Brothers and sisters, today Bapak will give some explanations to the committee members and the helpers about your duties and responsibilities, as well as your inter-relationships, or your way of working together; because Bapak has heard still, or frequently hears, that here and there, there is still a lack of coordination or agreements between the helpers and between the members of the committee. And for this reason, Bapak needs to give you some explanations about your duties, in order that you can be clearer and your understanding can be clearer, and because Bapak wants that Subud should be uniform throughout the world. In other words, the way the organization and the helpers work is to be the same in this country as in another country, in other words, not to be different in every place.

As Bapak has explained to you, the nature of leadership or guidance in the kejiwaan is entirely in the hands of God Almighty. It is God who guides man, and God who can lead man. And God's power leads man toward goodness, toward worship of God, and toward a complete life. Now the power of God or the action of God within us is something that we cannot know, or cannot understand. It is something that is beyond our ability to comprehend, because the nature of God is beyond anything that we can think about. For if we say that God is very great, then God's greatness is greater than that which is great. And if we say that God's power is very fine, then the fineness of God's power is finer than that which is fine. We can say that the wind is something very fine, or we can say the light of the sun is very fine. But the power of God is finer than any of those things. So that although we do not know and cannot comprehend the power of God, yet there is something within us that is alive, that is a life or a vibration which we can feel. And whether we know it or not, it is this which is the power of God. Now, as Bapak said, the power of God is finer than that which is fine. And the action of God's power will be felt in the coarse world when all these things which are fine, the wind and the light of the sun, are in a state of receptiveness, are in a state of quietness. It is then that God's power can be felt. So for us, we are able to experience a vibration or a movement within us only if we are given the grace by Almighty God, if we are given God's blessing. So that it is as though by itself, without knowing whence it comes, we experience a vibration or a movement within us which we can recognize as the power of God.

Bapak has told you yesterday or the day before that all of us here, that is Bapak himself and you all as helpers, are merely channels for God's power to other members. Because God's power envelops everything. And if Bapak can use a metaphor or a simile, it is like the air which surrounds the earth, the atmosphere which surrounds the earth. Everything that exists on the surface of the earth, all the creatures, all the things, are touched by the air, by the atmosphere. They exist and move within it. So that it is not that you need an intermediary to reach the air. So it is with the power of God; that all God's creatures, no matter where they are or what they are, are touched directly by God's power. And this is God's power which can unite with everything that God has created. For the whole universe and everything in it exists because of God, and therefore God can directly touch each one of us. So for this reason, when, as Bapak has often explained, if a helper is opening somebody, he should understand that it is not he who is opening that person, but it is the power of Almighty God. So that, as Bapak has often explained, it sometimes happens that when a helper opens someone, he feels, "I am the one who is opening this person. This person is able to do the latihan because of me." And actually, this is quite wrong. The way it is, is that each one of us turns to God. So as Bapak has several times before illustrated, here is the person who is a helper who is opening, and here is the person being opened. So it is clear that when we open someone, we should not concentrate or place ourselves to him entirely.

But to surrender at that moment completely to the power of God Almighty. So that we leave it to God, how is God's will. And we simply then receive our latihan.

So it is clear that this something that we receive is God's grace, which we can feel within us, exists only when we are completely surrendered, only when we are completely submitted, with patience, trust, and sincerity. And patience means there is no self-interest, there is no wish, there is no preconceived idea of what we want, what we want to receive. We just surrender completely to God's will, and then at that moment we are able to feel the vibration of God's power. Bapak has heard that there are groups in Subud, where there are helpers who have changed from or have deviated from what Bapak has indicated to helpers in the past, that when members do the latihan, they should just be left free to receive for themselves. But these helpers feel that they should guide the latihan of the members. Or to be more clear, that they feel that they should show the way to the members how their latihan should be, or let us say, that all the members should do latihan the way they do. And, actually this is something that will not help them at all. Because what each one receives in the latihan is in accordance with his own nature. So that if there is something like what Bapak has just described, it is something that is coming from the nafsu. Whereas actually, the latihan can be received only when we surrender with complete patience. In other words, we simply have no self-interest and no preconceived idea of what we want and what we can receive. Because as Bapak has said, the latihan comes to us not through our effort, not through our having studied it, not from experience, but purely from surrender. In other words, the state that Bapak has just described, a state free from any self-interest, or preconceived idea; when we simply give up and leave it to God, what God will do with us; and it is at that moment that we are able to receive the force of God's power, the vibration of God's power.

