Brothers and sisters - the committee members are going to present many questions this evening, but it seems that the questions are not yet sorted out and Bapak will therefore give explanations concerning the duties and responsibilities of the committee members and others. It may be that Bapak's words will contain some needed clarification about various matters.

Brothers and sisters, as you know, the helpers are assistants and servants in the spiritual sphere. Therefore a helper should look after the unity of the Subud members in his group. Further, in an area where there are no Subud members, the helpers have to open those who wish to join Subud. Thus a helper is a kind of pioneer for the growth of Subud membership and therefore wherever a helper may be he is, as it were, Bapak's representative.

Bapak says that the helper is like a representative of Bapak's because Bapak gives to the helper the responsibility of opening a person who is interested in joining Subud. It is not possible for Bapak himself to open him because Bapak is not always at the place of the opening. So clearly, whether the Subud membership remains united or whether it disintegrates, rests with the helpers. This is also the reason why the scope of the helper's duties is international in character. This means that, wherever he is, he remains a helper with the right to open people who wish to join Subud and to give explanations and advice concerning arrangements in the Spiritual Brotherhood to people who have been opened recently, as well as to those who have been Subud members for a long time.

So clearly, as the helper has been appointed because he is a Subud member who has had experience in the spiritual field and also because his explanations and advice are trusted by the members, he should serve and look after the condition of the Subud members in accordance with the way that has been decided upon and established by the Association of the Spiritual Brotherhood of Subud, and this means that he may not use a theory or practice that deviates from the basis and aim of Subud.

It also seems necessary for Bapak to explain again about Subud and its latihan kejiwaan.

As you know, the latihan kejiwaan of Subud comes through the Grace of Almighty God when you truly have faith in His existence and worship only Him with a feeling of surrender, trust and sincere submission to His Will. This is proved by the fact that, at the moment when your inner-feeling receives the contact from the Power of Almighty God, the influence of the nafsu, which reside in your heart and mind, ceases to work, just as the early morning dew disappears when it is touched by the rays of the rising sun.

Brothers and sisters, of course you yourselves know that it is very difficult to eliminate the influence of the nafsu, which occupy the heart and mind and spread throughout the inner-self, because the influence of the nafsu stops only when the heart and mind are quiet and passive, but such a state of the heart and mind means death. So, obviously, the latihan kejiwaan of Subud is really guidance and direction from Almighty God.

If the latihan kejiwaan of Subud is in its nature guidance and direction from Almighty God, then clearly the basis and aim of the latihan is the worship of Almighty God. It is only God Whom we worship, with the aim of becoming human beings of noble and perfect character always serving Almighty God.

It is necessary for the helpers to be aware of this in order to give correct explanations to people who are interested in joining Subud, as well as to Subud members themselves who do not yet understand the basis and aim of the latihan kejiwaan of Subud. The helpers must know that this is truly one of their most important duties and obligations, and it is necessary so that those who are interested in joining Subud can understand what the latihan kejiwaan, called Subud, is.

Bapak says this because there are still many people interested in Subud who think that Subud and its latihan kejiwaan is a healing practice and a practice to make a fortune or at least to bring quick improvement to the ill fortune in one's life. So naturally, when such persons have become Subud members and, after a time, feel that their life circumstances have not yet improved, they then leave the group or they go away and do not want to return.

Because this happens, Bapak feels it is very necessary that the helpers really understand about it. Moreover, there are also many Subud members who, because they do not receive or have not yet received what they had hoped for, after receiving and following the way of the latihan kejiwaan for some time, then use something else, thinking that it may help them to receive something from Almighty God. This also happens because of lack of explanations on the part of the helpers.

Actually, the helpers should clarify the matter mentioned above - namely, the reason why such members are not able for some time to receive what they had hoped for - is not because the way of the latihan kejiwaan is slow, or because God does not have compassion on them, but because of the dirt and many faults of their inner-feeling and also their lack of patience, and further because their character and habits are not yet good.

As you know, the movements of the inner-feeling, which manifests in physical expression and movements called the latihan kejiwaan, are in fact movements that throw out all the dirt and faults interwoven in the inner-feeling. For that reason, the latihan you receive is still in the nature of a purification.

