Subud, and this is why Subud can accept people of various races and religions. From this, the conclusion can be drawn that the latihan of Subud is a means whereby its members who are of various nationalities and religions can receive the guidance and direction of Almighty God towards truth.

You quoted the following remark of a Christian in your letter: 'You have the Holy Mass to worship God, he is told, and the sacrament of penance to cleanse your sins - is it not enough?' This is a matter which is better not discussed, and is best left to the individual.

We in Subud do not force people to come to Subud, nor do we refuse whoever wants to join. This is why before being opened - that is to say, before being accepted as a regular member - one must undergo a three month probationary period. During this time the person concerned should investigate and consider carefully his intention of joining the latihan kedjiwaan of Subud.

Regarding Jesus Christ, Bapak does not call him a Prophet, but always just speaks of him as Jesus Christ. As for those Christians who hold the opinion that Christ is God, they are of course free to do so, and Bapak does not find fault with them. Only, Bapak has often heard Him spoken of as the Son of God. If this is true, then certainly Jesus has a Father who is Almighty God.

Bapak has also read that when Jesus was crucified and at the moment of facing death he uttered the words: 'Father, Father, why have you forsaken me?' If this is true, then clearly there are in fact two Gods - God the Father and God the Son.

Bapak does not wish to write any further about this question. It is enough, and it is not necessary to feel disturbed about it. ( VI/4/133 )

Can Subud and Roman Catholicism be reconciled?

In some of his talks Bapak has said that Jesus was a Messenger like other Messengers, such as the Prophets Abraham and Muhammad, because their life on earth, according to tradition, was nonetheless like that of men. They had their physical bodies and needed food and sleep.

They were still affected by the cold of the winter and the heat of the sunshine. The difference between them and ordinary people is that these Prophets were human beings whose existence was a manifestation of Roh, the sacred and noble Life Force, which comes entirely from the Will and Power of the One Almighty God. With regard to who is higher and more noble among these Messengers, Bapak cannot say, for this is known only to Almighty God.

Since the latihan kedjiwaan is received in Subud as a result of our submission to the Power of God, it is proper that we just accept what we receive. Moreover, because we cannot use our desires, heart and mind in the latihan, the Life Force which is able to annihilate the influence of the desires, heart and mind is one which comes from the Power of Almighty God. This is usually referred to as the Holy Spirit ( Holy Ghost ). Bapak did not say that the Holy Ghost is the same as Christ. He did say that the Life Force came from the Power of Almighty God. In the receiving and practice of the latihan kedjiwaan, it is usual for those who have received the required state to experience purification of the inner-self, the working of which comes from within and which, one can feel, works on its own accord. This brings about changes, improvements in the character. Because the purification concerns the inner-feelings, it follows that this process will be felt as similar to being ill.

The entire process described above goes on by itself and does not come about as a result of one's own will. So, in reality, this process of purification is not to be compared outwardly with the Sacraments of the Church, because comparisons of this kind may create wrong conclusions and cause those people belonging to the Catholic religion not to heed its teachings. For this reason, those of us who belong to the Catholic religion should be able to distinguish between the need to receive and practice the latihan kedjiwaan and the need to worship Almighty God in the Church according to what the religion teaches.

As you already know, membership in Subud is open to all races and all creeds and religions. One's acceptance of Subud is based on sincerity of the heart, without any sort of compulsion. This means that each person entering Subud belongs to his own faith and religion, and therefore in receiving the latihan in Subud he will eventually receive the truth about himself and so be truly able to follow the teachings of his religion. This does not mean that only people in Subud will be able to arrive at and receive the truth of their true selves ( pribadi ) and so be truly able to follow the commandments of their religion; even those outside Subud, if they truly surrender inwardly and outwardly to the Power of Almighty God - why should they not arrive at the truth?

It would be improper for the people who receive the latihan to be supervised in the latihan by priests who have not themselves received the latihan. How is it possible for them to supervise the latihan when they do not know exactly what it is and have not yet received it?

If, despite this, such supervision occurs, the result would just be differences of opinion, because those receiving the latihan could only rely on what they themselves receive, whereas those trying to supervise would depend on their own opinions.

Regarding the advice given by the helpers, that you should not speak about theology in Subud, this might arise from their feeling that, if you do so, it will only create misunderstanding among those not belonging to the same religion as you.

In reality, although those participating in the latihan are already a little advanced and could be aware in their feelings that there is only one guidance, namely the guidance from Almighty God, and only one aim - towards Almighty God - nevertheless the inner state of each participant is not the same. You said that when you did the latihan with visiting members you always felt uncomfortable or uneasy, even ill. This is due to the fact that, prior to the latihan, their thoughts were still occupied by their daily activities. So, after a latihan with them, you should do another alone for about fifteen minutes, so that you can soon be freed from what has affected you in the latihan. ( II/9-10/295 )

May a separate Catholic group be established?

As Bapak has explained earlier, the latihan kedjiwaan Subud is a latihan aroused by the Power of God, which comes at any moment when the mind, heart and passions stop their influence.

Thus, the latihan kedjiwaan Subud is obviously not a latihan which need be placed under the control of our fellow-men. So there is no reason whatsoever to have your latihan put under the control of a group of people or under the control of religious people, because, in submitting and devoting ourselves to those people, we would automatically have to follow and obey them, and in so doing we would assuredly lose our capacity of receiving directly from the One and Only God.

You have been able to see for yourself that those people required as supervisors - suppose we accepted that idea - are people who have not yet received the contact with God. Hence, if we were controlled or supervised by people who have had no spiritual experience as ( it is ) in Subud, we would be controlled by them in a way or by methods based on theories they have studied and which are still influenced by the mind, heart and passions.

This would surely be something that could harm our way of life, which has been cared for by the Power of God in a direct manner.

As you know, the reason why there is no difference between one religion and another in Subud is because the aim of Subud, as we have received it, is to worship the One God according to His guidance.

In following this way, we have come to realize that when we are doing the latihan together as a group there is a unity of feeling among us, so that there is no separateness among the feelings and personalities of individuals at that time. It is thus clear to us that in directing ourselves towards the One and Only God we ought to become one race of human beings too.

According to the explanation given above, if we want our worship of God to be carried out in the best manner, we should possess a oneness of feeling, a unity among us, and be imbued by mutual understanding, mutual respect, and feelings of cooperation - that is to say, we should have sincere feelings of belonging to one humanity, one race of human beings, unanimous and in harmony before God.

We should not quarrel among ourselves about our actions or our way of true worship, because disagreement will be the biggest obstacle for the progress and development of our djiwa, which is already being led and cared for by the Power of God, free of the influences of passion, heart and mind.

You have to keep in mind the generosity of God that enables us so easily to receive His Grace, for it is generally very difficult to find an easy way. Bapak hopes such a great opportunity will not be neglected. On the contrary, we should do the latihan in all sincerity and gratitude for God's Grace in making so easy things which otherwise would have been so difficult to achieve.

In Bapak's opinion, therefore, it is useless to quarrel with each other, because that would be like fighting each other in an attempt to obtain meat from a clean bone.

In conclusion, although two or three centers may have to be set up in the same area, do not in any case put your latihan, which you have received and practiced, in the hands of a group of people who would control and supervise it. Because, as Bapak has said already, the latihan kedjiwaan Subud is under the sole control, supervision, and power of God. Also, no Subud group should be limited to people belonging to one religion or faith and creed, or sect or race or nation, out of so many in the world.

This is in accordance with what exists in the reality of Subud, and thus avoids undesirable developments in the groups.

As far as organizational rules are concerned and what Bapak has said of them, you can make them in accordance with the ideology of the society and in conformity with the laws of the country. You will certainly be able to do this well and in peace if all of you become as one and look up in unity to God, Who is also One and Only. To make it clear, if you organize in unanimity, adopt a co*operative attitude to one another, love each other with feelings of mutual respect, as Bapak has just now described, all difficulties and troubles will be avoided and all along your path you will find peace and unanimity.

This is Bapak's advice now to all of you, and may God bestow His Grace upon you all so that you will fulfill your duties patiently and properly. Amen. ( II/1-2/15 )

Is security the subtle trap that tempts us all?

Since you have related your experience about the life of Christ in time past, Bapak will answer your questions as follows:

It is a Decree of Almighty God that man, whatever his condition or position, still remains one whose nature is weak. This means that man is easily affected by the influence of his surroundings. He can easily be influenced by things and so become oblivious of truth and fall into the abyss of errors.

The attitude of the Rabbis towards Christ, mentioned in your letter, is an example of this. Considering the names and positions, such attitudes and actions of the Rabbis were not right, because they disturbed and did harm to the security of other people. But in the eyes of those Rabbis at that time it was not like that - they felt Christ was an obstacle to the spread of their religion. Because of this, without thinking further of the consequences, they tried to rid themselves of Christ in this world.

It is quite clear to your feelings that such an attitude of the Rabbis was wrong, but the Rabbis themselves, who hoped the teaching of their religion would continue to spread without hindrance, must have felt it the only course to follow.

To see whether the attitude of the Rabbis towards Christ was right or not, the later history of their religion after Christ had left this world may help your understanding.

After Christ had gone, it is told, the religion of the Rabbis became smaller instead of expanding as time went on, whereas the religion brought by Christ expanded more and more.

You can draw a conclusion from this. That 'security' which is acquired through disturbing other people's security, and which results only from thinking about one's own concerns, is a security which can cause the way of life and the djiwa to degenerate. On the other hand, a security acquired through purity of heart and exalted conduct can become the cause of improving and ennobling one's body and djiwa.

There are thus two kinds of security:

1. That security which is in fact not secure but is acquired through actions harmful to other people's peace and security.

2. True security which is received by Grace from Al­mighty God, through patience, purity of heart, and sincere submission to the Power of Almighty God.

As to the question of why Christ, upon whom true security had been bestowed by Almighty God, could still be harmed by other people, the answer is, as Bapak has said before, that man is by nature easily susceptible to harm, because his life is strengthened by and filled with things and influences that are also easily harmed. Additionally, in his life on earth he has to associate with many of his fellow-men among whom there are many who enjoy disturbing other people's security and pursue only their own interests.

Obviously, then, security which truly gives peace and quietness to the inner-feelings cannot possibly hinder the progress of the djiwa; on the contrary, it deepens one's faith in, and sincerity towards, the Glory of Almighty God.

The other security, which finally causes a man to experience deterioration of his djiwa, is not true security - it is the result of activities filled with the passion of anger, which makes a man ruin other people in order that he may safely follow his own will.

This is the end of Bapak's explanation about security, to which you refer in your letter. Bapak does not wish to give any further explanations, as he feels they might offend the feelings of other people. ( III/5-6/10 )

Is it possible to open ,an atheist?

In answer to your question, that it is not possible for Bapak to open people who do not want to believe in Almighty God, Bapak says that at the time he is opening someone he always says: 'I witness your wish to worship Almighty God by following this latihan kedjiwaan of Subud. So Bapak hopes that at this time you will not think about anything, but surrender yourself to the Power of Almighty God with patience, trust and sincerity.'

Perhaps you yourself have already caught a glimpse of how it is for a person who wants to enter Subud when he has no faith in the Power of Almighty God - as Subud already shows clearly the unity of all who worship Almighty God though the latihan kedjiwaan. ( III/2-1/35 )

ATTITUDES, FEELINGS

Asking forgiveness means more than saying the words

As for the meaning of asking forgiveness and worshipping God, in reality it is not enough just to say the words. It is necessary to put them into practice with actions that can produce reality in the inner-self. Actions, for example, that subsequently improve the previously bad character and really make the person concerned a human being with an excellent character.

Indeed, anyone may ask Almighty God to forgive his sins. But do not just ask, without accompanying your request with actions. A Messenger of God, who received His Decree, said the following about this:

'Although you are among a group of people faithful in their worship of Almighty God and who always do good deeds for their fellow men, if your nature is still not that of a person with an excellent character, if you do not yet have a character with the qualities of Susila, Budhi and Dharma. your seemingly good deeds and actions will still not make your life happy and bring you to heaven, either in this world or in the hereafter.'

