Brothers and sisters, as you know, the latihan kejiwaan of Subud is really not a kind of exercise such as a man usually does to strengthen his muscles or to make his body more flexible so that he may become strong or skilful at dancing, self defense or fencing; rather, the latihan kejiwaan is an awakening of the inner feeling that then takes the form of movements and physical expression which arise at the very moment the influence of the nafsu residing in the heart and mind ceases. You have proof of this: before you receive movements, or, in other words, before you are aware that you have movements, you are first emptied of everything with which your heart and mind are concerned. Thus it only remains for you to receive and follow its way; and during that time your heart and mind only look on.

So it is clear that the latihan kejiwaan of Subud is in no way brought about intentionally by the nafsu in the heart and mind in order to strengthen the body or make it more supple, but is actually brought about because your inner feeling, which has been freed from the influence of the nafsu, is touched by the Great Life Force which always envelops and penetrates it, that is, the Power of Almighty God. This is the reason why Bapak always says that the latihan kejiwaan of Subud comes and is present solely by the Grace of Almighty God. And so it is clear that the coming and the presence of the latihan kejiwaan of Subud is truly guidance and direction from the Power of Almighty God.

Brothers and sisters, this must be clarified by Bapak. Supposing you ask: "If this is really guidance and direction from Almighty God, then why are there still some whose receiving is not yet smooth and easy flowing, and moreover why do some remain the same for so long without changing?'' This is really not the fault of the guidance and direction, but a fault in you yourselves, whose nature remains wrong. Your inner is comparable to soil. Some soil is full of stones, so, if this soil is worked upon to make it fertile, the stones must first of all be systematically removed.

Yes... of course you do not feel that your inner nature is faulty, because you feel you have not done anything wrong in your life. But do not forget, brothers and sisters, that you exist because of those who have made you, namely, your parents and forefathers, and, in addition to that, there are faults of your own making which you no longer remember.

Some among you say that your character, which was not good, has still not improved after following the latihan kejiwaan for so long. And some of you also say that you have not yet experienced any change from the misfortunes in your life, although you have faithfully followed the way of the latihan kejiwaan of Subud for a long time. The cause of all this is clearly in you yourselves whose nature is still faulty, as Bapak has said above.

Indeed, brothers and sisters, if your hearts are not staunch, it may easily happen that you despair. So Bapak hopes you will have a feeling of patience, and receive what you can receive, because the many faults existing in your inner feeling necessarily slow down the purification that takes place in you. However, everything is done by the Power of Almighty God, and, what is more, if you were to do this yourselves, it would not only be slow, it would be impossible. So do not soon give way to a feeling of hopelessness and of ungratefulness to Almighty God.

Thus, brothers and sisters, you are fortunate if you faithfully follow the way of the latihan kejiwaan of Subud, which in truth is guidance and direction from Almighty God. So in following the way of the latihan kejiwaan of Subud you should have patience and faith in the Power of Almighty God. For, when the process of purification taking place in your inner feeling is finished, your inner feeling will be free from the influence of the nafsu that cause dirt and faults to be present in it. This means that your inner feeling will become clean. If you compare it with soil, the soil will become fertile and grow plants that are useful for you and for human society. Thus you will have descendants of good character and good inner quality.

Speaking again about purification, maybe some among you wish to know what is being purified inwardly.

Bapak has explained above that your inner can be compared with soil that is full of stones. This is so if your inner is filled with dirt and faults, that is, faults resulting from your ancestors' actions as well as your own. Wrong actions that cause dirt in the inner feeling come about because of the influence of the nafsu, which are used as tools by the lower forces. Indeed, brothers and sisters, when someone is influenced by the nafsu, it feels to him as though all his actions come from his own will. Few people can grasp the fact that their actions are caused by the influence of the nafsu, and that everything they do is really caused by the lower life forces, which exploit them without their being aware of it.