Actually, the self or the inner-feeling of a man is like a vessel. How can this vessel contain a good inner-force if it is still almost full inside with dirt and faults? That is why the purification must be done first, and then the true jiwa ( inner force ) can begin to grow.

In considering the process of purification that takes place in the inner-feeling, your heart and mind, imaginations and thoughts should not continually hinder it; rather, in order that this process can proceed smoothly, you should constantly surrender with trust and sincere submission to the will of Almighty God. Moreover, if you continue to want to use something that you consider might give you a "boost", this will hinder you even more and, if you are not fortunate, it will cause your latihan to come to a standstill and then you will be in darkness.

Such should be the clarifications the helpers give to those who are interested in joining Subud as well as to the members themselves concerning everything related to the latihan kejiwaan of Subud.

Apart from this, it is also necessary for the helpers to explain that Subud is not a religion. If it were a religion, Subud could not possibly accept as members people who have a religion - whether it be Islam, Catholicism, Protestantism, Buddhism or any other religion - and those who have a religion would not want to join Subud.

So far as we know, religions have rules and advice and it is the obligation of their members to follow and obey what they have been told. It seems that there are more than enough rules as well as advice already. Therefore, when you have joined Subud and you receive and follow the latihan kejiwaan, you then receive and feel the truth of what you have been taught in your respective religions. Thus, clearly, Subud is an association of people who, in their worship of Almighty God, are able to receive evidence, by the Gift and Grace of Almighty God, of what they have practiced in their various religions. So there is no teaching at all in Subud, but you receive proofs of everything you are taught in your various religions.

Brothers and sisters, if you consider it carefully you will then realize that what you have experienced in Subud is really beyond human understanding. But it seems that for you who have received and followed the way of the latihan kejiwaan together, it no longer feels as though it were something extraordinary; yet it is so, because in truth you receive and follow guidance that is not affected by the influence of the nafsu, heart and mind.

From this it becomes clear that the lack of harmony among people who worship Almighty God is only because their inner-feeling is still influenced by nafsu, heart and mind.

Thus, brothers and sisters, it is necessary that the nafsu, heart and mind stop working in your worship of Almighty God. If they do not stop working, you will not be able to receive guidance and direction from Almighty God.

In Indonesia itself people still cannot understand that there is no teaching in Subud. Maybe the same applies here. Indeed, brothers and sisters, one usually becomes learned through studying. But you must not forget, brothers and sisters, that there is in fact a discovery that is made only because of great faith in Almighty God and surrender to Him, as in the case of the prophets and saints of former times.

The kind of knowledge that the prophets and saints received is a revelation, or a gift from Almighty God, given to them because of their deep faith and true surrender to Almighty God with trust and sincere submission. It is clear, therefore, that the conviction which you receive in the latihan kejiwaan of Subud is really a revelation or gift from Almighty God. The proof is that when the latihan kejiwaan comes, the influence of the nafsu, heart and mind instantly stops. This also means that the existence and coming of the latihan kejiwaan are beyond the expectation, or beyond the heart and mind, of man.

If you receive a knowledge or discovery that is beyond your heart and mind, it also means that it is beyond your understanding. It is obvious that such knowledge is not received through learning, but is a gift from Almighty God Who has bestowed His Grace on you, enabling you to have trust and to surrender sincerely to His Will. It is therefore out of place if you still want to make use of something that you believe can quicken the process of your receiving. If you would like to know, such an idea on your part is motivated by the influence of the lower forces that will cause you to fall into darkness.

As Bapak has often said: Almighty God is the Creator of man, and it is He Who knows everything about us, and Who bestows His Grace on us so that we are able to receive His guidance and direction, manifested in the latihan kejiwaan of Subud, while you only continue to receive and follow its way. Therefore if you are patient and surrender with complete faith to His Will, you will certainly be able to receive well.

During the first evening, Bapak told you that in the story of the Messengers of Almighty God it is said: Almighty God existed before the universe existed. And at that time Almighty God created the seven heavens, called the universe.