This is how it is, and so it is better for you not to think and feel about it too much. Follow the latihan kedjiwaan of Subud patiently and surrender yourself, body and djiwa, to the Will of Almighty God with a feeling of trust and sincere submission.
( V11/5/23 )

Always respect, value and help one another

It is better not to let the matter of the conflict between the woman helper and the woman member continue, because it will make a bad impression on people outside Subud.

As you know, the latihan kedjiwaan of Subud is truly a gift from the One Almighty God to you all, who are living in an age full of strangeness, beauty, unrest, difficulties and troubles. So the latihan kedjiwaan of Subud is clearly a way for you all to be able to find your inner-selves, which can bring peace, calmness, and awareness of the inner-feeling. For this reason, in the latihan kedjiwaan we always receive indications to the effect that we who receive it should behave well and have good characters.

The latihan kedjiwaan which you all receive and follow awakens the inner-feeling that is clean and pure and free from the influence of the nafsu, because the influence of the nafsu always causes you to behave improperly - for example, to incline to push yourselves forward and to claim that you are in the right, to incline to boasting and to humiliating others. In short, because of the influence of the nafsu, one forgets harmony and brotherhood with one another.

The feeling of having affection for one another, helping one another, valuing and respecting one another, is due to the influence of the nafsu, which always hold sway over the heart and mind, being as if forgotten.

For this reason, in reality, the latihan kedjiwaan as it were protects you from the influence of the nafsu.

Bearing in mind that you are protected by the latihan kedjiwaan from this influence of the nafsu, it will be as it should be if you always respect one another, value one another, help one another, and are harmonious with one another. For this reason Bapak hopes you will try and solve anything that causes disharmony among you by testing together ( that is, by doing the latihan together, surrendering everything to the Power of the One Almighty God ), and Bapak hopes you will obey the answer you receive from the testing.

Bapak prays that through the Mercy of Almighty God you may be able to carry out everything in a good way. ( VII/5/11 )

Almighty God wishes us to be harmonious

The news from ..... that three members have left the group and set up a center in their own house was really surprising to Bapak.

When Bapak was in Colombia, Bapak explained that the Spiritual Brotherhood of Subud with its latihan kedjiwaan is a group of human beings who worship Almighty God together in accordance with His guidance and direction which have been manifested within them. Thus the latihan kedjiwaan all of you have received is guidance and direction from Almighty God, and those who receive it should turn towards Him and follow the way of the latihan faithfully and in complete surrender to Him.

If you do this, it will be impossible for you to have misunderstandings, because in fact you will not be influenced by the nafsu which are the tools of the lower forces.

Bapak has already said that when you have received the contact from the Power of Almighty God you will no longer feel the strong influence of the desires, which are always used as tools by the lower forces. So if the news about the above-mentioned members is really true, it is indeed regrettable, for you will be able to solve any problem if you test together as Bapak showed you when Bapak was in Colombia, especially if the problems are only minor ones.

Thus, you should not be in a hurry to follow your own will, which is usually very easily influenced by lower forces. It is necessary for you to remember that our latihan kedjiwaan of Subud is the guidance and direction of Almighty God and that He wants us to be harmonious and to love and respect one another. Bapak therefore hopes you will always be harmonious and Bapak advises those who have left the group to give up their intentions immediately, so that the members will be united again as before. ( VII/3/25 )

Do not ignore the guidance of .Almighty God

As the latihan kedjiwaan received by all the Subud brothers and sisters is in truth Almighty God's guidance and direction, which in its process brings with it a kind of cleansing from all inner faults which have come about through faults in the behavior of your forefathers, as well as faults in your own behavior, the way for you to behave or act in doing anything is to remember, as far as possible, to be vigilant in paying attention to Almighty God's direction and advice which manifest throughout your inner-self.

This is necessary so that the course of the purification taking place in your inner-feeling is not obstructed by your own wish, which by nature is still easily influenced by nafsu full of desire to be able to have something that is out of place and following the course of greed and anger ( murka dan angkara ).

In short, you should not ignore the guidance and direction of Almighty God, bestowed on you by His Grace.

It is true that man living on earth does need to safeguard his life and strive with energy for its well-being, but if he goes so far as not to acknowledge the Power of Almighty God, which envelops him within and without, his good wish, without his being aware of it, is easily influenced by the nafsu of anger and greed, so that finally it is evident that he does not safeguard his life and make it secure but on the contrary ruins it. The Messengers of Almighty God have said that the downfall of a clever man lies in his cleverness, a rich man's downfall is in his riches, the downfall of a man of high position is in his high position, the downfall of a handsome man is in his good appearance, and the downfall of a pretty woman in her beauty.

That is why Bapak hopes that in all you do you will not forget to be vigilant in paying attention to the guidance and direction of Almighty God which you are accustomed to receive. Thus, in everything you do, it will readily be said that you are always overshadowed by the Power of Almighty God, and automatically you will act honestly and wisely, not deceiving the weak and the foolish person, and not following your own wish because you may feel clever, strong and powerful. ( VII/3/29 )

Do not think about what others do

It seems that you are very much influenced by the happenings in your local Subud group.

Presumably you already know that the latihan kedjiwaan of Subud comes from Almighty God, or exists because of the Grace of Almighty God. In reality, therefore, every person, or every Subud member, who receives the contact from the Power of Almighty God stands directly face to face with Almighty God.

Thus, you should not think about what other brothers and sisters do, but you should be constant and firm in your standpoint and follow regularly the way of the latihan kedjiwaan that you always receive.

Bapak has frequently given advice to the Subud members where you are, and if they sincerely wish to trust and to follow Bapak's advice they will certainly not continue endlessly to do things that are out of line with the latihan kedjiwaan of Subud, which exists because of the Grace of Almighty God.

Indeed, a good purpose often meets with obstacles along the way, so it is therefore very necessary that one should feel strong in one's inner-self and really and truly turn towards Almighty God with patience, trust and sincere submission.

If the Subud members where you are take such a standpoint, they will avoid all kinds of temptations or obstacles, so that the conditions of their brotherhood can become good and harmonious, loving one another and respecting one another, as the name of the spiritual brotherhood symbolizes - that is, human beings who have the qualities of Susila, Budhi and Dharma. ( VII/1/13 )

The right way

The state of your life is in fact the result of your own wrong actions. Since your situation is clearly the result of your own wrong behavior, of course it is you yourself who should put it right.

It is not necessary for you to complain and to worry because the situation has gone too far in the wrong direction. It is not enough only to think and worry about it; it is necessary for you to try to put it right.

It is fortunate for you that you can now to some extent receive and do the latihan kedjiwaan, so that by receiving and doing the latihan kedjiwaan regularly you have the possibility of being able to find the right way.

As you know, the latihan kedjiwaan of Subud is in reality the guidance of the One Almighty God. So, provided that you sincerely obey it and, each time you are about to do the latihan kedjiwaan, surrender with full trust in the greatness of the One Almighty God, the way will certainly open for you so that you can find your right direction in life.

In order to ensure your livelihood, look for work that you understand, and if you find it you must do the work sincerely so that the income is of benefit for your life and the life of your child.

This is all, and Bapak prays that God may bless you to be able to carry out what Bapak has said above. ( VII/1/25 )

Patience is the key

The key to open the way to the right life lies in the feeling of patience. It is just this feeling of patience which makes it possible for you to receive the contact from the Power of Almighty God, which in truth guides and leads you towards inner and outer goodness.

This is why Bapak often says: be patient, and surrender everything to the Power of Almighty God with trust and sincere submission. For the only one we worship is Almighty God, and only He is able to correct something that cannot possibly be corrected.

Suicide is an act which strays from the right way and God does not permit it, so put this pressure from the passions far from you. ( VII/5/13 )

Doubt is unnecessary

As Bapak always says, the latihan kedjiwaan of Subud L a latihan with the nature of a receiving; that is, we simply receive from Almighty God. For this reason, all we have to do in the latihan is just follow whatever happens.

It is unnecessary for you to feel doubt still; make your faith firm and strengthen your submission and trust in the Greatness of Almighty God, for a heart that feels doubt or anxiety brings even closer, in fact, the inner temptations which cause your inner-feelings always to experience darkness in receiving something that is necessary for your life. ( VII/1/13 )

When afraid, surrender

Your present state indicates that you are undergoing a period of purification. It is true that during such a period your heart and mind also undergo purification, so that sometimes you feel very small, as though you had no strength and sometimes you feel afraid.

Therefore it is very necessary for you to surrender sin­cerely and to have full trust in the Power of Almighty God.

By surrendering and believing in Almighty God, all the things about which you feel afraid and sad will auto­matically disappear. ( VII/1/13 )

Make your feelings firm

With regard to the lower forces which tempt your heart and mind, as you relate in your letter, this is actually your own ideas and imagination. For the complete human being is above and has control over the lower forces, that is, the material life-force
( sjaitoni ), the vegetable life-force, the animal life-force and the life-force of man himself. So if you do not think about it, the lower life-forces will not influence your heart and mind.

Make your feelings firm, do your latihan kedjiwaan with patience and full trust in the Power of the One Almighty God, because it is only He Whom you and we worship and in Whose Justice and Wisdom we trust. ( VII/1/15 )

Feeling too much about another

As regards you yourself, it is better not to feel or think too much, because if you think and feel about another person you attract that person's feeling to your own inner-feeling. For this reason, you should be patient in your daily life and think only about the matters pertaining to your own household; and before you do the latihan kedjiwaan empty yourself of all thoughts and ideas, and turn your whole inner-feeling towards the Power of Almighty God which envelops you both within and without.
( VII/3/9 )

'Things have grown much worse since being in Subud'

As you know, the latihan kedjiwaan of Subud is a latihan which comes as we surrender, so that in fact we as human beings cannot do anything but just surrender to the Power of Almighty God.

Because God the All-Knowing knows the measure of our ability, He will always adjust His guidance to the condition of our selves. So, if our inner-self is not yet able to receive much, the latihan we receive will be felt as a weak or a mild latihan. This makes us think we have made no progress in the latihan we are regularly doing.

The facts mentioned above are not yet understood, it seems, by the members, as evidence of which we can see that many Subud members hastily leave the latihan kedjiwaan or do not want to do the latihan again.

You should know, brother, that the latihan kedjiwaan of Subud you receive is a latihan coming from and based upon your own inner-self. This means that the movements received in the latihan are nothing but the movements of your own energy. They are not movements you copy or imitate from others.

So, if the progress of the latihan you receive is slow, and if you experience that your worldly life has gone backwards, this does not happen because you are influenced by anybody in Subud, but evidently because the state of your inner-self is still in a condition such as it is.

So, as long as we do and receive the latihan kedjiwaan, we ought to possess a feeling of patience and we have to surrender more and more to the Power of Almighty God. This is the proper way which enables us to progress in the latihan and which can improve your fate.

As you know, the name of Subud is only a symbol for us who have received the contact with the great Life Force of Almighty God, because Subud or Susila Budhi Dharma symbolizes ourselves, living creatures who have received the Grace of God which enables us to really surrender to Him so that we can truly behave in a human way.

To be clearer, what is called Subud is not a religion or a cult but your own selves which are symbolized as living creatures or human beings who, by the Grace of God, have been able to surrender to His Power and consequently can act and behave in a human way.

Bapak supposes you yourselves realize that, when you came to Subud and were opened, you received nothing except the experience of feeling the existence of a vibration of life within yourselves, which then caused you to make various movements.

This means that, after the opening, you were awakened by your own inner-feeling which formerly had long been covered by the nafsu dwelling in your heart and mind.

To be clearer, if you experience some suffering after coming to Subud, that does not happen because you are influenced by a certain doctrine; it is caused solely by your own inner-self which is still in a condition such as it is.

Regarding your wish to go to Los Angeles, Bapak will just leave it to your own will because in fact, whether you are at your present place or somewhere else, the condition will be the same. ( III/7/56 )

'I have come to the end of my tether...'