This is something that Bapak will test with you later, in a way that you can receive it beyond your heart and mind. So that Bapak really hopes that those of you, who, Bapak does not want to say now where these people are or which group is like this because that will only make more confusion in your minds, Bapak only hopes that those people who have misunderstood what Bapak has said in this way will realize that the duty of a helper is limited in the latihan just to what Bapak has already told us in the past, making sure that the members don't run out of the door of the place where they are doing latihan, or that they don't crash into each other when they are doing the latihan. But that doesn't need a big effort, to prevent people crashing together in the latihan, because actually Bapak has never seen anybody crashing together in the latihan. Bapak has done the latihan with many people already. Bapak has done the latihan all over the world and sometimes Bapak has done latihan with people in a very small room packed tight where there are people running as fast as they can, maybe four or five people running, and Bapak has never seen them crash into each other. So, it means that the helpers don't have much to do actually. And therefore they can do their own latihan. The helpers actually when they are looking after the latihan of the members can themselves do the latihan. And you may see Bapak when Bapak does latihan with you and Bapak walks from here to there, and then from there to there, and then from there to there. But at that moment Bapak isn't just paying attention to your latihan, to the latihan of everyone around, but is himself doing latihan. Only for Bapak it's different.

We can say it this way: the difference between us and Bapak is that Bapak is already accustomed to it, so that for Bapak there is no difference between when he is not doing latihan and when Bapak is doing latihan. Whereas for us it is not yet like that. So if you talk about it according to the terminology used in spiritual knowledge, it is called the Makrifat. This means that it is like the sugar and its sweetness, the latihan and the person is already like sugar and its sweetness, they have become one. With us it is still as though the sweetness is sometimes here and sometimes not. It is like sugar which sometimes it's sweet, and sometimes it's not. Or, sometimes the sweetness is only in this corner down here, and sometimes in that corner up there, and sometimes it's up above here and sometimes it is below. But with Bapak it's already one, the sweetness is throughout. And therefore for Bapak there is no difference any more. Bapak is already as it were, accustomed to the latihan. So that when Bapak is talking to you now in a completely ordinary way Bapak is also in latihan. But, if there are a lot of members doing latihan together, actually there is nothing you need to do.

Even if there is someone who maybe is just standing still, they're not moving at all, well that's how far they have got to at that moment. Because as Bapak said yesterday, the nature of man is like a big house, there are many things in it, not just man. There are the animal forces, the vegetable forces, the material forces. And as Bapak said, all these things are within man. But the lower you get the more of it there is, so you go from man to animal to vegetable to material. The material is the one that there's a lot of. And it's always like that, brothers and sisters - what is low, there is more of it than what is high. Like for example, take Australia. If you look at the very, very rich people, how many are there in Australia, maybe a thousand people who are very, very rich. O.K. maybe two thousand, but that's about it. And all the rest are poor, or half poor. But it is like that, the higher you go, the less there is, but the more powerful it is. So it is the same in the forces that make up the human being. So that if you want to know about the composition of the kejiwaan, the higher you go the less there is, but the more powerful it is, the more authority it has. So that the higher will gain authority, as the lower loses authority. So if you compare it again to rich and poor, the more the rich take money from the poor, the richer they will get. So it is the same way in the inner. So this is, if you want to know it, this is what the inner composition of the kejiwaan looks like. So, all that we can do in the latihan is simply to receive for ourselves.