Further, the inner feeling that initially was clean and wide, automatically becomes dirty and narrow when smothered by faults and dirt; and naturally, because of the dirt and narrowness, it cannot become a vessel or place to enthrone a life force of a high order. Therefore the life force that becomes the inner content of one whose inner feeling is full of dirt or faults will, of course, be a life force of a low order, because a narrow place or vessel is sufficient for the needs of the lower life forces.

Moreover, wrong actions that cause dirt in the inner feeling are the actions of one who always makes other people unhappy, who endangers their safety, deceives them so that they suffer illness or death, or brings confusion into the situation of a community so that disturbances and difficulties result, and so on. All this is brought about by the influence of the nafsu that are used as tools by the lower life forces manifesting in the inner feeling.

When the lower life forces residing and reigning in the inner feeling of man are innate in one who loafs about and does not lead a good, orderly existence, they do not want to leave him at all, because they regard the inner of that man as a place that has everything for them, and they feel they are in heaven; and because they are in him, the man's actions are outside the range of true human qualities, as Bapak has explained above.

This is why purification of the inner feeling is very necessary for a man who wishes to receive a change of inner content in order not to have a bad character any longer, or who wishes to receive a change of inner content so that he will be filled with a life force of a good nature, perfect in its worship of Almighty God. In fact, it is not possible for such a wish to be fulfilled if God does not bestow His Grace, because this is something that can be done only by the Power of God.

So it is not rare that a man who practices asceticism wishes in the beginning to be filled with a good life force or jiwa but may later become a cruel person, so much so that he may even use his influence over other people to ruin them or to make them fall ill and die. Clearly, therefore, if you intend to practice asceticism, you should first be able to know the nature of the life force that rules within you, for, if the life force that has become your inner content is a low level one, the asceticism you practice will obviously only strengthen that force. Hence in the practice of asceticism, people should not rely only on having courage and a strong will but, if they can, should first find out which life force has really become their inner content. It is fortunate for you that you have received the Grace of Almighty God and have begun to experience the purification carried out by the Power of Almighty God, so that you will automatically receive a change of inner content, one that is good and worthy because it is given to you by Almighty God.

There is a wajang story about the Pendawa princes. When they practiced asceticism they could be sure it was the Dewa who would come down to them from the heavens and give them whatever help they asked for. This shows that the Pendawa princes had indeed jiwa of a high level and good characters. Among them was one prince called Harja Sena or Werkudara whose teacher, the Priest Duma, deliberately led him astray, that is to say, the Priest Duma ordered him to find the holy water "Prawita Sari" in the middle of the ocean, it being Priest Duma's wish that Harja Sena or Werkudara should drown in the ocean. But thanks to his good jiwa he did not die when he went into the sea; on the contrary he even met his true teacher, the Dewa Rutji or the Holy Spirit, and through him really obtained experiences that were necessary for his life. It was a different matter with the Kurawa princes, who did not like to endure the practice of asceticism because they wanted a pleasant life with everything they could wish for. So, if for some reason they were obliged to live an ascetic life, it could well happen that they would not be approached by the Dewa but by ghosts or devils roaming in the great forest. This is a proof that the jiwa of the Kurawa princes was not of a high level but of a low level.

So, brothers and sisters, you are actually very fortunate to have received contact from the Great Life Force which penetrates and envelops you inwardly and outwardly, so that in receiving the purification that takes place in the inner feeling you only need to receive and follow its way. In following the way of purification you only need the feeling of patience, trust and sincere submission to the Will of Almighty God.

It is necessary for you to have patience, trust and sincerity towards the Will of God. You should indeed have this feeling towards Almighty God, because the feeling of patience, trust and sincere submission is a sign that you truly surrender inwardly and outwardly to the Will of Almighty God without being promised anything.