You have been doing far too much testing, and also too much latihan kedjiwaan at a time when the capacity of your inner-self is not yet able to assimilate it. It is there­fore better for you from now on to do no more testing, and for the time being you should do the latihan only once a week. ( V/1/21 )

To one who felt a victim of black magic

Black magic is something connected with the nafsu which reside in the heart and mind. Because the latihan kedjiwaan of Subud is in truth a receiving from the Power of Almighty God whenever the influence of the nafsu ceases, the only way to prevent yourself being influenced by the power of black magic is by doing the latihan kedjiwaan diligently. Bapak therefore hopes you will just do your latihan with diligence and surrender everything you feel to the Power of Almighty God. ( V/1/25 )

Adversity should be considered as a test for us

While a person is experiencing bad luck or adversity in life, he does indeed feel it is something undeserved. In fact, if he is willing and able to feel it, this results from his own mistakes; that is, wrong actions which he did not realize would have such consequences.

This should therefore be considered as a test for us. Thereby our feelings and heart will be firmer and we will have great trust in the Power of Almighty God. Certainly, if we are strong in facing the difficult trials of life, there will be a happy outcome sooner or later. This is like the law of nature: usually it is said, 'After the dry season, the rains will come'. Clearly, then, man's situation will not always be unpleasant. He will also experience a pleasant and happy life at times, and vice-versa.

For this reason a man needs to remember that when his life is prosperous and happy he should be careful, and he should foresee and take into consideration the changes that will follow. If one does this, one will not find it so difficult and troubling later if a time comes when there is little or no rain. So it is like a person who falls - but falls on his feet, not on his back.

Bapak knows how your situation is, but what more is there to say to you, for at the present time this is indeed how your fate in life is, So Bapak just advises you to really endure the test and to feel it as a trial in life.

Meet misfortune with prihatin

In fact the reason why a person experiences misfortune is only because his djiwa has not yet risen to a higher level and his inner-feeling is still full of impurities and faults. This is why their elders advise people to accept the misfortunes they experience as a test or trial in their lives. For if the experience of misfortune is accepted as a test or trial in one's life, then, far from falling into despair, the heart and feelings will be surrendered. From just such a state there arises a feeling of prihatin, of making an effort to correct one's fate by way of cutting down food and sleep, marital relations, and all kinds of pleasures.

Indeed, a reduction in eating and sleeping, marital relations and all kinds of pleasures is very necessary, for that is in fact a way to make it possible to obtain an improvement in one's fortune in life.

Brothers and sisters, Bapak is aware that everyone wishes for a life of ease and abundance, but if people will not follow the path of prihatin in the way Bapak has just indicated, such a wish will remain no more than a hope.

Bapak will take an illustration from ordinary life, where there are prosperous people, clever and well-known people, highly-placed people, wise ( waskita ) people. But these have become prosperous because they have previously been thrifty in all things, resolutely denying themselves all extravagant pleasures, which only follow the nafsu; they have become clever and famous because they have diligently and persistently pursued knowledge that can benefit human existence; they have become wise because they have been patient, calm, peaceful, trusting and sincere. These last qualities are to be found in the Prophets and Messengers of Almighty God. So, in fact, even though they were Prophets and Messengers of God, they were not exempt from experiencing constant suffering and the practice of keprihatinan at an earlier stage of their lives. ( V1/2/9 )

' Do not count the number of times you fast

It is generally man's lot to experience unhappiness during is life in this world. But it is in the nature of life that such experiences are not permanent, and a time will certainly come when a person's fate will change and he can experience a fairly good or happy life.

You say that you have been fasting during Ramadhan and also on Mondays and Thursdays. But is seems that the fasting you are observing has not yet really strengthened your inner-self, A sign of this is that your hopes are still unfulfilled. If you fast on Mondays and Thursdays you should not count up the number of times you have done so. You should wipe away this kind of thought because, if you still think in this way, you are not in fact fasting with patience, trustful acceptance and sincere submission. So do your fasting regularly and do not feel it is something you are obliged to do, but do it with patience and surrendering to Almighty God.

With regard to your efforts to improve your situation by looking for another job, they do seem to be fruitless at present. So for the time being it is necessary for you to have the feeling of trustful acceptance in whatever comes to you and to feel your present situation as a test or trial in life.

This is Bapak's advice to you and Bapak prays that Almighty God may bestow His Grace upon you so that you may be able to find the way that is right and that can make you and your family happy. ( VII/5/25 )

Suffering caused by nature - and by carelessness

As you know, the world and all it contains is always changing; nothing in it remains the same forever. It is indeed the Decree of God that this correspond with the ways of the heart and thoughts of mankind.

Imagine how you would feel if you found yourself in a situation that never changed - would not your heart feel it boring and monotonous? Surely it would. Take another example. Suppose you had a child who remained always the same - he never grew and did not develop new activities or show any new powers. Would you not feel disappointed and get bored with him?

These illustrations are only to help you understand that everything that exists and happens in this world is constantly changing.

You ask in your letter why, how is it possible that, a man - even though he may eliminate his own impurities, set aside his urge to fight wars and do other bad deeds - is still subjected to earthquakes, floods and other major disasters that befall mankind?

If you look at these events from your own subjective viewpoint they may seem strange, but if you remember that earthquakes are caused by the strong pressure of fire just finding its own way out; that floods are caused by the overflowing of rainfall just finding its own level, and that other catastrophes are caused by pressures just finding their own outlets - then all these events are but natural occurrences in this world. You cannot therefore relate such events to the situation of a man who has been able to eliminate his own impurities.

Now, referring to the event of your daughter being hurt by a dog and this causing confusion in your heart with the result that you had less faith in the latihan kedjiwaan of Subud - this is a very deceptive attitude of your heart, because the accident was caused by your own carelessness: why did you allow your daughter to play with the dog or disturb it?

Well, a dog is a dog, and so naturally it finds pleasure in fighting and biting, Thus, if it happens to be invited to play, it would not realize that it was asked by a human being. In its eyes it was playing with a fellow-dog and would enjoy using its teeth and claws.

So, if a man does not want to be bitten by a dog, he should not approach or keep it. There is a saying: 'He who is near to fire feels its heat and he who is near to water feels its coolness.' ( III/5-6/8 )

LOVE, MARRIAGE

'Is it God's Will that I marry Miss R?'

In the case of nearly every person who marries, the marriage is based on the heart's love. For this reason, if you ask Bapak whether you are the true partners for each other, it is rather difficult to answer, because it must be tested very deeply to determine the true partner, so that the marriage will then be witnessed by the Power of God.

Such a condition is likely to be impossible of fulfillment by somebody who has not yet reached a really high and deep state in his latihan. Most of you are still far from such a state and are still, for the most part, enveloped by the nafsu, heart and mind.

As explained above, the real, eternal marriage can only be performed by the Power of God.

You should therefore just submit your love relationship with Miss R. to the Greatness of God, so that it will be changed into a love relationship between your djiwas.

You need not be worried about the unfittingness between your djiwa and the djiwa of Miss R. because, indeed, the marriages of most people are not yet right. So Bapak will agree if you two make your love relationship legal.

Regarding the harmony of the marriage which will finally make a relationship between djiwa and djiwa, this is better left to the Greatness of God, by way of the latihan kedjiwaan, as you are already doing.

Bapak hopes your good wishes will be fulfilled completely. ( 11/7-8/212 )

To find a suitable partner

If you ask whether A should marry B, it is actually rather an awkward question to answer. For, in the matter of marriage, it cannot be said definitely that A should marry B. As for marriage, this is something that should take place, but it cannot be stated that A should marry B.

If you ask what is a good way to find a suitable partner, Bapak can give the following clarification:

If you happen to meet and associate with a woman, and while you are with her you always feel as if you were with your mother or your sister, so that your love for the woman in whose company you are is based on sympathy and affection like the sympathy and affection which you feel towards your mother or your sister; and if likewise the woman, from her side, while she is in your company feels as though she were in the company of her father or her brother, so that she feels as if she were with her protector, then it can be said that the woman is very suited to become your permanent life-companion.

Well now, Bapak asks you, does your relationship with the young woman you mention approach what Bapak has explained above? If it does, then it is fitting for your marriage to her to be carried out as soon as possible. But if it does not and you feel only physical love towards her, Bapak cannot give his agreement. Bapak leaves it to you yourself to make the decision. ( VII1/17 )

The world does not contain only one woman

The event experienced by the woman you intended to marry has, in fact, proved that the djiwa relationship between you was not yet really close and strong. For this reason, you had better just let her go, and look for another woman who truly loves you. The world is wide and does not contain only one woman. So, if you are always firm of feeling and patient, it is certain that later you will readily find what you are hoping for. ( 5/5/153 )

Sudarto advises: find where the feeling of love comes from

Actually, I would like to assure you that to be heartbroken is never necessary: leave everything to the Greatness of Almighty God and just do the latihan regularly and sincerely, so that your feelings return to their usual condition.

If love for a woman arises in your feelings, then you must control this feeling and try to discover where it comes from. Do not follow this feeling blindly: you must be careful, and be sure. To show you what I mean more clearly, it is better if I give you some examples:

Feeling of love - from the lower forces. One day, when I met a girl, a feeling of love arose in me. I wanted to know where this feeling came from, so I just surrendered for a moment, and then this feeling disappeared. This meant it had come from the lower forces which had entered into my feelings and stimulated a feeling of love.

Feeling of love - awakened by the inner-self for the purpose of purification. One evening, when I entered a shop, I saw a big woman. Immediately a feeling of love for her arose in me. And when I tested this feeling it did not dis­appear but remained steady. Then I knew that this feeling of love was an indication for my heart. To find out what that indication was, I quieted myself for a few minutes. During this time I saw a friend of mine and myself in his study. Then suddenly my inner-self reminded me of what my friend had told me ten years ago: that he hoped he would marry a fat woman. After this I felt that something went out of my feeling, and I felt light. The idea of my friend had imprinted itself on my feeling, and had formed a certain impurity there, but by the Power of God this was now purified.

Another day when I went to the station I saw a certain lady. At once there arose a feeling of love in me. But when I looked at another lady, that feeling of love disappeared and another feeling of love arose, quite different from the first. Then I realized that these feelings of love were not my own. So I tested. During the test I saw first my grandfather sitting near my grandmother. Then I saw my father and my mother. I knew this was an indication for me. I compared the ladies whom I saw in the station - and the first was the same type as my grandmother, and the second the same type as my mother. From this indication I knew these two feelings of love were inherited from my forefathers.

After these experiences it became difficult for me to feel love for any woman who was not the same type and character as my ( future ) wife. ( Sudarto ) ( V/5/144 )

Why a woman must be careful in choosing a husband

The statement to which you refer ( page 25 of the Pewarta Kedjiwaan Subud, Vol. II, No. 1-2, Jan-Feb 1961 ) was meant for a person who for some reason did not wish to marry: whereas it is the Will of Almighty God that, through marriage, man should be able to have descendants to fill this world. In the field of the kedjiwaan, Subud members truly experience that the movement and awakening of the inner-feeling arises through the sex. This is a sign that the life-force is situated there. In fact, this only applies to a man; it does not apply to a woman, because the man is the channel, while the woman is the vessel where the human seed is to grow.

For this reason a woman, whose nature in reality is just to receive or to be a vessel, depends in this matter on the man who becomes her husband. That is why it is usually said that the wife just follows; if her husband has a good djiwa, she too will have a good djiwa, but if her husband has a djiwa of a lower level she too will just have to follow. This is the reason why a woman must be careful in choosing a man for her husband; or, if she has been married for a long time, she should awaken her husband's interest so that he will try to find the way of receiving the contact from the Power of Almighty God. This is necessary so that she may always be able to receive guidance and direction from the Power of Almighty God for the improvement of the djiwa. ( Vol. VII/A-101 )

Unmarried women - and the purpose of marriage

Regarding the rather large number of women who are unmarried and/or allow themselves to become spinsters, Bapak cannot say whether this is good or not good.

Bapak says so because being unmarried results from their will, and people usually wish to be free in their actions and in exercising their will. Hence, judging whether this is good or not should be left to the persons concerned. But from the point of view of Subud as based on experiences received in the latihan kedjiwaan, it is necessary that man should marry, so that through marriage new human beings can be born to inhabit this earth.

