Coombe Springs, England - March 16, 1958
Code Number : 58 CSP 4
God is the one who has the power, so that God also gives to whoever is able to receive it. So besides those in Subud, it is possible that many others can also receive. Therefore, it is not only in Subud, not only from Bapak. It ( the contact ) already existed before Subud, for example in former times in the Christian religion, in the religion of Brahman or Buddha; in Islam it already existed. So it exists not only in Subud, but it may also be elsewhere. The only thing you need to know is the source, where it comes from, and this can be tested according to the ability that already exists within you. If your way of testing is still through movement, it is the outer movement that is used to test the truth or not of what is desired, what is asked. It is even better if you can test not like that, but from deeper, according to the capacity within each one of you.
Jakarta, Indonesia - July 9, 1958
Code Number : 58 JKT 3
Whereas, in Subud, we are training to be really sensitive, really naked - not in the ordinary sense, but naked in the sense that we do not harbor any secrets. This is symbolized in Buddhism by the statue ( of Buddha ). Why is the statue naked? It is a symbol that human beings will not be able to receive the true life contact unless they are like that which is symbolized by the statue, which is naked, still, quiet and not doing anything. It is a symbol. That is how it should be. So while we are complete and conscious, still thinking and so on, we should really stop like that ( statue ). But that is stone - it is still, it will remain still. But if we are still, certainly there will be some result - that is the difference. So it is a symbol. But again, people misconstrue it. They think the stone is a god. They think the stone is God. That's a mistake.
New York, NY USA - May 24, 1959
Code Number : 59 NYC 7
Also, what we get in the spiritual life is not something to show off to people. No. Because a diploma from God is not a diploma for this world. You can't use it to get a job. A diploma from God is only for God. God's will for human beings is that they should be honest, good, pure, and surrendered to God. So, you don't need to say, 'I am better ( than him ). He is not as good as I am,' or, 'Maybe she is better than that person.' No. God alone can measure such things. God is the one who knows. Take Bapak, for instance. Bapak has never said, and has no wish ever to say, that he is a reincarnation of the Buddha, or a reincarnation of Muhammad, or a reincarnation of a prophet. No. Bapak is, well, just Bapak. Yes, just Bapak Muhammad Subuh for as long as he lives. What there is within him is God's affair; that is a diploma from God, and not for this world. It is not for finding a job, because if Bapak looked for a job using his spiritual ( credentials ), nobody would give him one. ( Laughter )
Melbourne, Australia - March 8, 1963
Code Number : 63 MEB 2
And why is it that the way you are being trained for death is not in a state of stillness, like a person meditating; like people who follow the teaching of the Buddha, being still and meditating, not hearing anything? Why isn’t it like that? Because it is not God’s will that it should be like that, because you are still living on this earth. That is the reason why your latihan goes from outside to inside, from inside to outside: so that later you can receive a happy life for both your soul and your body. Indeed, God wills that human beings should be able to live safely and happily in this world and also live safely and happily after they die.
Bogota, Columbia - April 18, 1963
Code Number : 63 BOG 2
Since the movements in the latihan are moved by the power of God, and what is awakened is the human soul and what receives is the human inner feeling, everything that human beings experience exists in the latihan. So, when you are receiving the latihan it is not surprising if sometimes you receive movements that resemble those you have learned; for example, sports and other kinds of movements. You will also be able to experience and receive dance movement in the latihan.
This being so, people with every kind of belief, and of every nation that exists on this earth, can follow the latihan. It does not cause them to reject or to offend against anything that they have experienced in their various religions.
Take India, for example. In India many people follow the religion of the Buddha, while many are Hindus. But because Subud is something that, you could say, encompasses and envelops all beliefs and religions, the members in India who are Hindus are able to receive the latihan in line with what is experienced in their religion. There are also those who are Christians and Muslims. They too experience in the latihan according to what has been received in their religion. Hence they do not feel jealous of one another and there is no conflict among them.
