"Bapak himself is happy now there have been one or two cases, perhaps even more than fifty, of Subud members who have received something beyond their ordinary knowledge . . ."

Brothers and sisters, it is necessary that Bapak should always explain and clarify the nature of the latihan kejiwaan of Subud because, at first sight, the latihan kejiwaan of Subud might look like people doing sports, or physical training, but it may also appear to resemble a spiritual or mystical exercise, such as yoga. Moreover, when people worship God they are usually discouraged from combining their worship with outer or material occupations, such as business, as this is said to interfere with one's worship of Almighty God. It is therefore most necessary for Bapak to clarify this, so that those who receive - all of you - should not misunderstand and, as a result, neglect your worldly life.

Indeed, there are many practices that appear to resemble Subud. For instance, in Bali, one of the islands of the Indonesian archipelago, - perhaps you have been there so you know what it is like - they also practice a type of exercise in which they use mantras ( spells ). At a glance, this might appear to be almost the same as Subud; and there are in fact many places in Java and other parts of Indonesia where groups carry out a kind of worship or exercise apparently similar to Subud. In reality, however, they are very different, because as you know, the latihan kejiwaan of Subud, or Susila Budhi Dharma, is in fact based on sincere surrender to God and we place our trust only in Almighty God. Nevertheless, God cannot easily be known to you or to other human beings, unless someone receives grace or a revelation from Almighty God, because of his pure moral nature.

Brothers and sisters, Bapak needs to reiterate, to clear up any misunderstandings: in reality, the latihan kejiwaan of Subud is a form of worship based on surrender. If you are truly surrendered to God, it means that you do not think of anything, and you place your trust in nothing else. You only surrender to Almighty God. And, since Almighty God is All-powerful and Omnipotent, whatever is hidden within your being is spontaneously known to Him. This has been stated in the Holy Books. Supposing you receive advice from somebody that is not necessarily good and correct, but if you really have faith and believe there is no power surpassing that of Almighty God, the power of Allah as it is called in Islam - or the Holy Spirit ( Roh-al-Qudus ) in Christianity - then your very sincerity and faith can lead to your receiving God's guidance, even though you may be following wrong advice from someone who is misguided, so that it works to your advantage and proves correct in your case. The Holy Books of Islam, Christianity and other religions confirm this.

There is also a story that there was once a guru who, far from being the best of spiritual leaders, would intentionally mislead people and guide them towards misfortune so they would meet with conditions really harmful to them. One of his followers fully believed in what the priest told him, despite the fact that such advice was merely a kind of strategy or trick designed to bring about his death. But God is All-Knowing and All-Powerful and because this man truly believed only in the power of Almighty God or Allah or the Holy Spirit, in the end he found the right way, and avoided what was intended for him by his guru.

It is therefore clear, brothers and sisters, that what is important in Subud is that you should all have faith in Almighty God and truly surrender and submit with sincerity, patience and trust. This has been experienced by Bapak himself and those of you who have been in Subud for a long time. But Bapak still needs to explain these matters to you all, to give you a clear understanding.

Brothers and sisters, although all these other practices are very different from Subud, we can say that Subud does not find them strange, because Subud embraces everything. All can be found within the latihan kejiwaan of Subud, Susila Budhi Dharma, and whatever people have received or followed in religion, whether Islam, Christianity ( Protestant or Catholic ), Buddhism, Hinduism, is all to be found in Subud; even those who have no religion can join Subud.

It is clear therefore that Subud is all encompassing. The reason for this is that Subud only has one aim, being directed only towards Almighty God ( in Islam, Allah Subhanahu wata'ala ), Who envelops everything. So Subud encompasses all religions. You yourselves have seen the evidence of this, since many Subud members are Christians, whether Catholics or Protestants, and many are Moslems, Hindus or Buddhists. Nevertheless, once they join Subud they all become harmonious with one another. This is why Bapak always stresses the fact that this is a blessing, a revelation of inestimable greatness and extent, For we are able to receive the way of the kejiwaan easily, without having to isolate ourselves from places of enjoyment, such as cinemas and theatres. We may be coming home from these or straight from our work, yet when we get home, or wherever the group latihan is held, we are always able to receive the latihan.