Not only should man marry, but even plants and animals are required to mate and pollinate so that they can give birth to new ones to fill this earth.

The purpose served by marriage is that husband and wife should be able to experience and receive their own state of being before the human seed arrives, when it arrives, and when the child is eventually born. All this, Bapak would like to repeat, is so for us in Subud on account of the experiences received in the latihan, and mentioning this does not imply criticism of others in any way.

To make it clear, through marriage and through having a child, a man is like one who acquires knowledge as to his own true state and individuality before he existed, when he was conceived and when he was born.

If he can really feel and receive, renewal of experiences of this kind through having a number of children will enable a man to know and understand the course of his life.

Those who have not arrived at this state will still have plenty of time to make efforts to find the way in which they can receive a latihan kedjiwaan from the Power of God, as can be found in Subud, so that they may eventually come to know and understand the real purpose of marriage. ( III/1-2/45 )

Only God can strengthen the inner marriage-bond

With regard to a marriage-partner, what is called a marriage-partner of djiwa with djiwa is actually very difficult to find, both for a man and for a woman.

So, for such a marriage we need to have guidance and direction from the Power of Almighty God, and it is just this, fortunately, which we, or the Subud members, receive.

For this reason, supposing that you and the woman you mention really do become husband and wife later, just surrender the closeness of your marriage-bonds to the Power of Almighty God with patience and submission, with trust and sincerity, for it is really only God Who can strengthen your inner, spiritual relationship with her.

Now, first you need to feel whether your love relation­ship with that young woman is really and truly woven into a love and affection felt by each of you. If it is, Bapak agrees that your relationship with her be continued and that eventually, when a propitious time comes, you marry her. ( VII/1/19 )

Marriage needs a decision to face together whatever may happen

If plainly there is really no feeling of mutual love between them, it is better that they do not marry, because later such a marriage would readily cause a feeling of disappointment to arise between them.

Normally, marriage is a life bond between husband and wife in their struggle towards harmony and happiness, their common destiny. Hence, before marrying, each should feel and consider as deeply as possible whether they both have made a firm decision, with full trust and sincerity, to face everything that may happen in the future.

This is what they must consider and feel deeply; so that subsequently they will not always experience an inner suffering. ( V/5/153 )

Do not be worried about getting married

It is customary for the condition of a person before his marriage to be irregular and unhappy; but after he marries a turn for the better takes place and his life becomes orderly and blissful. So you should not be worried about getting married. The most important factor in this is that both parties agree and are willing to take up the burden of the life awaiting them. ( V/1/30 )

Sudarto: 'After marriage I felt my latihan was stuck'

After my marriage, I experienced very great changes within myself. Various kinds of feelings developed in me, and my heart and mind became confused. In fact, I felt as if I had returned to the condition I was in before I began to receive the latihan kedjiwaan. I felt that my latihan was 'stuck'. It no longer went as smoothly as before I married. My heart became doubtful and I lost faith in myself. I questioned within my heart: 'How have I sinned?'

At first I did not do anything about this, but my heart grew more and more worried. So finally I went to submit the problem to Bapak. Fortunately I found Bapak alone at his house, so I could talk freely to him. In answer to the questions I asked, Bapak gave me the following explanations:

'It is like this because, before you were married, what you had received was not yet recognized as official by God, and so did not have its full value. It was only given as a sample. Now, after your marriage, you must start again from the beginning. That is why you feel as if you have not yet received the latihan kedjiwaan. But this does not mean that you are going backwards. On the contrary, ultimately you will receive deeper knowledge anti wider experiences.

'Furthermore, you now have a heavier task than before, as you must also work out the impurities your wife has inherited from her ancestors. When these impurities are re­moved, you will feel light and free. This is a necessary condition for the real union between husband and wife, so that later, what you feel will also be felt by your wife, and she will also be able to receive what you are thinking. In this way, you and your wife can become a truly united pair. To reach this state it is necessary for you to do the latihan regularly and diligently.

'Besides the impurities that can be removed by doing the latihan as usual, there are also certain impurities in man which lie in his deeper self that can only be purified through the sexual union between husband and wife. And the impurities that are removed in this way will finally come out through the wife. Outwardly this is shown to us by the fact that women have been willed by God to menstruate once a month.

'In addition, it is necessary for a man to get married so that he can experience again how he was at his conception and when he was born. This condition is the same as when he becomes the channel of God for the bringing into existence of his child. For this reason, the sexual union should be regarded as a sacred and a holy act and it should not be carried out for pleasure just to satisfy the passions, because, in fact, at that moment you become the channel of the Power of God.'

This was Bapak's explanation and as I listened, I felt as if fresh, cold water was being poured over me, and my feelings became very relaxed. ( Sudarto ) ( II/11-12/375 )

Passion-based marriage cannot be lastingly good

Bapak has frequently given explanations, both in his talks and in the Pewarta Kedjiwaan, about the connection between the latihan kedjiwaan of Subud and the marriage relationship.

Therefore, Bapak will give only a brief explanation here. As you know, a person who receives the latihan kedjiwaan of Subud is truly led and guided by the Power of Almighty God towards cleanness of the inner-feeling and goodness and excellence of the djiwa.

If the latihan kedjiwaan is truly Almighty God's leading and guidance toward purity of the inner-feeling and the excellence of the djiwa, there is also included within this the marriage relationship between man and woman.

As you know, a married person usually relies only on the love ties of passion, but not, or not yet, upon the relationship of djiwa with djiwa.

Therefore in quite a few marriages the feeling of love and affection of one partner towards the other becomes less as time goes on, and there are even some who later turn their passion-based love to others, so that finally it results in a separation or divorce.

That is the way many marriages end, when they are only based on passionate love. So a marriage based on passion is not yet able to be and cannot be lastingly good.

Yes... from the time before they are married until the time of the actual marriage there is a strong feeling of love and affection between the man and woman or between husband and wife, but when the marriage is five, ten or fifteen years old, then the husband begins to feel as though bored with his wife or the wife feels bored with the husband.

In one who wishes to look at his life carefully, a desire arises to try to find a way enabling him to bring about a change in his heart's feelings, which have become like that. But it is usually difficult to bring back to its original state a heart which has become so immoderate.

Fortunately, Subud members have received and followed to some extent the way of the latihan kedjiwaan, so that the condition of their hearts which brings about a breach in the marriage relationship can begin to be made good. Obviously, the process of repairing the breach cannot possibly be com­pleted as quickly as you hope, because the process involves the lower life-forces which influence the inner-feeling and carry into it impurities or mistakes. Therefore, in such situations, it is very necessary that you be able to endure it, that is, to have an attitude of patience towards each other and together surrender to the Will of Almighty God with trust and sincerity.

That is the way, if you wish to be able to obtain an improvement in your life and happiness in your marriage. ( VII/5/3 )

Influence of nafsu on marrying and begetting children

As you have already experienced, at times when undergoing purification by the Power of Almighty God from all the faults and impurities which have become woven into your inner-feelings, you certainly also receive sound indications which you ought to obey. If you do so, it will be possible for you to be a good head, a protector, for your family, and you will be able to organize it properly.

Bapak feels you are already aware that the Subud latihan kedjiwaan is really guidance and direction from Almighty God. This is why, so long as you receive and follow the latihan of Subud, the influence of the nafsu lodging in your heart and mind will be unable to function any more.

Now, because clearly a guidance and direction with which nafsu, heart and mind cannot interfere really comes from Almighty God, it is impossible that God would guide and lead in any direction other than the highest. This guidance and direction will for certain lead you towards a nature of superior quality, so that you will become a human being of fine character who, as its head, can properly organize his family.

As Bapak has often explained, the problem of getting married is usually decided on the basis of mutual love and liking. So it is evident that by its very nature such a step is subject to the influence of the nafsu, which are generally used as instruments by the lower forces. Therefore such a marriage cannot yet be said to be one based upon the bond between djiwa and djiwa. For this reason such marriages generally fail to increase in harmony the longer they last, but rather come to be felt as less united. Yes, there may be a marriage that can last for a long time, but this, it can be said, is only one in ten thousand. Thus, so long as people cannot receive the Grace of God, it is evidently really difficult to find a marriage partner without being influenced by the nafsu; nevertheless people hope of course that they will be able to have children of their marriage.

To turn to the subject of children, it is clear that a child owes its being to its two parents. Thus if, before the child is conceived, the parents usually come together only through the influence of the nafsu which are generally used as tools by the lower forces, how can it be possible for a child to be other than filled by the lower forces also? So in this way the parents have made a further mistake. The first was in the way they looked for a marriage partner; the second in their way of begetting a child.

In this way the mistakes people make in their marriages are multiplied. You and your wife may therefore be said to be extremely fortunate in that, having received the Grace of Almighty God, both of you can receive and follow His guidance and direction, manifested in the Subud latihan kedjiwaan, so that faults which you yourselves could not possibly correct can be corrected.

And you must remember, my son, that your faults, which have become interwoven into the inner-feeling of your children, cannot possibly be corrected if you and your wife are separated from one another ( by divorce or separation ), because these children are born of the intercourse between yourself and your wife.

This is Bapak's advice to you, and he hopes that Almighty God may grant you His Grace, so that the nafsu which disturb the peace and harmony of your marriage may be kept from you. ( VII/3/19 )

Patience can paralyze the feeling of hatred

It is best for you to have a patient attitude towards your husband. In Subud it is willed that the marriage of the members should become better and harmonious.

As you already know, the nature of the latihan kedjiwaan of Subud is guidance and education from Almighty God. It is not possible that Almighty God would guide you so that in marriage you experience dissension or a severance of the relationship. So you should have a patient attitude towards your husband, because a feeling of patience is able to paralyze the feeling of hatred and the feeling of dissatisfaction.
( VI/l/29 )

Give in to each other

The aim of married people is that their life may later receive God's Grace so that they can experience happiness and be blessed with children. Mutual love and affection and harmony are therefore very necessary in married life.

So whenever there is a disagreement between you and your wife, Bapak's advice is that you should give in to each other. You, especially, are certainly better to do this since you have received the latihan kedjiwaan of Subud. ( VI/3/23 )

Through the latihan you can yet surmount your difficulties

As a Subud member, the best thing for you is to be patient towards your husband. It is indeed a person's life situation, especially in marriage, always to face and experience things which are unpleasant. So consider and feel this as a test in your life.

Please try to feel again as before, when you were not yet married to your husband. Was there not a mutual love and affection between you, and perhaps you also felt that you were capable of living together in any situation? Thus, everything which happens in your life together, like your experience now, is something which must be faced with patience, trust and sincere submission.

Especially as you have both to some extent received and followed the latihan kedjiwaan of Subud, you and your husband will certainly be able through the latihan to overcome the difficulties you face.

As for your husband, if he really and truly obeys the latihan kedjiwaan of Subud which he receives and does regularly, all the parts of his body are certainly alive; that is, all the members of his body move and awaken free from the influence of the nafsu, so that he will be able to be aware of how a person lives in order to fulfill the needs of his family, Because, in accordance with the Will of God, the life of man in this world, in his coarse physical body, must be nourished with the livelihood he obtains by behaving and acting in accordance with his understanding and as is customary for him. And for his djiwa he needs to worship Almighty God. Clearly, then, a person who lives in this world certainly has to work, especially one with a family; and besides that, he must worship Almighty God, because God created him. ( VI/3/21 )

Have recourse to God and surrender everything

Man's life in this world, it may be said, cannot possibly be free of temptations. For this reason, wise people advise that it is necessary to examine carefully and find out about a matter beforehand, especially in the case of mar­riage.

What is the reason for this? The reason is that a person who marries hopes in reality to be blessed by God with a child, so that his generation can continue for tens and hundreds of years.

That is what a married person hopes for, and for this reason, before getting married, both partners should examine carefully whether they have a mutual feeling of oneness in love and compassion. For the feeling of love and compassion they have before they marry shows that, although their state is still separate, it is truly one, so that later, after they marry, they will always feel compassion towards each other and harmony. Thus, if God eventually blesses them with a child, the child will possess an excellent nature and djiwa.