But, these things that Bapak has just told you, these things Bapak prefers to test with you later on so you can experience it for yourself. Because quite frankly if you just talk about it, there is never an end to it, you never get to the end. If you talk about God's power, if you talk about what God's power is like, you will never get to the end of it. So therefore, it is better now to turn to ourselves, what is our own condition, what is our own situation. Because these words, like Bapak has explained to you now, about the higher and the lower and what is bigger and what's smaller, all this was in existence years ago in the times of Bapak's father, Bapak's grandfather, Bapak's great-grandfather, and before Bapak's great-grandfather, all this talk was already in existence. People were already saying these things. But it is only now that we have the reality, that we have been given the latihan kejiwaan which brings the reality to us. So therefore, what is most important for us is to realize this. Because if we ask ourselves why now, as Bapak said yesterday, why now do we get the latihan which has not existed before. Where have you read, you can look in any book you like, try and find something that tells that sometime in the past there existed something like this latihan kejiwaan. You won't find it. Maybe it's because at the moment, the world has become thick with men's self-will, with men's self-interest, with men's nafsu, so that there is no longer any peace, there is no longer any quietness in the world. Or rather that there is chaos here and then there is chaos there, and then for a time it's quiet here but then there is chaos here, and then it's quiet there

.

There is constant mess in the world. So we, through the latihan, we run to God. We run to God for peace of mind, for peace in our lives, and for guidance in our lives, because, as Bapak said, when Bapak was talking about these people running around in the room who don't crash into each other, it really is like that. When you surrender to God's power there is no danger. So this latihan permits us to find peace within ourselves in this world. And the power of God, which guides us to the true complete way of life, both in this world and after we die, it shows us the way.

There is something that I forgot from before. When Bapak talked about the power of God, Bapak explained that the power of God is one that envelops the whole universe. And the name Allah which we use, for example, in Islam, is in fact not a name. It is a word for God's power. It means "the One who envelops everything". In other words, it is not a name, it is a word for an authority. In other words, like the word president, or governor or something. It expresses a sphere of authority. So therefore the word Allah is not a name of God but it expresses God's nature which encompasses the whole universe and all that exists. So to get back to the question of helpers. Bapak wants to explain that when Bapak set up the organization of helpers, in other words group helpers, regional helpers, national helpers, etc., Bapak did not have in mind to differentiate between different qualities of helpers, or that helpers who are regional helpers are somehow higher or better than group helpers, or that national helpers are more capable than local helpers. Bapak simply made this arrangement because without it, it would be impossible to look after the membership properly. Because later when the membership of Subud will grow, we will need this organization to be able to look after all the members, because we can see even with the small membership we have now, it is already quite difficult to look after them. So therefore, it is very important for helpers to understand that these levels and so on, are simply an organization to help us to look after the membership. But they are not intended as ranks or something like that. So, it is really important that helpers should remember that in whatever they do, it is really their duty to look after the membership. But, they must remember, what Bapak has just said, that guidance in the kejiwaan, leadership in the kejiwaan, training in the kejiwaan, all this is in the hands of God Almighty.

That Almighty God has sent down into the universe, into this world, His grace to mankind now. And this is because, it has become clear that man is not able to follow the advice, all the advice which man has been given in the past by the prophets. Because if he had been, then the world would be in harmony. But men are not able to follow this advice, so there is still fighting between one and the other. How can it be God's will that men should kill each other, that men should try to gain mastery over each other, when all men have been created by God and all men originate from God, and all men are brothers in front of God? So, the sign of someone who obeys God's will, who follows God's principles and God's guidance, is one who is harmonious towards his fellow men. One who can live in harmony with everybody. So, it is clear, that it is God's will that men should be able to work together, to love one another, and to make this world into a world of peace, into a world of harmony.