In this story it is told that the universe reaches far and wide, and that according to the calculation of time on earth it took the angels as long as a hundred years to traverse this distance, although the speed of the angels' traveling, according to the story, is a thousand times faster than the speed of the light from the sun to the earth. Thus, if there were some device that could travel as fast as the light of the sun, it would take a thousand times one hundred years, that is a hundred thousand years, to pass through the whole extent of the universe. Obviously, it is not possible for human beings to cover such a great distance. But because it is God's Will that man, in his life, be able to return to Almighty God by traversing the whole of the universe, man is in fact able to do this, through the Will of Almighty God. There is proof of this in the story of Jesus who was able to do so in only three days when he was called by Almighty God to come to Him. It was also true in the case of Prophet Muhammad s.a.w., who was able to do so during the time between the evening prayer and the approach of dawn, in response to the call by Almighty God. So man is clearly very much favored by Almighty God because, according to the story, the Will of God has been placed within the inner-self of man.

To return to the existence of the latihan kejiwaan of Subud. As the latihan kejiwaan of Subud exists by the Grace of Almighty God, it is clear that the latihan kejiwaan of Subud is truly a way for you to follow the call of Almighty God when it is His Will. Therefore it is very important for you to receive and follow what we call the latihan kejiwaan of Subud with full faith in the Greatness of Almighty God: s.a.w.. May the Lord bless him and give him peace and to surrender to His Will with patience, trust and sincere submission.

You should not have any doubts in receiving and following the way of the latihan kejiwaan of Subud, because doubts in your heart confuse you and then you feel as though you are isolated from the Power of Almighty God; whereas in truth it is your own heart that shuts you off.

Thus, brothers and sisters, it is necessary for Bapak to explain this thoroughly so that you, and the helpers in particular, will be able to give explanations as clearly as possible to those who are interested in joining Subud as well as to Subud members who do not yet truly understand the meaning of the latihan kejiwaan of Subud. That is why it is very necessary for the helpers to understand what Subud is and also the basis and aims of the latihan kejiwaan; that is, so that you can give clear explanations to those wishing to join Subud, in order that - after becoming Subud members - they may no longer be anxious to follow the will of their hearts and minds.

As Bapak always explains, every man indeed hopes for a pleasant and happy life, but can you achieve this by only hoping for it? Of course not. So you ought to work according to your inner vocation, and you should be able to find this vocation. However, you can only find this if you are patient, have trust, and surrender sincerely to the Will of Almighty God. So, clearly, you can find what is called your inner vocation if you surrender to Almighty God and patiently follow His guidance and direction.

Whether this process is slow or fast depends on whether the faults which are interwoven in your inner-feeling are big or small. These come into being because your hearts have fallen under the domination of the nafsu which are used as tools by the lower forces: Thus the claim that your action is right is not yet a claim by your human inner-force, but a claim made by the lower forces which have dominated your self. Therefore there are times when you do something wrong and yet you feel happy and good about it. For this reason there are still many Subud members who have followed the latihan kejiwaan for a long time and have not yet been able to know their true inner vocation.

Such is the life of man. It is full of secrets still unknown to him. Therefore it is not right to think and to say that the latihan kejiwaan of Subud is wrong or that it is a latihan which is not yet perfect, when in fact the latihan kejiwaan of Subud, by the Grace of Almighty God, is a way that enables you to find your true inner vocation in life.

Returning to the subject of other duties and obligations of helpers. The helpers need to observe and to take care of the members. If there are members not yet able to receive and feel the latihan kejiwaan of Subud, which is one of the reasons why so many members become bored and no longer come to do the latihan, the helpers should immediately arrange to do special latihans with them and attend to them until they are able to receive and feel the latihan kejiwaan.

Bapak met a case of the kind mentioned above when he was in England. There was a member there who had faithfully attended the latihan for eight years, but he had not been able to receive and feel the latihan kejiwaan. So, after some questions and answers, Bapak told him to stand up, and soon he fell down and rolled on the floor and wept. After a little while he stood up and quietly said: "Why am I like this?" Bapak replied: "This is what is called the latihan kejiwaan of Subud. You have just begun for the first time to be able to receive and feel the latihan kejiwaan."

Thus, brothers and sisters, it is clear that there are still many helpers who do not yet sincerely carry out their helpers' duties and obligations - namely, to serve the members in their latihan and to look after their unity. For this reason it is not surprising if it happens that here and there many Subud members become bored with coming to the latihan. It is necessary for the helpers to pay attention to this if you wish for unity and an increase in membership.