This is the meaning of what wise people have said.

Well, now, for you, since you have gone too far in following the lines you describe in your letter, the way to lighten your inner and outer suffering is to have recourse to God and to surrender everything with honesty and sincerity. And since you are a Subud member, who has to a greater or lesser degree received the guidance of Almighty God, which manifests itself in the latihan kedjiwaan, you should repent and surrender to Almighty God with complete sincerity. ( VI/1/27 )

Both must admit their deficiencies

The problem between you and your husband is truly a difficult one. It can be solved in a peaceful way only if each of you is willing to be aware of your wrong behavior.

What is now necessary is that Bapak suggest to you and your husband that you should both be willing to hold fast to your pure desires in carrying out your worship of the Greatness of the One Almighty God.

As you know, God gives you His guidance and direction, which are manifested in the latihan kedjiwaan of Subud, at your own request, through your honest and sincere surrender to His Will. Since you have received and followed the way of the latihan kedjiwaan, it is certainly best and as it should be if you obey God's guidance and direction, which manifest in the latihan kedjiwaan of Subud. And, since Almighty God is the Creator of the whole universe and everything contained therein, the guidance and direction given to His creatures are surely directed towards a goal truly beneficial for them.

So, if you and your husband are sincerely willing to keep your former promises, all tension in your relationship with your husband will easily be settled in a peaceful way.

Brother and sister, it can indeed be said that this world is full of difficulties; among them, those causing quarrels in a marriage. Nevertheless you need not be afraid of this, because it is truly like a trial for people's life in this world.

Bapak feels, especially in the case of both of you who are to some extent following together the way of the latihan kedjiwaan of Subud, which in reality is guidance and direction from the Power of Almighty God, that all difficulties which assail you can be settled in a good way, provided you are both willing to admit your own deficiencies in putting the conditions of your life together in order.

Brother and sister, there may be no one in this world who does not experience faults in his life. For this reason it is best for you and your husband to try to correct these faults through trustful and sincere submission.

Further, Bapak prays that God may bless you and your husband so that you may be able to carry out conscientiously everything that leads to nobility and excellence. ( VII/3/17 )

The changing relationship in marriage

With regard to your relationship with your husband, it is indeed usually easy for it to become as you describe, but actually it is only like a change of the inner-feeling, from a bond of love from the heart to a bond of the djiwa. Certainly, along with this the desire for sexual intercourse decreases, but this is only temporary. When the process draws near to its completion your inner-relationship with your husband will return to the way it was formerly, and it will be even better. ( VI/1/29 )

Pregnancy and intercourse

It is not throughout pregnancy but after the child in the womb is six months old that sexual intercourse should not take place.

It is sufficient to have the feeling of patience and surren­der to the Power of Almighty God, and not to have too many things on your mind, before having intercourse with one's wife. ( VI/4/13 )

Intercourse after childbirth

It is better to surrender the matter of the size of your family to Almighty God. With regard to sexual intercourse, it is best to resume it only three months after giving birth to a child, and as for the way to have intercourse, it is necessary that you both have the feeling of surrender to Almighty God, and have intercourse at the most once a week. ( VI/4/13 )

The reason for a miscarriage

A miscarriage occurs because there is something not good, or imperfect. ( VI/4/13 )

'What is the opinion of Subud regarding birth control?'

From a spiritual ( kedjiwaan ) point of view, birth control is actually not allowed because it is against the Will of God. So it should not be practiced by us ( Subud members ).

With regard to the public - people who are not Subud members - our standpoint is that we should not interfere with their birth control problem, because they might have different opinions which have nothing to do with the spiritual way. ( 11/7-8/216 )

Marriage should be a means of worship

It is necessary to understand that the latihan kedjiwaan of Subud is a latihan received every time the influences of the passions, heart and mind are stopped.

This proves to us that the awakening of our inner-feeling which forms our latihan comes directly from a force outside our will. To put it more clearly, it comes from the Power of God.

And because what we have received during the latihan is from the Power of God, there is no other way for us except to surrender and obey what God has willed for us.

If it is willed for us by the Power of God that the awakening and the quickening of our inner-feeling should begin with the quickening of our sexual feelings, because that is a state which has to be passed through, then it will not be possible for us to choose a way other than that.

This indicates that our life began from that source, so, whether we want to or not, we have to recognize and accept the fact that without it man cannot exist in this world.

Hence the solving of problems connected with this de­pends on the individual members concerned and whether they feel the truth or not. If they recognize the truth of the facts mentioned above and are obedient to the instruc­tions they have already received, we will not force them to abandon their old habits and follow a new way of life but will leave it to their own judgment.

According to what we have received in Subud, it is indeed willed that we should get married in our life in this world. Actually, this does not concern man only; it is willed that everything - animals, plants and other substances - should have their life partners or marry. In material terms it is called to couple or pair.

In choosing our life-partner, however, we should as far as possible find a partner who will be really useful for our life here in this world as well as in the hereafter.

To be clearer, marriage should not be motivated only by pleasure and passion but should become a means for our worship towards Almighty God. This is why we always receive purification, so that thereby we men can come to our wives in purity. This means free from the influences of nafsu, heart and mind.

In this way, supposing our marriage is finally blessed by God with a child, that child is received because of our purity and worship towards God.

It follows from the above explanation that those who have been married only because of their nafsu, heart and mind will be able to correct that fault and improve their condi­tion. It means that with the latihan they will be cleansed of their faults in accordance with the Will of God. ( II/1-2/24 )

More than one husband is neither legal nor good

There is no way, legally, for a woman to have more than one husband. For, however it may be, it will give rise, inwardly and outwardly, to something not good for the inner-force nor the physical self. So, if one is seeking excellence in marriage, one should not make a custom of this, and the one who is not legally a husband should leave the woman.

Do not follow only your heart and passions; the most important thing is the necessity for you to follow the will of the inner-force that is being trained by the Power of Almighty God towards nobility.

What is certain and sure is that the behavior you mention is not in accordance with the latihan kedjiwaan of Subud which you have received, because the Will of Almighty God, which manifests in the latihan kedjiwaan of Subud, guides and directs you in order that you may love and respect each other in your marriage and so that later your descendants can become human beings of benefit to society.

This is Bapak's reply to you and Bapak only hopes that you may all be willing to feel deeply what Bapak has said above. ( VII/1/19 )

Relationships with men

With regard to other things, such as whether or not it is right for you to have relationships with men or not, you will find the truth about all this if you really are able to do your latihan with patience, submission and sincerity, as Bapak said before. ( V/2/53

CHILDREN

The wish for one's children to join Subud

With regard to your children who do not yet wish to join Subud, you do not need to feel deeply about this. It is enough for you to surrender it to the Power of Almighty God. Eventually the time will come when there will awaken in them a desire to follow in your footsteps. ( VII/6/26 )

Care of children while parents do latihan

The children of those whose circumstances allow it, can be left at home in the care of a guardian or a babysitter.

The children of those whose circumstances do not allow that, but whose friends are in the neighborhood, can be left in the care of their friends.

For those not in good circumstances and who have no one in the neighborhood with whom to leave their children, it is suggested that only one of the couple should attend the latihan at a time.

This means that, if the husband is attending the latihan, the wife ought to stay at home to take care of the children. Another time, when the wife is attending the latihan, the husband takes his turn at home, keeping watch over the children.

This arrangement may be felt as a loss, as each one is only able to attend latihan once. To avoid this feeling of disappointment for those affected by this arrangement, it is better for those who are taking care of their children, to do a latihan by themselves during their turn at home. If they do not yet know when to stop themselves, they should set an alarm clock to time the thirty minutes. By this means, you can all receive.

If you ask: 'Why are children not allowed to be brought near the place of latihan?' the answer is that this is certainly not good, in fact rather dangerous, because in the latihan, as you already know, all desires originating from the lower forces are being purified.

It is like a street which is being swept and the dirt scattered everywhere. Here the small child is comparable to something still clean and without strength, which will collect the dirt.

Because of this you have to be very watchful; there is the possibility of the scattered impurities touching the inner-feelings of children brought close to the place for latihan. ( 1/2/38 )

Young children and rooms used for latihan

Children below three years should be put in another house if their house is used for latihan by more than two or three people, but if the house is used for latihan only by the parents, it is sufficient to put the children in another room of the same house.

If you think these children will benefit by being brought into the latihan room after the latihan, you are quite mistaken. On the contrary, these small children will get the dust of the nafsu which are swept away in the latihan of those who have just finished latihan. ( II/3-4/74 )

Effects of divorce on children

Although the matter of divorce is sometimes felt to be a normal thing, it is nevertheless hoped that for you and your wife this is something which will never come to pass.

What is the reason for this? It is because you have been married for twenty-two years and from that marriage you have five children. This means that you have both been blessed by Almighty God in receiving the grace of a certain aspect of life formed from the essence of the inner-feelings of both of you. So, considered from the kedjiwaan aspect, the child reflects the pattern of both parents, which means that everything in the child contains the thoughts, interests, ideas and ideals of the parents at the time before the child was formed. That is also why the child is said to have become the object of his or her parents' love.

Parents' love for their offspring is not limited only to human beings. Even tigers, which attack other animals and devour their flesh, show love to their young ones, so that wherever the young go they follow them.

Clearly, then, the child is truly the heart of the parents and receives their attention, and has also become the tie or bond between father and mother. In reality, the child is indeed of two persons, and both of them, the father as well as the mother, acknowledge it. So what will happen to both of you if the divorce between you and your wife takes place, while your children are five in number and the eldest girl is already 21 years of age and while all your children remain objects of concern to each of you?

Let us suppose you obtain a divorce now and later marry again, will not the children later come under the care of a step-mother? The same goes for your wife, if she also marries again later on, will not your daughter, a girl of 21 years, together with her younger brothers, be in the care of a step-father? This is what both of you should consider and feel to its full extent.

All Bapak has explained above concerns merely the outward aspect .and not as yet what truly concerns the spiritual aspect. And this spiritual aspect is just what will feel very heavy to you both later, if this divorce should actually take place.

In truth, a married couple has one soul. This means, two souls which have become one. Later on, this marriage brings forth children, and in this case even five children. Although it is said that outwardly they are just children, in reality these children are the bond of the whole family. Hence, if only one of them falls ill or suffers from one thing or another, the whole family will be disturbed, the more so the father and the mother. Thus, supposing the ones who suffer are the father and the mother, then what will be felt by the children and what will happen to the inner-feelings of the children?

This is what you both should consider and feel deeply, and not just hastily follow the nafsu manipulated by the lower forces, which intend to create a division in the unity of a marriage, or to create a division in the wholeness of the human family.

Lastly, Bapak hopes both of you will come together again in peace and build up the family again as well as you can.

This is the end of Bapak's message to you, and may your problem be solved according to the Will of Almighty God. ( VI/1/25 )

Prihatin for and by children

From the spiritual point of view, if a person over sixty-three years of age practices prihatin - for example, by cutting down on his food and sleep and all pleasures - he does this for the benefit of his children and grandchildren. Clearly, the parents' prihatin will strengthen the faith and the inner-self of the children and grandchildren in carrying out their worship of Almighty God, so that they may have good characters. Also, if the children or grandchildren attain such a level, through the Grace of Almighty God, the parents will be lifted up automatically - that is, the parents will auto­matically be carried to a higher spiritual level.

On the other hand, if children under the age of eighteen practice prihatin, such as fasting on Mondays and Thursdays, their prihatin is for the benefit of the parents. But the prihatin of children is limited to fasting on Mondays and Thursdays, and it is not necessary for them to decrease their food and sleep or to cut down on their pleasures.

Further, a person who has not yet reached sixty-three still has to practice prihatin, not only by cutting down on food and sleep but also by fasting on Mondays and Thursdays and lessening all his pleasures. That is, if he wishes to do it honestly and sincerely.

Although none of the advice given above is obligatory, it will nevertheless benefit the members who are willing to follow it. ( VII/3/23 )

WOMEN

What is woman?