And in their view – that is, in the view of those who are Muslims, Christians, Buddhists, Hindus or are of other religions – Subud, the latihan, is very suitable for every one of them. So, it is clear that Subud is not a religion or a belief, nor is it a teaching or a theory, but it is an association of people who are able to receive from God a technique that is the true reality of the spiritual life. The way you receive is suited not only to your religion, but also to your nationality, your behaviour or whatever it is that you need. Therefore the Subud latihan will not harm your religion or your nationality or your needs or customs.
Here is another example: in a Muslim country – Malaya – four helpers opened people who wanted to join Subud, who were Muslims. The four helpers who were at the openings were from Singapore: one was an Englishman who was a Christian, another was Chinese and a Buddhist, another was Indian and Hindu, and the other, a woman, was also a Christian. They opened about thirty people there in Malaya, all of them Muslims. So the Muslims were opened by a Hindu, a Christian and a Buddhist.
Miami, FL USA - June 19, 1963
Code Number : 63 MIA 2
Brothers and sisters, perhaps I should tell you this: in Singapore there was a helper whom Bapak delegated to go to Malaya, to Kelantan, to open some people there. There were about sixty people to be opened. And the helpers from Singapore whom Bapak sent to Kelantan consisted of an English couple, a Chinese person who was a Buddhist, and an Indian who was a Hindu. The English couple were Christians. Before they went one asked Bapak, ‘How can this work, Bapak? I am a Christian, an English Christian, and the others are a Chinese Buddhist who speaks only Chinese, and an Indian Hindu. And yet you want us to open some Malays who don’t speak much English and who are Muslims!’
Bapak said, ‘Subud is not a religion, but a place for people who have a religion, so you don’t have to worry about that. Just go ahead and you will see what happens when you get there.’
When the helpers arrived in Kelantan they opened the sixty people, and most of them were able to move in the latihan. And once they were all moving, those who were Muslim prayed like Muslims and spoke like Muslims. Afterwards one of those who were opened asked the English Christian, ‘Were you able to under-stand what I was saying in the latihan just now?’
He replied, ‘I didn’t understand at all, because you were reciting Islamic texts, readings from the Quran.’
The Muslims who had been opened were completely astonished by this, ‘How is it that you, an English Christian, can open us Muslims, and what we receive is Islam? Truly, how does that work?’
The helper answered that this proved Subud is not a religion, but a technique for people who follow their respective religions. ‘And it also proves that what we have received, what I passed on to you, is from God alone and not from me – not from any human being.’ Those [Muslim] members could accept that, and they praised God that what they had received and what the helpers had done for them was truly in accordance with the Quran and the books they had studied, and that it was truly from the power of the One Almighty God.
Something similar happened in Tokyo, where most of the people whom Bapak opened and who were doing latihan there belonged to the Shinto-Bodhi religion, whose teachings are based on Shinto and Buddhism. When Bapak opened them they moved just as they normally do in their Shinto religion, which is an aspect of Buddhism. Eventually one of them asked Bapak, ‘How can this be, Bapak? After I was opened I moved just the way I always do. Does that mean Subud is the same as Shinto-Bodhi?’
Bapak said, ‘Subud is not the same as Shinto-Bodhi; but Subud embraces all beliefs, so because you belong to Shinto-Bodhi, you also receive that in Subud. And now that you have received Subud, you will continue to receive until you understand the full extent of the Shinto religion.’
Likewise, when Bapak was in India: he came to New Delhi and opened two hundred and fifty people. Many of them were Rishis and there was a Maharishi who had been practising samadhi [Hind.: meditation] according to the Hindu tradition for twenty-seven years or so. After Bapak opened them there were some who immediately, that very night, saw the Buddha in front of them. In India, people believe that if they are able to see the Buddha in front of them when they are in an empty state, it is a reality, and it is a grace. So after having that experience they asked Bapak, ‘Is this Subud Hinduism or Buddhism? Because it really fits very well with Hinduism and Buddhism.’
And Bapak answered, ‘Yes it is true; Subud fits very well with everything. In fact by being in Subud you will be able to find out the truth about Hinduism and Buddhism.’