As you know, besides serving the latihan of the members and looking after their unity, the helpers also open people who wish to join Subud. Thus, if the helpers have gone to the point of opening a person, they should not then leave that person who has been opened to his own lot, but they should care for him. In this way, the members' love and trust towards the helpers is established, as between younger brothers and sisters and older ones.

It is further necessary for Bapak to explain that when there is a member who has not come to the latihan for some time, the helpers should visit him ( or her ) at home, or if he lives rather far away, they can write and inquire about the reasons why he no longer comes to the latihan. If he answers such a question by saying that he no longer wants to be a Subud member, it is better to let him go and to take his name off the membership list, and he must be informed of this in writing. This is necessary so that whatever he does will not involve the helpers, the committee and the name of Subud. However, with regard to the spiritual aspect, once a person receives the opening he will always be able to do the latihan whenever he wishes to do so. Therefore you should leave this matter to Almighty God and leave to Him whatever may happen to the person concerned.

Now, regarding the helpers themselves. As a helper you should fulfill your own promise, that is, to act honestly so that you are a good example to the members. The helper should come to the latihan place that has been decided upon, and especially when there are members to be opened. If he cannot come, owing to some unavoidable circumstance, then he should notify the helpers' group. But if he is absent too frequently, through having a lot of work or inability to leave the house in the evenings because of illness, it is better to inform the helpers about this, and then he should accept it with honesty and sincere submission if he is made non-active as a helper and asked to return his helper's card temporarily for safe-keeping in the archives of his center.

This is necessary so that a shortage in the manpower needed by the helpers' group can be filled immediately by a member who is already experienced and whom the helpers' group propose to Bapak for appointment.

Concerning proposals for the appointment of members as helpers, the helpers' group should take into consideration the number of members in their center. For instance, for every ten members there should be one helper, or at most two helpers. Do not let it happen that in a center with ten members, three or four people are appointed as helpers. It has happened that in one center of twenty members there are ten helpers, so that in practice it is not the helpers who look after the latihan of the members, but it is the members who look after the latihan of the helpers. Also, if there are too many helpers, usually there is disagreement among them.

Further, brothers and sisters, you need to remember that there is no chairman in the helpers' group. All are equal. Regarding the division of work, it is necessary to arrange this at a special helpers' meeting, and it should be done in a fair way - meaning, one helper should not make it too heavy for another and, conversely, the others should not make it too light for the first.

For instance, when a new member is being opened: this can be done by one helper as opener, while the other helpers stand by. This is sufficient. It should be done like this so that they can take turns if there are many members to be opened.

As regards answering questions put forward by members, the helpers have to do this by way of the latihan, by taking turns. For instance; after helper "A", you change over to helper "B", and so on. In that way the helpers do not feel it heavy because they are not influenced by nafsu, heart and mind. However, if a problem is considered really difficult for the helpers' group to solve, it may be sent to Bapak.

Bapak would like the helpers themselves to answer questions from the members because there are many questions they can answer, for instance questions like the following:

"Bapak, I am deeply in love with 'A', but 'A' does not seem to respond. How is it really with 'A'?

Another question is:

"Bapak, I have fallen in love with 'B', but he already has a wife and children. How should I behave towards him?"

Yet another question is:

"Bapak, I now have a job which I find very pleasant, but I have suddenly been offered another job which is better than my present one. What is Bapak's opinion? Should I give up my present job and change over to the job I have been offered or should I remain in my present job and refuse the offer?"

In fact, there are many letters with questions of various kinds but Bapak does not feel it necessary to speak about them all. What Bapak has told you is sufficient.

As Bapak has mentioned above, the helpers can answer such questions themselves, for, if Bapak is always asked about matters of this kind, Bapak is forced to work at that alone and it is very important for Bapak to have the opportunity to give explanations in a wider sense about the way of the latihan kejiwaan of Subud to all members throughout the various countries.

Apart from what Bapak has explained above, it is also the duty of the helpers to act as advisers in the center, because advice needed by the committee should be obtained by way of testing which is truly free from the influence of nafsu, heart and mind.