A woman, in the sense of the Indonesian word wanita is the vessel or the object of the sexual passion. But there are also women who are called by the Indonesian word wanodya. This means the place of the soul ( roh ) of a good child, or in other words, wanodya is the vessel of pure love that can bring into being good children.

( Note: Bapak speaks here of the spiritual connotation of two Indonesian words used ( or woman, wanita and wanod-ya. In Bapak's talks and letters there are many references other aspects of woman. ) ( IV/5/145 )

The menstrual period and the latihan

Helpers for the sick as well as helpers for general latihan are indeed not allowed to do any latihan during their menstrual periods: they are not allowed to latihan to help the sick nor even to do their own latihan; during these periods they should stop doing latihan.

( Note: the same answer was referred to in reply to a further question - whether a woman can resume latihan before her period has completely ended ).( II/3-4/81 )

Why should women wash after their period?

Washing after the period ends means not only to clean the hair of the head, but to clean the whole body. It means taking a full bath to really clean the body. Such an act, as you are aware, is to keep yourself clean, so you must take care to do so, and you will realize that keeping your body clean is an absolute rule. ( II/3-4/81 )

Customs for the pregnant

According to custom, a pregnant woman should not kill animals and should not lift heavy objects. Also, the husband should not kill animals. ( VI/4/13 )

When pregnant, do not think of the past

When you are pregnant you should not always think about the past. Just trust in the Power of Almighty God and surrender everything to His Will with patience and sincerity. ( VII/5/23 )

May pregnant women do committee work?

 A  woman member who has reached seven months' pregnancy may not take part in any activity of the committee or do latihan until ( at the very least ) two months   after she has given birth to the baby. It is necessary for her to rest, and she must not force herself to join in the activity   of the group, because her body is weak. ( Note: See next letter. ) ( II/7-8/222 )

After childbirth; two months or three before doing latihan?

As regards two months, Bapak said paling tiepat, which means the shortest possible time. And then Bapak made a general rule, which said: Ditetapkan tiga bulan, balk untuk helpers, maupun untuk anggauta biasa, or 'a woman should wait three months after having delivered a baby before rejoining the latihan, whether she is a helper or not'.

Personally I am of the opinion that in making circulars regarding this matter, Bapak's general rule should be taken, but this doesn't imply that a very strong woman cannot join the latihan earlier than three months, while her weaker sister should maybe wait more than three months. In special cases, in which the mother's life is in danger, Bapak advises more than three months or until she is completely recovered.
(  Brodjolukito ) ( V/4/126 )

Should the latihan be felt while suckling one's baby?

Since you are a Subud person, you will realize that purification and sanctification can only be achieved by devoted service to God. So it will do no harm if, while giving the breast to your baby, you devote yourself in your heart to the service of God, so that the mother's milk which then flows will be purified milk, in the sense that it does not contain influences of the nafsu and the lower forces. ( II/3-4/81 )

What if a woman accidentally opens her husband?

Regarding your question about what is to be done in the case of a woman accidentally giving the contact to her husband, etc., Bapak says that a woman member may not open a man, even though he is her husband. So if her husband is really and truly interested in joining Subud, he must be opened by a man helper. ( V/4/117 )

HEALTH, SICKNESS, DEATH

Being healed is only a side-issue

There is only one way for us Subud members to regain our bodily health, and that is by receiving and practicing the latihan kedjiwaan, because it is the nature of the latihan kedjiwaan of Subud to awaken the whole of the body, both inwardly and outwardly. This awakening will of itself cause the various parts of the body to return to their original state, that is, their state before they were affected by illness.

Even though Bapak explains it in this way, healing is not the important thing; what is important for us is our worship of Almighty God. Healing from disease is no more than a side issue. Because of this, Bapak advises you not to think all the time about your illness when you are receiv­ing and practicing the Subud latihan kedjiwaan; what is necessary is to worship Almighty God with a feeling of patience and surrender.
( V/1/26 )

Why an ailment can worsen after latihan

Because the source of the latihan kedjiwaan is the Power of God, the solutions to all sorts of our problems come from His Power. We human beings can only surrender ourselves. As for those who have had latihan and whose illness becomes worse, in fact it does not become worse because of the latihan but because of their bodies, which have accompanied them for a long time and which are making cleansing difficult. So it is hoped that any person who suffers will be patient and surrender himself com­pletely to God, in order to facilitate the cleansing. ( II/3-4/78 )

Spiritual progress often causes a feeling of physical weakness

This is to inform you that it is usual for spiritual progress to cause a weakness in the physical body, because the strength of the physical or coarse body is almost entirely due to the influence of the nafsu. So, in fact, you should not be troubled about feeling weak.

Thus, the truth about your condition is that, provided you do not feel troubled, your body will lack nothing.

So we who are based on the worship of Almighty God - by receiving and following the way of the latihan kedjiwaan in accordance with His guidance and direction which manifest therein - must be really strong and have as great a faith as possible in the Will of God, trusting and sincerely submitting.

This is indeed an absolute condition for us in fulfilling our obligation as human beings who are obedient and faithful to Almighty God. There will thus be every possibility that later, because of the Grace of Almighty God, our coarse physical body may become strong and its con­dition be in balance with the djiwa.

As you know, the latihan kedjiwaan of Subud is a latihan from the djiwa, not a latihan of the body that requires the body to be strong. So, in fact, when we become Subud members and receive and follow the way of the latihan kedjiwaan, what we hope for is only the progress of our djiwa, and this progress of the djiwa will enable us to know how the state of our life will be after death.

Of course, when our djiwa is exercised by the Power of Almighty God, the condition of our physical body will automatically be affected or touched, so that one often feels as though affected by illness.

If a Subud member who receives the latihan feels as though affected by illness, he or she will be troubled, and this troubled feeling can cause the body to become even weaker.

For this reason, be strong and have as great a faith as possible in the Power of Almighty God. This is needful for your inner-feeling to become calm and peaceful.
( VI/4/39 )

The latihan and psychiatric treatment

Since you have already received and done the latihan kedjiwaan of Subud to some extent, and since it is a latihan effected by the Power of Almighty God, in truth your condition no longer needs the treatment of a physiatrist. And especially if you have treatment from more than one psychiatrist, this will increase your confusion even more. So it is better for you to make your heart and feelings firm through doing the latihan kedjiwaan.

All your mistakes or sins will disappear as a result of your perseverance in carrying out your worship of Almighty God, because only God can repair something that is not right.

You can do the latihan kedjiwaan twice a week, and if you still feel you are not experiencing much when doing it, you may ask one of the helpers to assist by accompanying your latihan. You do not need to come to Indonesia; it is sufficient for you to do the latihan where you are, accom­panied by a helper from a group not far from your home. ( VI/4/41 )

Treatment of illness by Yoga inappropriate for us

Bapak wishes to say that the condition of the lady member of Subud mentioned in your letter, ( a teacher of Hatha Yoga who had complained of pain and psychic tiredness ) is quite as it should be in her work, because when she treats someone's illness her feelings are united with the patient, so she also feels the process of the illness.

After doing this treatment, it is true that sometimes she may soon be able to return to her normal condition, but because many people may be treated in this way, and among them perhaps some rather seriously ill, she is usually forced to experience pain in her feelings as if she is, in fact, afflicted by illness. This is what usually happens to someone who does work of this kind.

Bapak will not prevent her from doing this, as she likes it and also because it is her work. But for us, Subud members, who depend on the Power of Almighty God to arrive at physical and spiritual well-being, to perform a work of this kind is not appropriate.

As you know, the latihan kedjiwaan of Subud is a latihan that comes because of our surrender to the Power of Al­mighty God. So everything that exists in our latihan comes by the Will of God; in it we only receive and follow whatever He wills.

Because of this, the latihan kedjiwaan of Subud we have received is truly education and guidance from His Power. We are taught and guided by Him so that our inner-feelings, hearts and djiwas become good, honest and exalted. This is necessary to enable us to become noble creatures of God who know the purpose of their life.

In order to arrive at this state of receiving education and guidance from God, we must have a feeling of patience, submission and sincerity in front of the Will of the Teacher - that is, Almighty God. This condition is indeed most important for us. Other things, such as making use of this or that system, the use of theories based on opinions of a Mr. A. or Mr. B., should not be brought into our latihan kedjiwaan, because they only cause confusion and darkness in our receiving of the education and guidance from the Power of Almighty God.

It often happens in Subud that members who previously suffered from an illness, or did not have a good character, get better and come to have a better character after receiving the contact and following the latihan. But all this is not the result of any efforts on the part of the helpers. At the time of opening and doing the latihan with new members, the helpers only submit to the Glory of God; thus, in reality, the relationship between helpers and candidates being opened is only in their common worship of, and surrender to, the Power of Almighty God.

This is the difference between the latihan kedjiwaan of Subud and other ways. This is why, after doing their duty of opening new members, the helpers should not be affected by whatever may be within the persons being opened.

If it happens that helpers are affected by something from the candidates after they have done the opening, this clearly means that the helpers have not yet been able to act in the right way as Bapak has described above. ( III/5-6/14 )

Spiritual healing and Subud

It seems you have misunderstood the explanation Bapak gave you before. Bapak did not prevent you from practicing healing, as healing is part of the process of the purification and correction of the inner-feeling. But because the latihan kedjiwaan of Subud is a latihan which comes by the Grace of Almighty God, those who have received it ought to pay more attention to their worship of God according to His guidance and direction which manifest in the latihan. Thus, what has in fact become the basis and aim of the latihan kedjiwaan of Subud is our worship of Almighty God for the perfection of our life according to His Will.

Since healing is something which comes about in the course of the purification and correction of the inner-feeling, it will occur of itself, even though it is not specialized in.

You said that healing is part of the Christian faith, as are also awareness and understanding. This is clearly so, because the ability of one person to heal another, who is sick, is due to his having received Grace from Almighty God, founded upon his sincere worship and complete faith in Him. This differs in no way from a Subud member who has received guidance and direction from the Power of God in the latihan kedjiwaan and is then made a channel through which the Power of Almighty God can heal the sick. Thus, to sum up the nature of the two ways of healing mentioned above: in the first case the sick person is healed by a man whose prayer has been granted by God, while in the second the sick person can find health through receiving and practicing the latihan kedjiwaan with the guidance and direction of God.

This latter is the presence of the latihan kedjiwaan of Subud which we have received. For this reason, we helpers always make it known to those interested in Subud that the main purpose of joining Subud would be worship, with sincere trust in the Power of God. Regarding the question of healing, if someone who joins Subud is ill, this will proceed of itself in the course of the purification and correction of the inner-feeling which has to be faced.

Clearly, therefore, Subud does not exclude healing; its way is just different from the way mentioned earlier.

In your letter you mention that the healing of Eva ( now Ilaina ) Bartok is considered by the Christian community in general as a form of the healing done by Jesus Christ and His Apostles. There is truth in this. But if you say that this healing was not through the action of the latihan, then this does not correspond with the reality of the case. Perhaps the reason why people would say this is that they have not yet experienced for themselves the presence of the latihan kedjiwaan of Subud, through which we are in fact moved, awakened and exercised by the Power of Almighty God.

In order to verify the truth of this, you or anyone else can ask Eva Bartok herself about the process of healing from the suffering she experienced at the time.

As regards the rule that before people join Subud they should have it explained to them that they should put the worship of Almighty God above everything else, this has already been done ever since the latihan kedjiwaan of Subud came into existence. Inquirers also have it made clear to them that the latihan kedjiwaan does not separate them from whatever religion they have. This is why people from various nationalities and religions are accepted in the Spiri­tual Brotherhood of Subud. This is already evident in the many Subud Centers throughout the world.

In your letter you say further, 'If healing interferes with our worship of God through the latihan, then I consider that this is something that should have been presented to new candidates coming to Subud in the West before opening, to enable them to decide whether or not they should give up their Christian beliefs before becoming members.'