This happened in other places too; even in relation to Islam. Bapak is a Muslim, but he is not an expert in the shari‘a [Arab.:] and he cannot recite the Quran. But Muslims who have truly acquired a deep understanding of Islam have said to Bapak after he opened them, ‘Is this Subud Islam? It is so much in accordance with Islam.’
That is how it is, brothers and sisters. This shows that Subud is a technique for all the teachings that people have received in their religions or in whatever movement they follow.
Maplewood, NJ USA - June 30, 1963
Code Number : 63 MPW 1
Because the will, brothers and sisters, whether ill will or good will – all kinds of will – really blocks the awakening of your inner feeling, which is able to receive something from God. Therefore you very much need a feeling of patience, a feeling of love towards other people, and a feeling of love towards God greater than your love of your own body and soul. As Jesus Christ said, ‘God will love you if you love God more than yourself and your own soul.’
Human beings do indeed need a patient feeling. This was demonstrated by the prophets; by Prophet Muhammad and the other prophets too. It is also symbolised in Buddhism by the Buddha, who is always shown naked, without clothes. And he looks in one direction only, like this; both his eyes are directed the same way. This means that people will be able to find their individuality – God’s power within their being – when they can make themselves naked by divesting themselves of their desires and their thinking.
So it is clear that Buddha’s nakedness symbolises being empty of every kind of desire, empty of all wants, and simply surrendering to God. The fact that Buddha looks in one direction means that he directs himself only to God. What this means for humanity is that human beings should direct themselves only to the One God. God is One for all, for everything that God has created, in this world and outside this world.
This symbol from Buddhism does not mean that for people to find God they have to be naked. No. It means that they must get rid of all wishing, and stop the influence of their desires, heart and thinking mind in the same way as you do when you do the Subud latihan. By doing that, you will be able to receive the contact with God’s power. And at the beginning you feel that contact only as a vibration within you, by which Bapak means that you feel a vibration in your whole body. This is a vibration of your inner feeling that comes only when you are empty, because in that emptiness there is the power of God, which in Islam is called the essence of God.
Tokyo, Japan - October 19, 1963
Code Number : 63 TYO 1
God helps and guides human beings, and God educates their entire individuality, if they are free of the influence of the desires, heart and mind. In other words, if human beings truly surrender to the greatness of God, that is when God’s power comes and that is when God’s help comes and can be received, as happens when you receive in the Subud latihan.
There are many people, not in Subud, who imagine that Subud also uses mantras. That is because there is almost no type of worship or way of worshipping God that is not accompanied by prayer-readings or mantras. Bapak knows what they all do. But perhaps they have forgotten that the gift of God, the grace of God, can be received by human beings only if they have become free of all disturbance from their desires, heart and thinking, as symbolised by the Buddha.
Why is the Buddha represented without clothes? It is because clothes and ornaments are symbols of the desires, symbols of the heart and mind, and they also symbolise the influence of the world. Therefore nakedness, being without clothes, represents a human being who is not influenced any more by worldly things, by desires and by the mind. Only in that state is it possible for a human being to receive God’s grace and to be able to know life as it really is.
So, it is clear that human beings will be able to receive God’s grace when they have been able to put aside the influence of their desires, heart and thinking, which always disturb the inner feeling and which are represented by the clothes that one wears every day. Indeed, that is the condition for human beings to be able to get something from God, to get God’s guidance, enabling them to understand life, both in this world and after death.
Oslo, Norway - September 7, 1964
Code Number : 64 OSL 1
So, brothers and sisters, the birth of the latihan is in fact a very great good fortune for humankind, and especially for all of us; for God has truly given us the opportunity to receive and follow whatever He gives us, without having to think about it. In other words, God gives us the opportunity not to have to think a lot, which means that we do not have a lot of work to do. For thinking about our soul, or working for our soul, means thinking about something that is empty. If you think about your soul and the path to God, it is like thinking about an empty house, one that has nothing in it, and the more you think about it the more confused you will become in there. And the result will not be that you find your way, but that you become confused and your thinking becomes unhealthy.