So, it is really our duty, if we really want to follow God's will, now that we have been given God's grace to follow God's will; we really have to be obedient to that which God guides us to do, that is to be harmonious. So, it is not necessary any more to have quarrels and to have disagreements among ourselves. If we are really following God's will and God's guidance within us, then it means that we will be harmonious and we will work together. And the result is that God Himself will pay attention to us. Because if we show our faithfulness and our obedience to an earthly employer, in other words, our boss in our business, in other words, we are grateful to him, we always obey his orders, we work as hard as we can at the things he wants us to do without counting how difficult it is, or how hard we have to work, if we really have an attitude like that, it is sure that we will get promotion quickly. How much more with God Almighty if we really follow God's will, follow God's guidance and are really faithful to that which God has guided us to do, then surely God will also pay attention, and God will raise our station and our nature. So that if people in this world can really come to a state of harmony, can come to a situation where they obey God, then it may be that this world itself will change to something bigger and better that we hope for. For surely man always hopes for something better. Man always hopes for something greater, and surely at this time man's mind has already developed to a state where they can think of extraordinary things, they can think of fantastic things, like people have become aware of the possibility of living on other planets, and maybe men would like to live on a planet that is greater than this one. Let us say for example, like the planet Jupiter. Who knows? That if mankind really follows God's grace, follows God's teaching, that this world will develop to become a place which is great, like let's say the planet Jupiter. So that it will be for the whole human race, for mankind, as though they have moved from a smaller house to a bigger house, as though the whole of human nature has developed to something wider and greater than what we can experience now in this world, in the way it is.

Bapak hopes you will not be afraid that you will miss something through my leaving out something from the translation, because later on you will be able to read the original, that is Bapak's words in Indonesian will be retranslated, and then you will be able to read the complete talk including what I left out. ( Laughter )

Now another thing Bapak wants to come back to is the situation of the helpers. There is the question of honorary helpers. This is a title which has the meaning that a helper has served the membership for a long time, but because he or she is getting old, is no longer able to be active in the way they were in the past. So because of their long service to the membership they are given a title of honorary helpers. And this title Bapak gives to those helpers who have served the membership for a long time but due to old age they are no longer able to function actively. Now these helpers have the right, and more than have the right, they do normally join in the helper's latihan and join in any other kinds of activities or meetings which are open to helpers. The only difference between them and the active helpers, is that they are no longer required to have the heavy jobs of being a helper, to have to do the heavy work which helpers normally have to do. They are released from those duties, but they have the right and they do join in any kind of activity which is open to Subud members or to Subud helpers, and including the normal helpers latihan, etc.

Earlier when Bapak was talking about the opening, that is something I have omitted, that when someone is opened what is important at that moment is that the member who is being opened shall recognize the existence of God Almighty. So that if he is a Muslim, he will say the Sahhadah, which says there is nothing to be worshipped except Allah and that Muhammad is His prophet. If he is a Christian, then there will be something equivalent, for example that God exists and Jesus is the Son of God. And whatever religion you have the same thing. So this is essence of the moment of opening, that the member who is being opened at that moment recognizes the existence of God, and that way it is not something that depends only on the helper who is doing the opening.

Now, Bapak wants to return again to the question of the helpers' structure, let's say, the helpers at the group level, the regional level and the national level. As Bapak said, all helpers are equal, no matter where they are, in which country, and also no matter which particular organizational level they happen to be on at that moment. And for this reason also the helpers on the regional level or working at the national level should not feel that they are big shots and that they are there for life, because every four years they will be chosen again. And it may well be that after they have served for four years, there will be new helpers chosen for those posts and they will return to becoming group helpers. So at that moment don't have the feeling that you have been demoted or something like that because this is not the case at all. Because the helpers working at each of these levels are equal, are at the same level. It is only that their functions are different for a space of time. So it is clear then that these levels are simply there for, in order to get the work done. But the helpers, no matter where they are or what their position, are equal as helpers. And that is why when a helper goes from here to Indonesia they are still helpers. And when a helper comes from Indonesia to here, they are still helpers. And every four years there will be testing done and helpers will be chosen, let's say from among the group helpers, who will be regional helpers for the next term. And it may be there will be new ones. And what will be tested is who are the helpers who are able to work more than the others let's say, in looking after the members and in carrying out those duties. That's all. So it's not at all something that is permanent or expresses a spiritual level or something of that kind. And to go back to what Bapak was saying the day before yesterday, progress in the kejiwaan is something that is entirely in the hands of God and this is because God bestows what is known as Wahju or the revelation, and in bestowing revelation to anyone, God does not respect age or experience or anything at all, but God follows only His will. So that in the case of the prophets for example, the prophet Jesus was graced by God to become complete when he was still a child. While the prophet Muhammad received his revelation when he was forty years old. There is no one who can determine when someone might or might not receive God's revelation, only God Himself. So resist the temptation to give importance to the fact that you have maybe done the latihan for a very long time, because there is no knowing that the member who is opened yesterday might not already be lifted up to a high spiritual level. While there are many helpers who have been doing the latihan for 25 to 30 years who have not yet received God's revelation, nor are they yet complete within themselves.