Such is the truth about trust and sincere submission, because it is directed only towards the Will of Almighty God. But do not feel thus towards a man, because a man, however good, remains a man and still has some degree of self interest. That means, his interest is still in himself or in his own group. In the wajang legends a story is told about Sang Darmakusama and his feelings. He was a king who possessed the feelings of patience, trust and sincere submission, so that, if asked for anything, he was sure to give it. There was even a man who dared to ask him for his wife, and he gave her away too. It is also told that once there was a thief who came to him in order to take him to his own country and use him there as a sacrifice. And the king sincerely surrendered himself in order to be taken there This really shows that Sang Darmakusuma was a man of noble character and sincere feeling deep inside. But, by the justice of Almighty God, Sang Darmakusuma was stopped from such actions through Sang Betara Kresna, a cousin of the king's. Sang Betara Kresna told him that patience, trust and sincere submission should be directed only towards Almighty God, and not towards a man. Because, if such sincere submission is directed towards a man and this man, however good he may be, is still motivated by self interest, even though it be as small as a grain of rice, it will result in using up everything he possesses.

Thus, brothers and sisters, although all this is just a story, it yet contains a meaning so that, when the listener or reader is free from the influence of nafsu, there arises in him a feeling for the way life goes: why it is sometimes like this and sometimes like that. So Bapak tells you this story, although in fact you have already obtained what people search or hope for. There is nothing amiss if it is considered as something to strengthen your devotion in receiving and following the way of the latihan kejiwaan of Subud.

There is another story, not a wajang story but only an ordinary one.

Bapak was once approached by a man of middle age who claimed to be a member of an association which, he said, had practices similar to those of the Spiritual Brotherhood of Subud. He claimed, moreover, that the latihan practiced in his association was also done by surrender to Almighty God. So, through his visit he wished to verify whether this was really true. Bapak then asked him to stand up and do the latihan. After about half an hour Bapak stopped and the man immediately stopped his exercise. Bapak asked him what he had felt inside and he replied that while he was doing his exercise he had felt what he called "Djanaluka" beginning from below and then rising upwards until it stopped in the sex organ. Then it rose higher and stopped in the inner heart [hati sanubari] which he called "Hendra-luka", and then it rose higher again to the head which he called "Giriluka".

Then Bapak asked him how he had felt when it reached the head. He replied: "This is what I want to ask whether I really have reached the climax, because I have no other feeling apart from what I have described."

Bapak answered: "Your exercise is not the latihan kejiwaan, because the latihan kejiwaan of Subud is present and comes at the moment when imagination and thought, heart and mind, cease to function, with the result that, at that moment, the inner feeling experiences being moved and the whole self is enveloped and penetrated and then awakened and moved beyond your wishing. In this case your heart and mind are only like someone watching a film. He can look on, but cannot change what he sees. What you have just experienced is clearly the flow of the blood that follows your thought and your will; that means, it all happens because you will it."

When Bapak had said this, he asked this man to stand up again, and Bapak advised him not to have any imagination, fantasies and thoughts, but just to be calm in his inner feeling and to surrender to the Will of Almighty God.

Then the man's body was immediately moved, he cried out and fell, turning over and over, and finally sat cross legged and his head moved to and fro like the head of someone reciting the dhikir. A little later Bapak told him to stop and asked him to be seated again.

When he was seated and had drunk the tea offered by Bapak, Bapak asked him how he felt when his body moved and when he cried and fell down, turning over and over, and then sat down like someone reciting the dhikir. The man answered that it was as if a very strong life force did this to him and brought him into this state, but that he had remained conscious and his heart felt calm. Then Bapak asked him whether this receiving was the same as what he always received or what he always did. He replied that it was quite different, because what had just happened was beyond his will, whereas his usual exercise was always done with his will and thought, and his heart and mind were still in charge. Not long after that he asked permission to leave Bapak's house.

So, brothers and sisters, at first glance the latihan kejiwaan of Subud does seem like other practices, such as spiritism, hypnotism, occultism and the like, but in fact the latihan kejiwaan is quite different. Maybe you are already able to be aware of this if you really feel while following the way of the latihan kejiwaan.