This opinion of yours is very strange and not at all in accordance with what Bapak has said above, namely that the latihan kedjiwaan of Subud is not the idea of any person but exists and comes by the Grace of Almighty God and is founded upon submission to Him in complete sincerity. Thus whatever happens in the latihan kedjiwaan of Subud comes by the Will of God, while we in truth only follow and obey what He wills. Furthermore, in the latihan kedjiwaan we only follow the awakening of our inner-feeling accord­ing to the rhythm of the inner-self of each one of us. Evidently there is among us no feeling of strangeness of one with another, although our receiving differs from one to another. We are convinced that, in the latihan kedjiwaan of Subud which we have received, we are truly guided and directed by the Power of Almighty God, so that there is no feeling of difference either in nationality or in religion among us, although outwardly we belong to different nationalities and different religions. Neither is there any special teaching and theory that we have to study. We have only to follow with complete faith and submission to the Will of Almighty God. The latihan we receive is in fact a purification and correction of our inner-feeling. This means the same as what is called healing: that is, the cleansing of that which is dirty and the correction of that which is faulty. Thus healing is definitely something which does occur. Only for us, in the latihan kedjiwaan of Subud, the main factor is our worship of God.

Thus it is not that we who have received the latihan kedjiwaan of Subud do not want to understand this matter of healing as put forward by you - but what will be the outcome when we lay aside our habitual ways in receiving the cleansing and healing of our inner-feeling, based on complete submission, with trust and sincerity, to the Power of God which works in our inner being?

So, with regard to the question of healing, we simply leave it to you to do as you wish - as you yourself have said: it is the same whether it is this way or that way, and whichever it is, God is the same. ( IV/6/194 )

Effect on health of thinking too much

This is to inform you that someone who is in the habit of using his mind too much, so that he overtaxes his brain, usually has a nervous breakdown. If the nervous breakdown does not occur, the person usually suffers an illness in his body, such as a tumor or cancer.

In your case, you are very fortunate that you only had a nervous breakdown like the one you are now experiencing.

Since you know now that the cause is the thinking-mind, in order to cure the illness, you should not use your mind so much if it is not necessary.

Since you are a Subud member, the only way to calm your thoughts is to surrender everything to God by doing the latihan diligently and having the feeling of patience, sincerity, and full trust in God.

May God bless you so that through your surrender you may be cured by Him.

The above letter was written and sent by me on Bapak's orders... I tell you this so that you know it is not Bapak's letter. With best wishes. ( V/4/127 )

Drinking, smoking and health

You should avoid alcoholic drink because it truly has detrimental effects on the body. Smoking is a trivial matter. If you are used to it, you may do so, provided you do not smoke too much. If you are not used to smoking, it is better not to start it. ( Sudarto ) ( V/4/127 )

Subud and receding hair

Concerning your son: you should certainly keep trying to ask advice from doctors or experts who can deal with receding hair.

In Subud there is nobody who can be asked solely to cure receding hair. This is because the truth is that we in Subud are required to worship God according to His Will.

There is, however, a possibility that by means of the latihan kedjiwaan of Subud the hair can be stopped receding and returned to normal growth; but this cannot be guaranteed, or even expected as such, for it all depends on the Power of God and His Grace to the sufferer.

So, if he sincerely wishes it, your son can be opened and follow the latihan just as you yourself do. ( III/1-2/41 )

What is the procedure for doing latihan with the sick?

If the sick person is a member and he or she cannot come to the place for latihan because of being rather seriously ill, one or two helpers could go and do the latihan at the person's home. The sick one should remain lying in bed and the helpers should do the latihan near him or her for half an hour. But if the sick person could still come to the place of general latihan, he or she should participate in the latihan for all, as usual, and the helpers should also give their help as usual.

It is not necessary to do the latihan for sick people who are non-members, because it may bring about misunder­standings. ( II/3.4/69 )

Illness in a member's family

The only way for us Subud members to be able to lessen or cure an illness experienced by a member of the family, such as the illness from which your child
( name ) suffers, is to do the latihan kedjiwaan beside him while he ( the person suffering from the illness ) is sleeping. This can be done three times a week by the helpers or by the parents themselves who possess the force which can contact and awaken his inner-feeling. So Bapak advises you to try the way explained above.
( VII/6/27 )

May one latihan with a sick person of the opposite sex

The reply is that this is not allowed. If the patient is a woman, a woman helper should assist her, and if it is a man who is ill, then it must also be a man who assists him. ( For Bapak )( V/2/47 ) ( Note: See section 3 of next letter. )

May latihan be done for a dying person not in Subud?

The intention and wish of the women helpers group are appreciated, because the nature of the intention is to help others towards the right path.

It should not be forgotten, however, that, among people not receiving the latihan kedjiwaan of Subud, many still consider our latihan kebaktian ( worship ) towards Almighty God is not yet perfect. Religious fanatics even accuse Subud of being in conflict with their religions.

Because of this we ought to be very careful; we must not be in too great a hurry to give help to someone who does not yet believe in Subud, although Subud has already proved its truths to us.

For that reason, Bapak replies to your question as follows:

1. You should not do a latihan for a dying person if you have not yet received a request to do so from the person concerned or her relatives, because otherwise it will be a kind of compulsion; it means forcing someone who does not care for it, and may result in people saying you are doing something unseemly.

2. You are allowed to do a latihan for a dying relative of a Subud member, provided you are requested to do so by her family, even though the person concerned does not ask you to do so.

3. If it happens that the dying person is your own husband, your own brother or your own father, you are allowed to do a latihan for him; the men helpers are also allowed to do a latihan for their own wife, their own sister or their own mother who is dying.

4. You may only open and further assist the latihan of a sick person when you are asked to do so by the sick person herself or her relative. ( 1/4/92 )

Should a Subud member accept a heart transplant?

Bapak is not in agreement with heart transplant operations.

Bapak's reply to your question: 'If a sick Subud member is offered a new heart, should he accept it or not?' is 'No'.

Bapak also says 'No' in reply to your question: 'Should a Subud member donate his heart, in the event of his being killed in an accident, to someone who needs a new heart?' ( VII/5/31 )

The dead cannot help the living

As for your dream about the coming of your deceased husband it actually has no real meaning or purpose. In reality one who has died cannot help a person who is still alive. On the contrary, those who are still alive should help the person who has passed away. ( VII/6/26 )

Helping the dead

In the case of your father, who is dead, you were able to help his djiwa because of the development of your own djiwa, and because you are his son.

So obviously there is a connection between father and son - if the son is good, the father will also be good. Conversely, if the son is not good, he brings his father to a level that is not good.

So you need to do the latihan kedjiwaan diligently with full patience, trust and sincerity, because the cleanness and purity of your inner-feeling will make the djiwa of your dead father good. ( VII/6/26 )

'Can I help a friend who has committed suicide?'

THERE is nothing you can do for your friend who has committed suicide except to surrender his case to the Power of Almighty God. The way to do this is to remember him before you do the latihan kedjiwaan of Subud. ( V/1/32 ) 

What is death?

Death is the end of the power of the nafsu that usually move the entire coarse body of man. ( 1V/5/147 )

Should a body be buried, cremated or cast into the sea?

Regarding your question about whether the body of a deceased person should be buried, or cremated, or cast into the sea, people follow the custom of their respective religions and they no longer question the consequences of these customs. They are satisfied with their own practices, for these accord with their beliefs.

So, if the late member whom you mention was a Buddhist or a Hindu, her body should be cremated according to the Buddhist or Hindu custom. If this is not done, it may easily cause many people to keep talking about it.

In fact, the ways of disposing of a corpse are adjusted to the origin of the body. As you know, the human body is made of earth, water, air and fire ( light ). Thus there are people who choose to bury the corpse in the earth, wishing to give the body back to the earth. There are those who dispose of the corpse in water, with the idea of returning the body to the water; there are people who choose to dispose of the corpse in the open air, on a tree, with the idea of returning the body to the wind; and there are others who choose to dispose of the corpse by way of cremation, with the idea of returning the body to fire.

Bapak leaves it to the persons concerned to dispose of a corpse according to their own wishes. ( VII/6/29 )

WORK, ENTERPRISE

One's true work must await development of the djiwa

The best thing is for you not to be in a hurry to know the type of work which corresponds with your inner nature.

Bapak is aware that your wishing to know it is indeed good, but how can you possibly act and work in a field that suits your djiwa, if your djiwa has not yet developed?

As you know, the development of the djiwa begins and continues satisfactorily when purification - a first step towards it - has been completed in the whole of the inner-feelings.

This stage of development is essential along the way, for after your inner-feelings have been purified from the influences of the lower forces, they will soon be permeated by the strength and power of your djiwa, and that power will consequently activate both your feelings and your will in their entirety. Only this will make it possible for you to work and act in accord with your djiwa.

It is advisable for you to do work that fits your ordinary experience, or, in case you do not happen to have a job, to try to find one that strongly appeals to your heart and desires and that your knowledge and experience enable you to do. ( III/5-6/17 )

Work that is right may still feel strange

The indication you have recently received is indeed true. So, when possible, you should enroll in a college where you can be trained to teach primary school children.

However, it is necessary to remember that in starting this new work, even though your inner-self and your djiwa feel satisfied, your heart and mind will certainly still feel it is something strange. So it is very necessary for you to have a feeling of patience.  ( VII/1/25 )

Do not feel you need not look for a livelihood

There are even some who ask: 'Why has my fate, which is such and such, not yet changed though I have been in Subud for about eight years?'

Members still put questions of this kind to Bapak, whereas what happens to them is due entirely to the faults in themselves, as Bapak has explained above. So, before a better time can come, it is best to use the heart and mind in trying to find and do whatever is needed, provided you do it with a sincere will and in a good way. It would be better still if you accompany this with prihatin at the same time, i.e. restrict food and sleep and resist the pressure of nafsu which want attractive things.

Thus, brothers and sisters, do not feel you no longer need to look for a livelihood because you have joined Subud and receive the latihan kedjiwaan. This would really be wrong, because your body can be well cared for if you can make or sell useful things, and your flesh and blood can be kept in good condition if you can grow plants for food. ( VII/6/23 )

Work in material field will not hold the djiwa back

It is indeed a great pleasure to hear about your activities in building up the financial strength of the Subud Spiritual Brotherhood in Cali -Valle, Columbia, as has been explained in your letter mentioned above. Your action is indeed praiseworthy, and can be taken as an example, because, although in Subud we are dealing with spiritual matters, we ought, as human beings who live in this world, to look after the well-being and prosperity of our life here on earth. In this way we actually make use of the gift of Almighty God which we have received - that is, our body and all its senses - towards the well-being and happiness of our society.

This is indeed really in line with what we have received in the latihan kedjiwaan of Subud. The latihan is started from within and goes towards our outer part, and from outside it goes back towards our inner. Thus, it can be said that we are trained inwardly as well as outwardly. Furthermore, with this latihan we have come to be acquainted with the contact with the Life Force of God. This contact penetrates our ordinary state and goes up to the djiwa, which process happens beyond the understanding of our heart and mind.

As has been said by Bapak, the Subud members who do truly live in the way of the kedjiwaan should not have any doubt about undertaking enterprises to build up their strength so as to enable them to support their life requirements, because looking after their life requirements here on earth is also an absolute obligation for them. Indeed, we should not at all neglect this, for as long as we live here on earth we need food, clothes, and many other things which are necessary. These are the means for our life to have security and happiness and are in line with our complete being, which being can really act towards this end. Furthermore, if we do not act in this way while we are still living as ordinary men, we in fact ignore and neglect the promise of our inner-selves made at the time when being created to live in this world.

As a matter of fact, the meaning of these words are no longer strange to you, because the nature of the latihan which you receive and practice already indicates that you are being trained within your ordinary life level up to your extraordinary level or state.

For instance, when you are doing your latihan, you are trained to walk, to swing your hands, to touch, and to move your body in accordance with the rhythm to which you are already accustomed. You are trained to see, to hear, to speak or to utter words, to laugh and to cry, to smell, and also you are sometimes in a state of thinking or paying attention to certain things. All of this is actually a repetition for you, for you have been accustomed to these kinds of movements and actions since you were a child until now, at which time you are a young adult or an older person. You have to experience this so that you will gradually know the difference between actions and movements motivated by the heart and mind and those moved by the djiwa which has been awakened by the Power of Almighty God. This is also necessary in order to make you acquainted with the Power of God which envelops your outer as well as your inner selves.