Clearly, in our worship of God through the latihan kejiwaan of Subud, things are made easy for us. That in fact is the way God works. Almighty God makes it easy for man to worship Him, without his having to force himself into isolation in lonely or dangerous places. One simply carries on in the normal way, in one's own home, in the company of one's wife and children. Clearly then, brothers and sisters, it is God's Will for mankind that people should be able to worship God in the easiest possible way, in a way that is completely normal for human beings. As far as Bapak can understand, this is happening now for the first time, in Bapak's lifetime. Bapak himself may not fully understand why God has only now chosen to vouchsafe this grace to mankind so that they may worship God in the simplest possible way. Nevertheless, brothers and sisters, you must all be vigilant. Something that is very easy, something people take to very easily because they can practise it with so little effort, is full of danger. For example, if you study a useful subject that is of great benefit to you, it is often perceived as being fraught with difficulties, and you may consider the difficulty as a nuisance, an obstacle for you. But the study of that which is harmful is very easy and you also have a feeling of enthusiasm in pursuing it. So clearly, the study of that which is good does not immediately awaken enthusiasm in man, unlike that which is not good.

The difficulties that seem to irritate and obstruct you when you study something good in fact come from the passions or nafsu, which are under the control of the lower forces; e.g. the satanic forces, orjinns ( devils ) and the vegetable and animal forces. These forces always create obstacles for man because they are very jealous and want to raise their condition and possess a nature like that of human beings. People do in fact recognize how easy it is to fall under the influence of the satanic forces, to be plagued by devils, so in Islam it is usual to recite the formula - A'udhu biUahi min ash-shaitan ir-rajim - before undertaking anything. This is a prayer to Almighty God to be protected and kept far from satanic temptations. In fact, however, the real object of these forces in always tempting mankind is not to bring about misfortunes to the persons concerned, but rather to enable them to raise their own status.

How is it that people are still liable to be tempted and plagued in this fashion? It is because they do not believe in Allah, in Almighty God, one hundred per cent. They still have all kinds of desires and many of them continue to make use of mantras or follow practices learned from other people - not from God. An example is the mantras or spells practised by people in Bali, for the purpose of obtaining something, or so that they may be visited by a dewa. All this is learned from someone else, so whether we are discussing dewas ( gods ) or whatever else other than God, it is all a temptation.

All these elements are nevertheless to be found in Subud, brothers and sisters, but they will not influence Subud, nor will they affect your receiving because you all put Almighty God first, you have stronger and greater faith in Him than in anything else. There has been plenty of proof of this, not only for Bapak, but for all of you who have been in Subud for a long time. And the evidence we receive, brothers and sisters, is never far from ourselves, from our own receiving. Bapak was saying this last night, that from the latihan kejiwaan of Subud you will be able to receive whatever there is of purity, goodness and sincerity within you. The latihan kejiwaan of Subud will not only exercise your hands and feet but will pervade all of your being, so that all the finer nerves within you will be purified, and will recover their original immaculate state. When you remember how in history it is said that all mankind comes from a common origin, from a single source, in Adam, and if you feel about it, how is it that mankind has spread all over the world today, and there is such great diversity among people both qualitatively and quantitatively, both in terms of their jiwa and their inherited qualities, that is their character, behaviour and nature? The reason is that, after mankind came into this world, they spread and multiplied over a very long period, from generation to generation, so that people experienced very diverse conditions in their lives in the world. All of this brought about changes in the content of our inner natures, with the result that there are people whose jiwa is strongest in the raewani or satanic forces, those whose jiwa is strongest in nabati or vegetable forces, those who most express haewani or animal qualities, jasmani or human ones, and finally a very few who are included in the rohani, rahmani or rabbani spheres. So there are seven levels in Subud: raewani, nabati, haewani, jasmani, rohani, rahmani, rabbani.

That is why it is stated that it is God Who controls all. And it is not only mankind that God is close to. God is close to all the levels of life, from the rabbani through the rahmani, rohani, jasmani, haewani and nabati to the satanic. And so although from the human point of view the satanic qualities are regarded as the most dangerous temptation, they too are God's creation.

It is God Who created the satanic forces, nobody else. So, if God created them, how can they rival or be the enemies of God? They were all created by God. And yet, although God is close also to the satanic and it is encompassed by His power, many people pray to God: 'Oh God, please protect me from the satanic forces and their influence'. This is because when human beings are influenced by the satanic, they behave in a manner that is quite inhumane. In reality, the satanic forces which influence man are very anxious to be raised by human beings to their own stage, or to heaven, to a sphere which is much more noble than the satanic one. They are not in fact trying to lead man into error, they just want to be borne heavenward by human beings. It is man's own fault if he allows himself to be influenced by them, because he is tempted by things he finds pleasant, good or excellent.

