Brothers and sisters, assalamu 'alaikum wa rachmatullahi.

Before observing your latihan, Bapak will first explain about its hakekat. Its hakekat in this case means the reality of the existence of the latihan kejiwaan of Subud. Although Bapak has often spoken of this before, there is no harm in continually repeating it in order for you to be more and more able to feel sure about it. And it also makes your feelings firm, so that they are less easily influenced by anything that shakes their firmness or the stability of your attitude.

As you have already been able to feel, the latihan kejiwaan of Subud is not just merely a latihan or training or exercise using your mind or using your will, but a latihan which does truly come from the guidance and direction of the One Almighty God. Because of that, if you really do surrender everything to the One Almighty God in the latihan and really have no feeling about who is to the left and the right of you, which means you do not depend upon this or that, but only feel your own self, then there will be no possibility that you will be influenced, or that you will easily be influenced, by anything by way of interference or disturbance. For in truth nothing surpasses the power of God. Nothing is quieter, cleaner or more calming to your feelings than the power of God.

You have of course heard and read how, as a rule, when people practice exercises, especially what are called inner or esoteric exercises, most of them employ some kind of mantra in doing these exercises. If not a mantra, then some sort of meditation or contemplation that clears their thoughts. But it is all the same thing. Clearing the mind and meditation are also something that they do by means of an inner mantra, not spoken aloud.

If you employ mantras or contemplation or meditation or quiet your thoughts, then whatever you say in that mantra will influence you, and you will be brought under its power. If, for instance, you repeat a mantra with the intention of being given an inner voice, you are intending to hear something about how it will go if you wish to become rich, for example, or to get promotion. And what you are invoking is an expert, which means that it is the spirit or dewa of what you call upon. It is the dewa of wealth. For there are many kinds of dewas; there are the dewas of wealth, of health, of luck, of all sorts of things. If you really believe in them strongly, and if at the same time you cut down your food and sleep, these dewas will materialize because of the mantra you repeat. You will meet whatever it is that you have invoked. And if you meet what you have invoked you will, of course, feel relieved and satisfied, because you will be able to meet with whatever it was that you wanted to draw towards you or to find or to meet.

None of these come from the power of God which is what can truly bring you ilham ( divine inspiration ), brothers and sisters, so that you can find or obtain well being in your lives both in this world and in the hereafter. This, brothers and sisters, is what is always present and is what you always receive in the latihan kejiwaan and it is what always gives you evidence and proof in the latihan kejiwaan that what is received in the latihan kejiwaan is really and truly guidance and direction from the One Almighty God.

Of course, brothers and sisters, because the One Almighty God knows everything, all the things that human Beings need, that you need, and because He also knows the extent of your strength and ability to follow the guidance and direction of the power of Almighty God, which envelops you both inwardly and outwardly, there is therefore nothing that you can do about it. That means that you can do nothing to speed things up nor can you intentionally ask to be able to get anything quickly. For, as Bapak has just said, all that depends upon the power of God. For it is God Who knows all about everything, so that you will not experience any damage or have anything go wrong in receiving this guidance from the One Almighty God.

Because of this, brothers and sisters, Bapak hopes that you will really surrender sincerely to God in receiving and practicing the latihan kejiwaan with patience, trust and sincerity. You must let no feeling of self interest or personal desire show up in you. Self interest here means an intention, so that you are asking God for this, that, or the other thing. That is according to the will of your nafsu. It must not be like that. In doing the latihan kejiwaan it is enough if you surrender, with patience, trust and sincerity, in the same way as you do in practicing the worship of the One Almighty God, as people normally do who are expert in the sareat. Yes. Just like that, and as to what God will give you, let that be as it may.

What Bapak is here suggesting that you should do will not cripple or weaken your zeal in worshipping God. No, on the contrary, it will actually make it clean, purify it, empty it of your nafsu, so that you can truly surrender to the One Almighty God.

Bapak has seen some of you doing and receiving the latihan kejiwaan who look as if they had no content in them, and who look as if everything was at a standstill. In fact it should not be like that. This earth on which we live is moving; everything moves. Thus what is called life moves. Thus if you are truly surrendered, if you are truly empty, if you follow the way of the latihan kejiwaan of Subud with patience, trust and sincerity, then you will certainly feel it and you will certainly move. Of course you will move, for not to move, if what does not move is really quite motionless, means to be dead. Whereas what is truly empty is alive.

That is why in the language of Java people usually call this suaraning asonya ( the voice of the void ). In Dutch it is called de stem des doods ( the voice of the dead ). Wong sunya kok ana suara ( it is empty but still there is a voice ). It is like this. Thus if one is truly empty, truly quiet, truly still, that is in fact to be alive. That is where the vibration called the chatif i1ham ( vibration of divine inspiration ) is present.

In this way the vibration of life that you receive does not spread out or radiate from any one point, but you will be able to feel the wide movement of life, so that there is a connection between here and there, or between this life here and that life there, after death, as it is called. And the connection is not a linkage, but it becomes all one, which means that it passes or penetrates through death. It is also like that as between yourselves as human beings and the Almighty Who created you. Even though not the whole of you is connected, yet there is always the link.

If and when you are able to experience that, when you are able to receive that, then you will never feel what is called anxious or confused. For the mystery of God is something obscure. To say that it is like this is wrong; to say that it is like that is wrong; not to say anything about it is wrong. But it is not wrong when it is God Who says it. That is why in reading the Koran each paragraph is preceded by the words " Bismil lahir rahmania, rahim". That means “In the name of God the All-merciful, the All-compassionate. Everything happens or exists is because of God."

( Bapak interrupted the verbal translation to say: Excuse me; Bapak hopes that you will not smoke during his talks, or while he is talking about the latihan. Because the people who smoke will not be able to receive what Bapak is saying, because they are feeling the pleasure of smoking. )

Bapak will now end his explanation, and will continue by observing your latihan.

Now Bapak would like the men who have been helpers for a long time to come forward.

Bapak says relax. That means "be free". But I receive that for many of you relaxing is anticipation of something that causes you to be filled with something that does not come from the emptiness of which Bapak spoke just now. Therefore in order to make clear what it really is to relax, Bapak accompanies this with the words Allahu Akbar.

( Testing )

Now change with the women who have been helpers for a long time.

( Testing )

( Testing )

Now the men's group.

( Testing for the remaining men helpers )

Brothers and sisters, Bapak will end this meeting, because the time is up. He will always continue on the second Saturday of every month. Bapak wishes you good night and sleep well, and Bapak will now at once leave the hall.

Thank you.

Note : There were in fact no talks during March and April ( The months of the national election campaign )