Now Bapak will change the subject and speak about the committee. It seems that the duties and obligations of committee members, such as those of the chairman, secretary, treasurer and their assistants, are already understood, because all this is work that is customarily done in any association. It is only necessary for Bapak to explain here that, although the chairman of the committee or the organization presides over all the members of the center, this concerns only the arrangements for organization of the membership and the requirements of the association, whereas in the field of the latihan kejiwaan the members are assisted and served by the helpers. Therefore spiritual matters are the responsibility of the helpers. Thus, in the case of a Subud member who is to be appointed as a helper, this must be proposed to Bapak by the helpers, in order to obtain Bapak's approval.

So, in the Association of the Spiritual Brotherhood of Subud there are two parts: one part is concerned with the organization or the committee that organizes and works for worldly matters, and the other part is concerned with the latihan kejiwaan which is assisted and served by the helpers.

Regarding the appointment of committee members: they are chosen and appointed by the general assembly and remain in office as committee members for one year, and then other members are chosen by the general assembly to take their places as new committee members. However, a committee member may be chosen again to serve another term after he has completed his term of office. Bapak leaves this matter entirely to the general assemblies of the Subud membership.

The appointment of a member as a helper, however, must be based on the proposal of the helpers' group, which is then approved and authorized by Bapak. Helpers remain in office for years and years, and they stop at their own wish because of old age when they can no longer fulfill their duties, or for other reasons. But all this must be reported to Bapak because the decision to resign as a helper must be approved by Bapak, as is the case when a person is appointed as a helper.

Further, brothers and sisters, as the Association of the Spiritual Brotherhood of Subud is in truth an association of people who worship Almighty God, through His Grace and His guidance and direction, it is proper for the Association of the Spiritual Brotherhood of Subud to have a social or charitable character, and Subud has been acknowledged and legalized as an organization for doing social work in your various countries. At the International Subud Congress held in Briarcliff, it was planned that, besides our efforts to have buildings as latihan places with additional sleeping facilities, we should also establish homes with schools for orphan children, hospitals and schools for backward children, and other institutions.

In order to carry out such plans, not only manpower but money is needed, and in order to obtain money for these purposes we need to set up enterprises, the proceeds of which can be used to fill the treasury of the Association of the Spiritual Brotherhood of Subud. In that way we can take action in the field of enterprises, and also in the field of social work.

Through such undertakings we can even utilize the manpower of our Subud members who are expert in their own fields - for instance, experts in the field of commerce and trading can be placed in commercial enterprises; experts in the field of industry can be placed in industries; experts in the field of medicine can be placed in their profession, and teachers can be placed in the field of education, and so forth.

Such undertakings are really very necessary because they will enable Subud members to put into practice what they receive through Almighty God's guidance and direction, manifested in the latihan kejiwaan of Subud. Do not be afraid, brothers and sisters, and think that if you undertake something like this you will lessen your receiving in the latihan kejiwaan of Subud. It is just because you take such steps that you will be able to feel the difference between actions motivated by the human inner-force and actions resulting from the lower life forces, the lower inner-force. And, because you are careful in your actions, you will eventually be able to work for social welfare and humanity. For instance, brothers who are trading should trade in order to make a profit from it, but the way to make a profit is not by harming the buyer. You give medicine to sick people and although you should do this for payment, yet you feel satisfied and pleased because the patient becomes well and not because you are paid. You educate children or adults and you are satisfied, not because of payment or a good reward, but because the children or adults who are being educated become able to lead better lives. In that way your actions are truly good works in the best sense.

It is necessary to repeat again why Bapak suggests that you make efforts to set up enterprises in order to obtain money to fill the treasury of the Association of the Spiritual Brotherhood of Subud. It is because drawing contributions from the members will not be sufficient to meet the requirements of what we need. Therefore we need to stir ourselves, and to work as well as we can in accordance with the capacity of our inner-self. We should not depend only on contributions and subscriptions. We should begin now to set things in motion towards that end. Provided we do it with true sincerity, act honestly in whatever we undertake and proceed in a good way, it will be made possible for us, by the Grace of Almighty God, to be able to fulfill our hopes for our Spiritual Brotherhood of Subud.