That is why the messengers said, ‘God exists.’
‘But God also doesn’t exist,’ they said.
‘Strange! Ah, it has to be; God must exist!’
It is very hard to understand these three statements. They say God exists, so why doesn’t God exist? And they say God doesn’t exist, so why must God exist? In reality what these three statements make clear is: ‘You do not need to search for God; what you need to do is to stay in your place, to stay still, where you are.’
The meaning of ‘staying still, where you are’ does not mean just sitting quietly. It means that the whole of you – your thinking, your heart, your feelings, your body – is still. That state is symbolised in Buddhism by the statue of the Buddha: that is how you have to be when you worship God; still, like that, not moving.
The statue moves when somebody picks it up. In the symbol, the One who picks it up is God. So, when you are really quiet, ‘Oh! Why am I moving like this?’ [Bapak demonstrates.]
You think, ‘I do not want to move like this, so why am I moving?’
That is it, brothers and sisters. Human beings receive a contact from the greatness of God when they are really still and in their place, and everything is still. You have received this, have witnessed it and become accustomed to it whenever you receive the latihan.
In reality – well, according to what we receive in the latihan, as Bapak has witnessed, and according to what Bapak has always received in his life and in the realm of the soul – there is no difference between one religion and another. It is the people who create a difference, not what is contained in the religions, not the religions themselves.
New Delhi, India - September 14, 1964
Code Number : 64 NDH 1
For there are two vibrations of life: the one is felt in the human heart when it feels anxious and afraid, and is the vibration of the feeling when it is influenced or driven by the low forces that exist within our self. In Islam that is described as the vibration of the shaitaniyya. The other – where the whole inner feeling is made to vibrate and leads eventually to a feeling of lightness – is the vibration of inspiration, called khatir ilham, which comes from the grace of God.
Therefore, this grace you have received makes it easy for you to worship God, because you are guided by God. So you do not need to search: ‘Where is God? Where is God?’ You do not need to do that; you have only to stay still, where you are. In other words, you do not search, neither do you refuse what comes; you just feel your own being and do not think about lots of things. You will then feel this vibration, which, with time, will go deeper and wider until it envelops the whole of your inner feeling. It is something you will be aware of spontaneously.
This state is depicted or symbolised by the statues of the Buddha, where he is shown not wearing clothes and in a state of quietness. He is quiet – well, of course he is quiet, since the statue is made of stone – but the meaning behind it is: ‘If you can free yourself of all the desires in your heart and thinking, and you can be still like this stone, only then will you be able to receive that there is a life within you that does not depend on your thinking or on the will of your desires.’ That is the reality it represents.
So the symbols in Buddhism, Hinduism, Islam and Christianity are all filled with good teachings, whose meaning is to explain that human beings should worship God according to the examples they have been shown. All of that has existed and people have been seeing it for years and years. But the more time goes on, the more people just see it, without being able to receive what is behind it, what its reflection is that they can receive within their being. They are unable to do that.
It may be that God has understood that, in these circumstances, people will go on and on not knowing the right way, and that is the reason God has given guidance to human beings. It is also told in the Vedas: that in every age, whenever humanity is facing something grim, a revelation will be sent down. The meaning of revelation is a gift of God that, they say, is sent down from heaven. In the Vedas, this revelation takes the form of Vishnu. Vishnu means pure, eternal, incisive, one who knows things that are beyond our thought.
Bapak is not saying that he is Vishnu. No, brothers and sisters. But who knows what you will discover later on, when you are able to receive it.
This is what is said in the scriptures; in the Vedas, the Quran, the Gospels, as well as in the Psalms and the Torah. It is all related in those books. And we have witnessed the reality within these stories: it is the latihan that you receive and practise. That is why we do not need a lot of talk in Subud. We do not need it. What you need is practice: doing the latihan.
Do the latihan! Surrender with patience, acceptance and a willingness to let go, as depicted in the statue of the Buddha. You will be able to witness the growth of your soul, the whisper of your soul that you receive through the guidance of God imprinted in your individuality.