It feels as though Bapak has already explained a lot to you and yet it still feels as though there is something that still needs to be explained.

Is there among you anyone who has the wish to know something, to ask a question? Bapak gives you an opportunity now to put forward some question of something that you want to know. So Bapak will first adjourn for 10 minutes. ( Laughter )

So first of all Bapak would like to talk a bit more about the word completeness that Bapak used, completeness which you can reach after so many years, etc. It seems that some of you don't understand yet what Bapak means by the word completeness. This is something which really means enough or sufficient. When you have received the latihan kejiwaan sufficiently or far enough you will certainly understand what Bapak means by completeness. Because as Bapak has explained, the latihan kejiwaan starts from the coarse. It starts from the coarse body with all kinds of movements and energy, to the extent that people who have not yet been opened compare Subud to a kind of sport. They consider Subud is a kind of physical recreation. But this latihan which starts in that way, then expands and expands and expands in its scope. Now this is the question, how fast does it expand? And this depends on whether it goes easily or whether it goes with difficulty. Now, what are the factors which can make this expansion of the latihan within us go slower, slower rather than faster. Now this first of all depends on our heredity, on what we bring with us and that depends on how we were made, let us say, because certainly we have come from our parents and to some extent what our parents did before they conceived us, influences our own nature. So people for example, have sexual relations after having a quarrel, and at that moment they conceive a child. But they do not suspect that the reason they were quarreling, or the thing that caused them to quarrel, was the influence of the material forces, or let's say maybe the animal forces. So the child who has been conceived at that time, not willy-nilly, but without any idea of any knowledge of his within his being, within his inner being there is the material received thus from the material forces, the animal forces. So when that person is opened, then it is as though at that moment he begins, he begins to clean all the mistakes and errors and misdeeds and sins which he has inherited from his father and his mother.

So what Bapak means by completeness is the moment when we are aware within our own being that this process of cleaning of purification has finished. But for us all we are just beginning. We are still at the beginning. And the reason for this is that these mistakes, these sins, have been accumulated within us not for one or two years, but for decades, let us say for centuries, and we have only just begun doing the latihan recently. And even this, it would not be possible except through the great power and the grace of God Almighty. For man to clean himself, to purify himself of his mistakes, is impossible. So it is only thanks to the grace, to the power of God Almighty that we have been able to receive this, to start to purify our own being. And therefore, what we need to do is to do the latihan with patience, with acceptance, and sincere submission. And this is what has been taught by Jesus Christ, this is what was taught by Moses, and this is now what is also stated and has been written and said by Bapak many times. That there is no other way for man to receive God's grace, God's purification that God can do for man, except through complete surrender with patience, acceptance and submission. And this is done, the work is carried out, by God Almighty.

So that the one who does the cleaning, the one who does the purification is God Almighty. It is through God's grace that we are able to experience the movement, the shaking about, the latihan which cleans out our inner impurities. So at the moment we are all at the laundry, or let us say at the dry cleaners, but the one who owns the dry cleaners, is God Almighty, and all we have to do is to hand over the stuff, surrender it to be cleaned, that's all. ( Laughter )

If you feel it necessary Bapak would like one of the helpers to come and stand in front here for a moment. It can be a man, a woman, Bapak is not fussy.

( Testing )

So, this was to some extent, an explanation for you by way of reality or evidence of what Bapak explained to you two days ago. That man has two duties in this world, one is to surrender to God and worship Him, and the other is to take care of the needs of his life through his own efforts, and through doing enterprises. And that in this work, in this enterprises, of course, man is also surrounded and guided by the power of Almighty God which leads us into a direction that is really beneficial for us personally and for our families.