If one says God is Almighty and rules this world and the hereafter, then of course His Power envelops this world as well as the hereafter. Thus, those who have received this Grace will be able to recognize this Power in their ordinary state as well as beyond this state. Bapak hopes you will soon be aware, if you are still doubtful, that to undertake something in the material field with the belief that this action will cause the development of your djiwa to be delayed is incorrect. This idea should be put as far away as possible, because this doubt in your heart and mind will even make you deviate from the direct worship of Almighty God. ( V/3/67 )

Is it good to form groups of specialists?

Herewith the information that your attempt ( and that of other Subud members who are specialists in architecture, medical science, physics, etc. ) to form groups whose aims are to expand and advance their knowledge and skill has Bapak's approval.

According to Bapak, if all of them are able to receive, every act they do is already due to some indication, so they only have to follow these directions.

Bapak has taken the following example: whenever an architect - if he really has already been able to receive, to be conscious of his inner life - wants to create something for his principal he will at that time feel and possibly be able to see the contours of the building, which will accord with his principal's taste.

The same will happen to a doctor or specialist in medical science. When he is making up his patient's prescription, the ingredients needed will be felt and tasted and possibly also seen at the same time.

Such is the picture of those able to know the full awakening of their inner life. But if people are not at such a stage - those others having done their latihans longer and having been more or less able to receive the life of their inner-self - they may practice from now on in this way, bit by bit. It is to be hoped that from these bits they will ultimately attain perfection.

As perfection in these actions cannot in reality be sepa­rated from the worship of Almighty God by way of the latihan kedjiwaan, their wish to cooperate with non-Subud scientists is not advisable. ( II/5.6/126 )

Business enterprises for Subud

Concerning what you say about Subud in your area being permitted to set up a business venture or establish a kind of enterprise - in short, that Subud may carry out work which produces a profit, provided the profit is used for Subud and its needs - for instance, to fulfill the needs of Subud brothers and, outside the Subud Spiritual Brotherhood, in the field of social work - this matter has already been included in the Subud plan, so you need not feel worried if you begin to do so.

Concerning the problem of attracting the interest of the public and Subud brothers from various countries, it is best if this matter is not given priority. What is most important is first to carry out your idea as well as possible, because the evidence of the result of your idea will form an ideal and strong basis so that people outside Subud as well as those in Subud will automatically become interested.

This is all, and Bapak hopes that his short message will not disappoint you. Further, Bapak prays that your good idea may be blessed by Almighty God so that you will be able to carry it out well. ( VII/3/31 )

UNDESIRABLE HABITS

Drugs and strong drink

For the sake of the well-being of the body and djiwa of the members of the Brotherhood and for the sake of the purity of their worship of Almighty God, in accordance with His guidance as manifested in the latihan kedjiwaan of Subud, Bapak hopes that those members who are accustomed to use drugs, such as narcotics, marijuana and the like, will quickly cease to do so.

Bapak has already often said that the latihan kedjiwaan of Subud exists and comes to us by the Grace of Almighty God. This means we can do the latihan only by the Will of God.

It is true that you yourselves have already realized that, except by His Grace, we cannot free ourselves from imagina­tion and quieten our thoughts.

You have certainly realized that many people believe they have surrendered both inwardly and outwardly to the Power of Almighty God, and hope by reason of this surrender to be able to receive something from Him. But if God does not yet wish to give it, what they so greatly hope and wish for remains no more than hope. An example of the truth of this is that quite a number of people, hoping for something from Almighty God, undertake in all sincerity of heart to fast and deprive themselves of sleep and isolate themselves far from centers of population, but the result is in no way different: that is, their hope remains only a hope. This is why for us, a group of people able to receive the Mercy of Almighty God so that we can experience freedom from imagination and the quietening of our thoughts, this is indeed a Grace beyond all measure.

When we remember the realities we have received in the latihan kedjiwaan of Subud, it becomes clear that any means you may think to employ to perfect your worship of Almighty God cannot possibly be of the least use or benefit. By the use of just such means you may easily fall into a world of darkness, and you will be lucky if you do no more than get sick, becoming dizzy and physically weak.

Apart from the above, Bapak also hopes you will not make a habit of drinking strong drinks, because although you may think this will enable you to keep out the cold or give you a good appetite or stop you from thinking, it can in fact easily lessen your faith in the Power of Almighty God. For this reason you should put away all such habits, or if you cannot do this all at once, try to reduce them gradually until in the end you are able to do without such things.

Bapak advises and reminds you about this for the sake of your own life in the worship of Almighty God.

That is all, and Bapak hopes God will give you Grace to enable you to do this successfully. ( V/2/43 )

Drugs are destructive of the inner

Further, regarding Subud members who take drugs, although they may think that this might increase the calming of their inner-feeling, yet, in fact, this even destroys them inwardly and darkens their spiritual condition. Thus, so far as possible, the helpers should forbid members to take drugs because, if anything happens, the helpers will be blamed. ( VII/4/27 )

Those who persist in their wish to take drugs

With regard to the disbarment of the four members you mention, you are hereby informed that, if they have really been warned repeatedly not to make use of drugs in doing the latihan kedjiwaan of Subud, and if it is clear that they do not heed these warnings, Bapak is in agreement if they are disbarred from membership of the association of the Spiritual Brotherhood of Subud.

Further, in order that their bad behavior may not involve the name of the Spiritual Brotherhood of Subud, it is necessary to put on record that, after their dismissal therefrom, their actions are no longer the responsibility of the com­mittee and helpers of the Association of the Spiritual Brotherhood of Subud. ( VX/1/38 )

To overcome the use of marijuana

The way to overcome the use of marijuana is to decrease the amount little by little. Provided you are sincere in doing this and faithful in following the latihan kedjiwaan, with full trust in the Power of Almighty God, Bapak feels you will be able to overcome it successfully. ( VI/4/47 )

Combating the 'compulsion to get drunk'

With regard to your saying, 'About once a week I have a strong compulsion to go out and get drunk', inasmuch as you already understand that such behavior is wrong and causes suffering for your wife, you should be able to avoid this desire of yours. It is necessary for you to force yourself not to behave like that any more, and you must strengthen yourself by doing the latihan kedjiwaan diligently. ( V/5/157 )

Homosexuality

Your habit of being a homosexual is actually a habit and conduct which violates the Will of God. For this reason, if someone behaves in this way he is classed as a sinner. This is how it is. So you should really and truly feel about this matter, and since you have been able to receive and practice the latihan kedjiwaan you should prevent the urge of the passions which want to do this, and turn your inner-feeling to the Power of Almighty God with trust and sincerity, so that your inner-self will be protected from the influence of these bad forces. That is all, and Bapak prays that you will be able to carry out what Bapak has said above. ( V/5/157 )

MISCELLANEOUS

Duties of the committee

As for the members of the organizational committee, their duties and responsibilities are to take care of, and arrange matters connected with external requirements, for instance:

1. To keep a register of members and to provide a place for the latihan.

2. To keep account of the money coming in and going out.

3. To maintain correspondence with Subud branches in other countries.

4. To decide the rate of contributions from each member or to collect voluntary donations from them.

5. To finance the helpers' journeys when they have to visit members who have not come to the latihan for some time and when they have to visit sick relations of the members.

6. To prepare the congresses which take place in their locality and to send the necessary delegates to take part in the International Congress of Subud at the place agreed upon by the whole of the Spiritual Brotherhood of Subud for this congress to be held.

7. To join in the helpers' latihan, which is held separately. This is necessary in order that the committee members and the helpers should always be close to each other and be able to work together in harmony.

8. When possible, to form a business organization and to choose experts from among the members to manage it and to carry out work in this field. This is necessary in order that the needs of the Spiritual Brotherhood of Subud can always be guaranteed, and so that it should also be able to extend its activities into the social field.
( IV/1/19 )

Requesting a new name

An applicant should make his request for a name after being opened. ( VII/5/21 )

Using one's new name

In answer to your question whether it is important for a person to be called by his new name, Bapak says that, if a person's name has been changed, it is best: and certainly that person should be called by his new name ( that is, the name which has replaced his old name ), and write it and call himself by it.

With regard to your question as to whether it is necessary for the women in Subud whose husbands are not in Subud to inform their husbands of their new name, Bapak says it is necessary that a woman inform her husband even though he is not yet in Subud. ( Sudarto ) ( V/4/128 )

Legalizing a new name

Regarding first names, if it is customary to announce them officially according to the laws of your country, why not do so? But Bapak prefers to leave to you what you wish done in this matter. ( III/5-6/14 )

What style for a Subud House?

REGARDING the style of the New York Subud House you are going to build, Bapak does not consider it necessary to adjust its style and shape to the kedjiwaan nor to the will of Bapak, You can build the new New York Subud House with all its accessories according to your own needs. Bapak therefore leaves it to your insight, provided it will meet the requirements you want.

Actually Bapak does not like houses styled symbolically because they will readily make the brothers and sisters think only about the symbols, whereas in facing Almighty God we must banish all these symbols, as far as is possible, and should only face the Power of God, which we need to obey. ( II/1-2/23 )

From where do laziness, fear and pride come?

Laziness, fear and pride are caused by an inner-feeling which is controlled by the nafsu that are used as tools by the lower forces. ( IV/5/147 )

How does one recognize one's true self?

One can recognize one's true self when the influence of the nafsu that reside in the heart and mind have ceased to act. This can only be effected by Almighty God when one surrenders oneself sincerely. ( IV/5/147 )

What are the signs of a true dream?

A true dream is one that comes just before dawn. ( IV/5/147 )

Sudarto on the love of animals

It is better that you surrender the matter of ( your cat's ) death to the Power of Almighty God, so that your worship of God will not be obstructed.

As for your question, my explanation is as follows:

It is the Will of Almighty God that animals in general are sensitive, especially animals that are always near man, like cats, dogs, horses, cows, sheep, chickens, etc. It is also God's Will that the life of these animals is regulated by nature. This is not the case with us human beings. Our behavior is regulated by our passions and by our djiwa  ( if we do the latihan ).

Since God has not blessed your marriage with a child, you looked after a cat to fill the gap in your life. You loved this cat very much, as you would love a child. This means that you transmitted the vibrations of the feeling of love to your cat, and since your cat was sensitive, the vibrations which you radiated touched the feelings of the cat. So the cat's feelings became alive by themselves and manifested a feeling of love towards you.

Since you radiated your feeling of love towards your cat night and day, your heart eventually entered into this cat and the cat was like a part of your heart. Not surprisingly, when the cat died you felt as if you had lost something. As the cat was an animal, your feeling of loss was not like being bereaved of a child or a parent.

Thus, in order to prevent your worship of God from being closed up, it is to be hoped that your feeling of love will be directed towards God, and it is God Who will help the cat, because the life and death of God's creatures are in God's hands. ( Sudarto )
( V/4/124 )

No ban on eating meat

Some people consider the eating of meat corrupts one's inner-feeling, making it difficult for a person to get acquainted with his djiwa and thus receive contact with the Power of God. In truth, this is no more than an opinion. As proof, we generally do eat meat, but we have been able to receive contact with the Power of God and to experience the awakening of the djiwa. Whereas many people who deliberately avoid the eating of meat are still far from knowing the djiwa and receiving the contact. So for us there is no prohibition from eating meat, provided we do not eat too much of it and that the meat is truly useful for our health. ( II/11-12/367 )

When absent members return

It seems quite usual for Subud members to reappear unexpectedly; after having left Subud for some time, and come to the latihan kedjiwaan again.

As for the ordinary members who leave the group, they may simply be received back as members if they reappear. Only it is necessary to tell them they should not make a habit of doing this. ( V/3/75 )

Bapak is always linked with all members

As for your statement that ( you feel ) there is always a connection with Bapak, that is certainly correct, because Bapak is always in touch with all members in Subud. So this should not trouble you. ( VII/1/13/ )