In the latihan you start by receiving a vibration, which eventually takes the form of a kind of training where you are taught all over again how to walk, to move your hands, and later also how to move all your senses. The fact of the matter is that Almighty God is guiding, leading and directing the movements of our life in accordance with our individual capacities.
Calcutta, India - September 18, 1964
Code Number : 64 CCU 1
What blocks or hinders the growth of your soul is simply your own heart, which still feels hesitant or worried, or still wishes to find a way to speed up the growth of your soul and the latihan by using your will. That is why people who lived a long time ago – an example here was the Buddha – used to practise not being influenced by their desires and their heart and mind, and being in a state of peace and quietness, free from all kinds of wanting. Hence the Buddha is depicted naked and in a state of contemplation, which means uninfluenced by any kind of desire, emptying and stopping every kind of imagination. Only in that way can a person receive the whisper, the movement and the power of their soul, which can act as a teacher or guide for them.
What Christ, Muhammad and the other prophets did was not so different from what the Buddha had done. Indeed, that is the main condition for a human being – for all of you – to be able to receive the realities contained within your individuality.
Cilandak, Indonesia -May 1, 1965
Code Number : 64 TJK 4
The day before yesterday Bapak met some people; I will tell you about it. Actually Bapak had forgotten that there was an invitation from Pak Bardjo. Somebody came with a reminder at half past nine. Bapak was just enjoying a discussion. In fact it was about the asuhan, and I was speaking very seriously.
‘May I speak to you?’
‘Oh, what is it?’
‘Bapak [Subardjo] is asking you to come to Cikini.’
‘What is the matter?’
I was surprised; I thought Mrs Subardjo must be ill. I started to collect some paper and a pen in case I needed to make a rajah.
‘There is a reception.’
‘What is it for?’
‘The ambassadors of Iran, Iraq, Afghanistan and Turkey want to meet Bapak there.’
‘Oh, is that so?’
‘Yes.’
It so happened that Bapak had just returned from the mountains. He had already hung up his jacket, otherwise he could have kept it on and would not have had to put it on again. Never mind, off he went. He arrived there and met with these gentlemen from the Arab world.
These are real Arabs, I thought, and they will meet a Javanese who claims to be of Arab descent. I will be in trouble; they will make fun of me. When Bapak arrives it will be clear: ‘Oh, this is just an Indonesian.’ And they are bound to think, ‘An Indonesian? Who’s he? Indonesians are incapable of doing anything!’ That is what I was thinking; that was my mood.
When Bapak arrived, we all shook hands in the normal way. [Bapak demonstrates a perfunctory handshake. Laughter.] Then we talked. Eventually we touched on theology: what is the difference between this and that, that and this. Bapak answered all their questions, and it seems that his answers covered everything and they felt satisfied.
Eventually, when they were all about to leave and Bapak stood up, they shook his hand, but not in the way they did at the beginning. They held his hand with both their hands. I responded with one hand. What could I do? My other hand was holding a cigar. It is a pity there was no ashtray!
In fact there was an old man who had already shaken my hand, who then came back again. He asked for my blessing. Imagine: he asked my blessing for his well-being and that he should be able to worship God in the right way. ‘If it is God’s will,’ I said.
And then, brothers and sisters, he asked, ‘What is the difference between Buddhism and Christianity, Christianity and Islam?’ Bapak will tell you about it. Imagine being asked such a question! What would you say?
Well, I called on my dalang, ‘Please, dalang: it’s up to you!’
Bapak then replied that Buddhism is the result of what Buddha obtained, the result of his effort in practising asceticism. He put aside all his pleasures. For Buddha was the son of a king – Buddha Gautama, that is – and he put aside all his glory and all his pleasures, and eventually became an ascetic.
Why did he do that? Because he saw a thin, destitute person, all skin and bone, die at the side of the road. When he saw that, he said, ‘While I’m alive, I am strong like I am now, but how can it be that when I die I will be like that!’