So what you have seen now can be considered a kind of preamble to what Bapak wants to explain about testing, because what you have seen now is the way Bapak tests a Subud member. And this is something that Bapak has often done and Bapak continues to do because Bapak is always thinking of our welfare, Bapak is always wanting to give us something. And the problem is that testing should really be carried out, if not by Bapak, at least by someone who in the kejiwaan has made a certain progress already. But the problem is that when Bapak tests in this way as Bapak often does, it is willy-nilly. It is in a general meeting where it is not limited to the people whose kejiwaan already to some extent has made some progress, but everyone is there, the people who were opened yesterday, and the people who have been in for a very short time let's say. So they all watch and naturally they all want to do it. Well, this is something that gives Bapak pause because it is not that Bapak blames anyone for this, because the situation is like that. But it means that Bapak has to explain a bit about testing. The testing is in fact, this latihan of testing, is something that can be done by the helpers group, and it is quite common that people then bring questions to the helpers to answer, whether they should do this or that business or whether if they sell this or that then will it be profitable, or whether they should go and visit such and such a town, is there any point in going, Well, if you do these things then it is not exactly wrong, but at the same time, it's better to avoid it. Because on the one hand it is something that makes a heavy burden on the helper, and secondly, it is something that reduces the submission of the person concerned. So it's true, God always gives to man what man really needs, but it is very wrong if we then try to force God or try to make a contract with God. In other words, if we decide that if I am going to do this then you please do that. This is not right. Because God knows our own strength. God knows how far we can go and what we are able to do. So what Bapak advises you in this testing is that we should avoid to test about things that are unimportant. O.K., you say well, for me moving my house is very important, but actually it's not. It's something that can be decided in the ordinary way, just the way one ordinarily decides things. So do not impose a heavy burden on the helpers by asking them to test all sorts of things which are, let's say, like, yes, whether I should go to the cinema or something like that, or even things like Bapak says, whether I should start this business, would it be profitable, or should I move to the other place or something like that. So better if you reserve testing for things that are really important.

So, just to give you an example about this to help you understand what Bapak is saying about testing, Bapak will tell you a story. Once upon a time there was a trader who one day had a very terrible nightmare, so that he was extremely concerned and went to see a fortune teller about what is the meaning of this nightmare.

The fortune teller said, "Yes, indeed, this nightmare that you have had is a grave warning for you that if you go as you plan to do on a journey for strength of purpose of trade, you will have a terrible accident. You will be set upon by robbers and killed. So I advise you not to go out of your house for at least a month." So he went home and he was very depressed and his wife was very depressed.

And at the time his wife said to him, "Husband, I think, O.K. you had a dream. You've been to the fortune teller and no doubt what he said is right. But still my advice to you is do some prihatin, do some fasting, reduce your eating, don't sleep after midnight, just sleep up to midnight and after midnight pray to God that He may send you some sign or some indication of what's the true meaning of your dream so you can know for yourself."

So indeed he did this, followed his wife's advice and after two weeks of doing this, it's true that in the morning when he was praying he heard a voice and this voice said to him, "You can set out on your journey as you planned, but on the way you will see when you are going where you want to go, you will see in a place two big trees growing next to each other. And when you see those two trees, go to that place because there you will learn the true meaning of your dream."

So the next day he told his wife what had happened and he said, "I think I had better go and do what I have been told."

So his wife said, "Yes, and I will pray for you while you are away so that no harm will come to you and that you will get what you want."

So he went and true enough after he had traveled for some time he saw these two large trees growing side by side. And he told his camel to eat some grass, or whatever camels eat and he sat down under the tree. And after a time suddenly out of nowhere, unexpectedly, a little child came to him, about ten years old, and touched him on his shoulder.

"Who are you and why do you touch me?"

The child said, "Because I have some business with you." So the child said, "Isn't it true that you had a terrible dream two weeks ago?" He said, "How did you know that?"

"Never mind. Isn't it true that you went to a fortune teller and you were told not to go forth and do business for a month?" He said, "Yes, that’s all true." "So how come? Why are you going?"

"Well because of this and this. I did this and this and then I was told that I should come here and I should come to this place with the two trees."

The little child said, "Exactly, and that's why I'm here. Now do you believe in God or not?"