So many people try to reduce their desires by sacrificing pleasures, enjoyment and all kinds of things. Such practices are very common in India, where many people carry out all kinds of asceticism, going without food and denying themselves good clothes, so as not to fall under satanic influences. In fact, however, it is man's own fault if he lets himself be influenced. Brothers and sisters, God does not wish man to give up all these things, and it is not by doing so that he will be able to find the right way. Man remains man. He works and lives as a human being. As a man he needs a nice clean house. He wears smart clothes, ties, trousers and so on. This is to distinguish man from the animals, from the plants, from the devils.

Later, if you are able, through God's Will, to know and understand these things, you will be able to see the satanic forces. The devils are no joke, some of them have enormous bodies and tiny heads, others have small bodies and huge heads. Some have tiny eyes and others very large ones. If you see a form that is of a terrifying aspect, then it is the devil. We therefore find them described as having very long hair, as in the weird pictures you sometimes see in films and books. This is how they are caricatured in Bali, with very strange terrifying aspects. If such is the form of the devils, their content corresponds to that. It's no joke when these satanic influences gain control over people's hearts: many a devil would not hesitate to murder its own child, or husband, supposing it had one, or to kill itself. That is why people sometimes despair and commit suicide. This is not good, this is wrong. It comes about through being influenced and filled by these satanic spirits, the raewani forces.

Brothers and sisters, if we were to identify these forces and describe them, there would be no end to the tales to be told. It is your good fortune, brothers and sisters, that we in Subud receive the right way, and you will always follow a straight path provided that you do not indulge in such practices as hypnotism, spiritualism and so on. In this way you will always progress as human beings, you will follow your own true way, and not only will you not degenerate but you will in fact evolve higher. And therefore as human beings with souls that should be human, jasmani, you will not degenerate towards animal, plant or satanic conditions but will continuously evolve towards the rohani, rahmani and rabbani: if and when possible, that is, for we cannot tell, because all this is in God's hands.

This is it, brothers and sisters, in broad outline, and it is very much in line with what has been taught by all the prophets and messengers of God. There is no end to these stories, or to the advice that has been given by the messengers of God, by Abraham, Moses, Jesus Christ, Muhammad. People have been saturated with stories or parables and advice, but, brothers and sisters, stories often remain stories and people do not manage to experience the reality of these things for themselves, they do not know whether something they see is in fact red, they cannot tell this from their own eyes. Sometimes they are told that it is red, but in reality it is not red. That is why we have to be able to verify such matters. As to the reality, brothers and sisters, we shall not be in a position to check matters that are beyond our own stage, when we cannot even perceive the nature of the forces below us, the animal, plant and satanic or material forces. We shall not be able to know any of this except with the assistance of the power and grace of Almighty God. This is the only possible way. So it is our good fortune to be in Subud, to have this way at our disposal.

So, brothers and sisters, try to feel how it was when you were first opened, you felt very strange, and you felt: 'Oh, I can feel movements within me that are not from my own will.' So it is clear that there is a life within your life. Your life is localised in a certain place and country, whereas the Life within you is universal, all-pervading. The power of God within our selves is described as tawhid in Islam, while the power outside described as muhid, all-embracing. That is why Moslems always say 'Allahu akbar'. 'Allahu akbar' means Allah is within us, and is All-powerful. The power of God is everywhere both within and outside. So you do not need to fear that later on you may fall under satanic influences. The satanic forces will not be able to enter enter you or influence you if you have the power of Almighty God within you. You must never forget, brothers and sisters, to always feel within your selves 'Allah .... Allah..., Allah... Allah is within me'. Never forget either 'Allahu akbar, God surrounds me completely'.

The story is told of a man who used to operate the wayang figures ( you know the wayang - the puppet show, with such figures as Arjuna and Srikandi ). On account of his skill in performing the wayang this man was called for by the kings of the devils who live in lakes and on mountains. Such beliefs are found not only in Java but throughout the world wherever Bapak has traveled. They are all over the place, in Latin America; and even in England there are people who believe in devils, whom they call ghosts. This is because the devils partly in fact derive from mankind too, from those who have gone astray. So you should not think that devils don't exist - they certainly do! In England, for example, people believe in devils, and in Holland too, everywhere, in fact while other people prefer to ignore such matters because they feel that if they put their faith in devils and ghosts it will make their life too complicated.