Clearly, the latihan kejiwaan of Subud is a latihan of the jiwa, and is needed so that your jiwa, supposing it is one of a low level, can be changed to become a jiwa of a high level. Such a change of jiwa means, in truth, death, and death is in fact a cessation of all your life. Therefore it is impossible for this to be done by man, but only by the Power of Almighty God. This is the reason why, although the latihan kejiwaan looks like the exercise of someone dancing or fencing or behaving like someone doing ( in the Islamic way ) the solat and the dhikir prayers, it is actually a latihan of the jiwa. So if you are dancing, the dancing is not done by your nafsu and heart, but by your jiwa. It is the same if you are fencing, praying and reciting the dhikir in the latihan, this too does not arise and is not moved from the nafsu and the heart, but from your jiwa.

You are of course already able to feel that your nafsu and heart are not at work while you are following the latihan kejiwaan of Subud, whereas ordinarily a man dies when the nafsu and the heart give out. Therefore do not consider the latihan kejiwaan of Subud, which exists by the Grace of Almighty God, as a kind of game or something that is not of much use. In fact, it is just what people who follow ascetic practices for years are seeking.

This needs a little clarification. In following the way of the latihan kejiwaan there are brothers and sisters whose movements and activities look like those of animals, and some look like giant puppets or frightening creatures, as if to show that their jiwa is that of an animal or of the satanic level.

It may be that the heart of the person who receives such movements wishes to change them, but it is perforce unable to do so because the heart and mind have no power in this situation, so that, willy nilly, they are obliged just to follow. Yes . . . indeed, whose heart likes to acknowledge that its jiwa is of a low level? Ordinarily a man does not like to humble himself or to say that he has a bad character. Moreover, not a few people who think and speak intelligently and have a high position claim to have a great and noble jiwa, whereas in fact they still have characters that are not good. This shows in fact that they still have a low jiwa. Therefore, brothers and sisters, the jiwa is very important and it is necessary to be able to recognize it and to receive a change of jiwa.

However, as Bapak has often said, only through the Power of God can you receive a change of jiwa; this cannot possibly be done by man. That is why it is necessary for man to surrender to the Power of Almighty God with patience, trust and sincere submission in accordance with His Will.

Therefore, brothers and sisters, you who have been able to receive and follow the guidance and direction of Almighty God that manifests in the latihan kejiwaan of Subud should no longer be so easily influenced by nafsu and thus be in the same situation as people who bring the faults and the dirt back into the inner feeling, which also means maintaining the position of your low jiwa.

Bapak has explained above that purification is necessary for your inner feeling to become clean and wide, and when it is clean and wide, a good life force or jiwa will of itself be able to enter. Thus, if you still like to go on bringing back the faults and the dirt, it means that you still like to go on supporting and favoring the position of the low jiwa that has power within you. Whereas in truth the low jiwa should be sacrificed if you wish your inner to be ruled by the human jiwa, which possesses a good character.

When you do the latihan and follow its way, you are aware at times that your movements and behavior are like those of an animal and your voice makes sounds like the crowing of a cock, the meowing of a cat, the bleating of a goat, and other sounds. This shows that the jiwa or the life force which has power within you is that of an animal. Of course you feel surprised at that and ask in your heart: how is it possible that man behaves like and even has the jiwa of an animal? Yes . . . indeed this is the way the heart usually considers it, unaware that the heart and mind are only instruments of the jiwa that has an animal nature. So, in order to be aware of the truth about the jiwa, it is very necessary that your jiwa be liberated from the influence of the heart and mind. The liberation of the jiwa from the influence of the heart and mind, however, can only be brought about by the Power of Almighty God, which, by His Grace, manifests within you. Hence the problem comes back again to the necessity of surrendering to the Will of Almighty God with trust and sincere submission.