So he said, "Yes, I believe in God, but so what?"

So he said, "Well, if you believe in God, if you truly have faith in God, then there is nothing that can happen to you which can cause you to be scared, or to be frightened."

So he said, "Yes, O.K., I believe in God, but where is God, what is God like, how is He going to help me?"

The little child said, "That's not it. If you really have faith in God than that's enough. You don't have to think about where is God and how He will help you, because faith in God means having faith in yourself. It means you have self confidence and are willing to face everything that may happen to you. Because life and death are then in the hands of God alone, and you no longer worry about what might happen to you, or about what a fortune teller might say, but you simply go ahead and you face whatever may come your way with confidence in yourself and in the power of God, for everything is in God's hands."

So he said to this, the man said, "Yes I understand." So then it was as if he was drowsy, although he had his eyes open, he was drowsy. When he suddenly opened his eyes again, or he came to, he looked around. The little child was gone which was strange because he could see very far because it was a kind of desert.

So he thought, "Well, very well. I understand that I should not worry about this what has happened and what the fortune teller said. I Just go ahead and do my business."

So he got on his camel and went on his way. And he reached an oasis where he put up for the night. And he gave his camel to drink and so on and so on, and went to sleep. During his sleep he had a terrible nightmare that he was attacked by a band of robbers, and he was all beaten up and robbed and finally they cut his throat. And he was so scared that at that moment when they cut his throat he woke up. And it was exactly what the fortune teller had prophesied for him. That he would be set upon by a band of robbers and he would be killed. But it was in a dream, so that his dream which the fortune teller interpreted was answered with a dream. So he realized that it was this dream which the fortune teller had foretold. It wasn't reality at all. So he went on and went to the city where he wanted to trade and he did a lot of good business, and he came back loaded with money. And on the way home before he reached his house he met the first class fortune teller.

And the fortune teller said, "I thought I told you not to go out to do business. How come? Where have you been?"

He said, "Well, listen, this happened. I had this indication, I went to this place, I met this little boy."

( Oh yes, I left a piece out, I'm sorry. ) After he had this dream about the robbers, he met the little child again on the road and he told the child that he had had this dream about the robbers and the little child knew exactly. "That was the thing that the fortune teller prophesied."

He said, "Well, who are you? How come you know all this?"

He said, "You don't have to ask, but now the story is finished."

So when he was talking to the fortune teller again he explained to him about the little boy, and the fortune teller said, "Oh yes, because that was not a human being, but an angel." So he understood from this what is the true meaning of faith in God.

So, Bapak has told you this little story to explain more clearly what Bapak wants us to understand about testing. That what is important for us is to have faith in God Almighty and to go ahead with confidence and do what we have to do. And not always to stop and test. In other words, you want to do this, you first stop and you test. No I shouldn't do this. O.K., you won't do it. Should I have my lunch? You test it. No, you shouldn't have your lunch. So finally you cannot do anything. You can never get anywhere because you are always going around in circles. So don't do that. Simply have faith in God and go ahead with confidence in yourself and in the power of God.

So, if it comes then that there is something really important which you do have to test about, then it should be done always with the one who asked the question present. And second, apart from you yourself as the helper, there should be at least one other helper present or maybe two or more, at least one more, so that there is a witness which will also give more confidence to the one who is asking the question. Now Bapak wants to answer the other question that someone asked about a certain group where the latihan seems to be, he feels that the latihan is very quiet, like the latihan doesn't exist. This is something that Bapak has already explained. The latihan is not always the same. The latihan is not always felt as very strong or very powerful. Because what happens within us is that God gives us various different kinds of training. It is like in the school. One time the teacher will tell a story, at another time we are told to draw, another time we are told to write, another time we are told to do arithmetic, for example. So it is not always the same, and at certain times it is necessary for the latihan to be quiet in order that things within us, which we are not aware of, can be exercised, can be trained.

So Bapak has got to the end of his talk for today because the time is getting on. Bapak will of course continue later once again, later on during his stay here to talk to you, and in the meantime Bapak thanks you for coming and thanks you for your attention. Thank you.