It is clear therefore, brothers and sisters, that all these things may tempt you if you are weak, and if your inner feeling is weak your inner nature could be filled with such a content. This is why it is necessary for you to strengthen yourselves, especially as you have already experienced the feeling of a life within your lives, from the time you were opened. Bapak saw last night that your latihan is already quite good. You just have to go on sincerely, to really persevere, without thinking about all kinds of other things. What is there greater than God? Nothing. God is Almighty, He encompasses and surrounds everything: the satanic, vegetable, animal, human, rohani, rahmani, rabbani, ilofi and kudus. We could therefore describe God as the Unity of all the life forces. God is Almighty so God precedes everything that is at the very beginning and comes after everything that is last. This means that you are surrounded completely by God's power.

This is in order that God should not be foreign to any of His creatures. If a goat comes close to God, it knows Him as a goat - not as anything else. In the case of human beings that come close to God, they know Him as a man. Anything beyond this can only be brought about by God. To make it clear, let us take the example of air, or, to make it a bit more concrete, of water. The nature of water is that it adapts to the vessel containing it. If the vessel is this glass, then the power of God is like this, like the water within this glass, for if it were more than that it would not be in the glass any more. So, if we take the example of something that is visible, such as water, a small amount of water can become a plaything for human beings, who would have no fear of it because it is so small. You could, for example, drink it. But if you were to see the waves of the ocean as high as mountains, you would feel terrified! It is clear therefore from this analogy that there can be times when God is frightening and others when He is not.

This is why we find stories, for example, in Persia, of people who received a revelation from God and then themselves claimed to be God - this has happened! It can, because they experienced God as themselves. Yet the government in Persia at that time was afraid that some people would go around claiming to be God and would then be considered by their simple fellows as special or quite remarkable, so that instead of acquiring disciples in an orderly fashion, they would be creating chaos and would in fact cause suffering to those trying to follow them. This is because people cannot be free from self-interest, or from their own desire. For instance, they do not like others to be as rich as they are themselves, they prefer to be the only ones who are wealthy, to have all the power themselves. So, in ancient times, in Persia, what is now Iran, those people following gurus who claimed to be God were executed by the governmentˇ These people were called sufis, who followed the tareqat; some of these fraternities are found in Indonesia, one of them being the Naqshabandi.

Many people think that Subud is something similar to the Naqshabandi practices. But, that is not so, for Subud is not something that can be studied. It is not a religion, but it is the followers of various religions who enter Subud. If Subud itself were a religion, it would have what is known nowadays as a code of ethicsˇ But in Subud we only take refuge in the power of God... only God, not the prophets. God is One for all. And what is God like? If you want to know what God is like, then you should try to know the forms and nature of all that God has created. So, God can be like a goat, or like a buffalo. He can also be like a tiger. He can also be like this jar. It would not exist if it were not enveloped by the power of God. Man could neither see it nor touch it, so God's power is in everything that existsˇ

Brothers and sisters, Bapak is explaining this to you now, but later on you will be able to know for yourselves, spontaneously. We do the latihan spontaneously, like an automatic wristwatch; it doesn't need to be wound up, it just goes on ticking by itself. We ourselves also move spontaneously, so, if we are able to move spontaneously, later on we shall also know spontaneously. This is how the prophets were able to acquire wisdom, to become truly wise, not because they had studied. Study is in fact a stimulus which enables us to achieve various things through our own effort, but it does not lead to true wisdom. We cannot really be called 'wise' unless we are inspired directly from God. This has actually been proved in Subud; there have been many cases of members who have been in Subud for ten or fifteen years who are able to receive and know things that they have never studied. Architects or engineers, for instance, who have certainly had to study, eventually through the latihan kejiwaan of Subud, have been enabled to receive something quite beyond all the knowledge they gained from their studies.

This is the result of the latihan kejiwaan of Subud. This is what I have been hoping for all of you. I have been waiting a long time, it's now 25 years since I first went to Europe. Subud has been growing for over twenty years and yet there are very few who can show in their lives the development of the latihan kejiwaan of Subud which they have experienced and practiced. Well actually there are some, and that's why Bapak is telling you this. Bapak himself is happy now there have been one or two cases, perhaps even more than fifty, of Subud members who have received something beyond their ordinary knowledge. Some of these have been architects, others engineers or doctors, in various fields. Bapak has received letters from them to say 'I know now, Bapak, that what you have told us in your talks is in fact the case'. Such knowledge from God, which truly opens a way for the life of the one who receives it, comes only from Almighty God, on the basis of one's surrender.