Understanding about surrendering with trust and sincere submission to Almighty God shows in your not relying on your own capacity but relying more on and trusting more in Almighty God, Who indeed has power over your life.

For example, often the child of someone who is called a holy man has a character that in fact is not so good. This happens because the parent relies only on his own capacity, which he considers to be holy and which is able to act as he wills, so that he feels it is no longer necessary for him to surrender everything to Almighty God. This is the reason why a man may not rely on his own capacity which he feels to be perfect in everything.

Thus, brothers and sisters, even though you have not yet reached the level you need to reach while receiving and following the way of the latihan kejiwaan of Subud, which is in truth guidance and direction from the Power of Almighty God, you should always have the feeling of patience and surrender with trust and sincere submission to the Will of Almighty God.

Further, you need to be careful and to feel in your actions and behavior, even if it is only a little, that your movements are always accompanied by the Power of Almighty God that envelops and penetrates you both inwardly and outwardly. As proof of the truth of this, you are already able to receive and follow; that is to say, whenever you receive and follow the way of the latihan kejiwaan you walk about saying "Allah, Allah, Allah". This means that your feet and hands move because of Almighty God. In this way you will gradually be able to feel the difference between walking because of the nafsu or the will and walking because of the inner feeling that is free from the influence of the heart and mind, and you will be quite aware of the difference between the two.

There are not a few brothers and sisters abroad who also receive this. So they always ask, what does it mean? Bapak's answer is that the Power of God accompanies the movements from within. And therefore Bapak warns them not to let their actions be faulty again as in the past.

Bapak says this because, if your actions are good and you avoid actions that are not so good, then you will be able to receive deeper within you the power of the Great Life Force that always accompanies you and penetrates your inner feeling. Then, not only will your physical movements and actions feel penetrated by the power of the Great Life Force but you will also receive and feel the difference in your speaking, smelling, hearing and seeing. Our forefathers who could receive the Grace of Almighty God called this state [in Javanese] "tut wuri handajani", which means: "The power of the Great Life Force always accompanies and is with all actions of a man who is able to receive the Grace of Almighty God." So it can be said: you see, and at the same time you are able to feel that which makes you see; you hear, and at the same time you are able to feel that which makes you hear; you smell and at the same time you are able to feel that which makes you smell; you speak, and at the same time you are able to feel that which makes you speak; and you have satisfying and pleasant sexual union and at the same time you are able to feel that which makes you enjoy it.

Although what is mentioned above does not cover all the requirements of a perfect life, yet, perhaps, it can convince you that your life is no longer empty, because clearly you are accompanied in all your actions and behavior by the power of the Great Life Force that envelops and penetrates you inwardly and outwardly. This is the benefit of the latihan kejiwaan of Subud. So Bapak always advises you to truly receive and follow the way of the latihan kejiwaan faithfully and patiently, surrendering with trust and sincere submission to the Will of Almighty God.

Bapak says that you really need faith in Almighty God and that you should genuinely surrender to Him with patience, trust and sincere submission, and not only with your lips, because if your trust and surrender to Almighty God is only lip service, your receiving will, justly, be of a similar nature.

Bapak knows that you all look for the nice things only. But how is it possible for a man to plant a mango tree today and pick its fruit tomorrow, or to plant padi now and tomorrow harvest the rice? In fact, no benefit can be reaped from anything without first putting your back into it, or without practicing prihatin. It is indeed a universal law that vegetable life grows taller and larger from day to day, through months and years; but also it is not free from severe buffeting by wind and rain. Clearly, therefore, the slow coming of the good time for which you hope is indeed the way through which you have to pass. Hence it is very necessary that you have a feeling of patience and do not so easily feel bored in receiving and following the way of the latihan kejiwaan of Subud.

Here ends Bapak's talk to you all. Bapak will continue by doing some testing with you, which is necessary so that little by little you can witness the truth of what Bapak has said.