This is what has happened in Subud. So it is clear, brothers and sisters, that what is in the latihan kejiwaan of Subud is really the guidance and direction of Almighty God. You are guided and directed in such a way that you may learn to know the uses of all the parts of your being. You are trained how to walk ( that is one of the first things, one of the easiest for you to follow ) and you learn the use of your legs, you are moved and guided to shake and wave your hands, to make dancing movements and so forth, so that you may know the use of your hands. Your eyes are trained to see and your ears to hear, your nose to smell, your mouth to speak in various ways and so on. You are trained so that you may know and understand the use of your sight and your eyes, the use of your ears, your nose, your mouth.

Then you begin, brothers and sisters, little by little, according to your various capacities, to think and consider in various ways, to know what is good and bad, to think of the nature of various things, how something can be done, and how to go about it. You are trained so that you may know the use of your mind and brain. Similarly you are trained to know and understand the use of your feelings; in feeling the difference between what is good and what is not, what can be done and what cannot or should not be done.

Clearly then, brothers and sisters, the latihan kejiwaan is a latihan of life, which shows you how to live in this world - it is not necessary for you to consider how things may be later on in the next world. Life in the next world is quite different from life here and the organs you have here are only for use in this world, they cannot be used in the hereafter. So it is nonsense when they say that if a person is pure and holy and well-behaved then later, in heaven, God will serve him tasty food and milk or wine so that he will have nothing to do there but eat and sleep. How can this be ? God is not so stupid. God is the wisest of all and God is Omniscient. He knows how man's life will be after he has left this world. A man cannot know this until Almighty God has shown him, until he has experienced it.

So, brothers and sisters, the latihan kejiwaan of Subud is truly a grace from Almighty God so that those who receive it may know how to live in this world and how it will be for them afterwards. It is a technique for living, which can be experienced and known by man, but only with the help and through the grace of God, through man's sincere surrender to Almighty God. And that, brothers and sisters, is why Bapak often says that the latihan kejiwaan seems to be something very ordinary, resembling people at sport, or carrying on ordinary worldly activities such as walking, touching, crying and laughing These are just some examples to show that everything is guided by Almighty God. That is why Bapak says that the latihan kejiwaan is not something that can be measured or studied - we can only surrender to Almighty God. For the nature of God is that He can create or make whatever He wills through His power without any of the conditions man needs to make things.

This is a short explanation, brothers and sisters, which will be continued in the next few days, because if Bapak went on now, there would be no end to it. It is important that Bapak should take proper account of the time and not go on talking too long, for this would only make it hard to you to feel and understand.

Brothers and sisters, you may just take a brief example relating to your feet. You are trained so that you understand and know the use of your feet. Nowadays, people can become wealthy or famous through the use of their feet; for instance, sportsmen like the football player Pele, who made a fortune with his feet, about two or three million. This is just an example to show you how knowing the use of one's feet can be as good as owning a factory, for through one's feet one may become extremely wealthy, as Pele has. And then there is - what's his name, in Holland? yes, Johan Cruyff, who they say has become a millionaire through the use of his feet. It's the same with the hands, as in ballet, dancing with the feet and the hands, where one can become very wealthy. In painting too, one's hands can lead to wealth, as in the case of the Dutch painter, Rembrandt, whose paintings fetch hundreds of thousands of pounds. He himself could not understand where his skill had come from, why his hand moved, but actually it was through the grace of Almighty God. It was also the case with the prophet David, whose flute playing enabled him to become a king. These are just a few examples.

Ail this is all the more true in respect of one's mind. If somebody's mind is truly trained by the grace of God he can formulate designs for whatever people may need for their lives. These will be right and yet he does not need to go anywhere for, once the inner feeling and the mind have been awakened, he spontaneously knows people's needs. These, brothers and sisters, are the fruits of the latihan kejiwaan of Subud which is the guidance and direction of Almighty God. And that is why Bapak hopes that you will all truly surrender with sincerity every time you do the latihan kejiwaan of Subud. Now time is up, but Bapak will continue another time and give you some guidance on enterprises, which Bapak always recommends to you, so that you can now begin to introduce the movements and content of your whole being into your daily work. In this way you can really come to know what is the purpose of man's work, and the use of all your various organs, so that you can become human beings who are truly of value to your race, your country and the world.

That's all for now, and Bapak hopes you will all come again to hear his further talks. Thank you all for coming this morning and for your kind attention. Thank you.