It so happened that a dog was close by and started to gnaw at the corpse. ‘Oh, I see! While I am alive like this, nobody, let alone a dog, dares to approach me; first of all because I am the son of a king, and second, I have everything. But once I die I will have nothing. Then what is this life all about?’
He did not go back to his palace. He sent his clothes back with a letter to his father, explaining, ‘Father, I do not want to return to the palace. I shall continue my journey and I cannot say where it will take me. I am going to look for the true life. I was horrified to see a person dying, just like that …’
So he forced himself to practise asceticism, and he did it with an extraordinarily strong will. Through the intensity of his meditation and the length of time that he did it, he was able to find the power of his self, of his body – which is the ego.
God is Almighty, brothers and sisters. God gives whatever people ask for. In fact God gives before they ask. So whatever people undertake will come true as long as they are serious about it.
If that is so, doesn’t it mean that God encourages people to commit crimes? No, God is always just in deciding what should be given to human beings. As an example, consider a house owner and a thief. The house owner recites prayers that God might prevent thieves from breaking in. But the thieves are not outdone: they constantly go, ‘Bismi’llahi ‘r-Rahmani ‘r-Rahim’. They are always … [Bapak illustrates. Laughter.] They pray all the time: ‘Almighty God, please give me a way to enter this house safely. May the owners be snoring, with all their things lying about. May they have forgotten to lock up, so that all the cupboards are unlocked.’
All these prayers are answered. In fact it even rains, so the owner of the house, who would normally still be awake, is already asleep; and the cupboards haven’t been locked. It is easy to get in.
So, God gives equal measure to both. He gives to the house owner and He gives to the thief. So then what happens? Well, it depends on who gets it right: on who is conscious and who is not, as it were. In other words, nothing will get done if you do not do it yourself. Do not therefore pray to God to give you something and just expect to get it. No, you need to make an effort.
Paris, France - April 18, 1967
Code Number : 67 PAR 2
Therefore Subud and the latihan do not infringe religion. Subud does not go against religion in any way. On the contrary, it brings an awareness to human beings that makes them truly obedient to their religion and strengthens their conviction.
If Subud were a religion, there would certainly be rules, prohibitions and obligations in Subud; if it were a religion it would not be able to accept people whose religion differed from Subud. So Muslims would not be able to join, because in Islam, people believe in God by way of Prophet Muhammad; in Christianity, people believe in God by way of Christ; in Buddhism, people believe in God, in some way or another, by way of the Buddha, and so on. So how could they join Subud, since they all believe different things and the obligations they have established are specific to each religion?
Cilandak, Indonesia - December 10, 1968
Code Number : 68 TJK 5
For the followers of Islam the month of Ramadan is fixed for the observance of fasting, but the followers of other religions, like the Christians, have their own arrangements in accordance with the rules of their religion, because Jesus Christ, the Prophet Abraham, the Prophet Moses and other Prophets, and Buddha, also fasted or practiced asceticism. So it is clear that fasting or asceticism ( practicing prihatin ) is an obligation for the man who wishes to worship Almighty God, in order to attain purification of his inner-feeling and perfection of his jiwa.
Actually, it is easier for people to practice fasting during the month of Ramadan than for people to practice asceticism - that is to say, people who practice asceticism near a mountain slope or the sea, far from society, by not eating "unless autumn leaves drop into their mouths" ( Javanese proverb ). In your case, if Almighty God bestows His Grace on you, you will be able to receive His gift, even though this gift may not be so great and sublime as that received by the Prophet Muhammad.
Los Angeles, California USA - April 19, 1972
Code Number : 72 LAX 2
As for the latihan kejiwaan of Subud, brothers and sisters, Bapak has often said that Subud is not a religion. No for the religions are already in existence. Subud is not a religion, nor is there any theory or any teaching in Subud except that you should follow the latihan kejiwaan of Subud, which is in fact guidance and direction from the One Almighty God.
That is why every person of every race, to what ever religion he or she belongs, when he or she enters Subud and follows the latihan kejiwaan of Subud, he or she will receive guidance and direction from the One Almighty God in a way suitable to his or her inner nature. The inner nature is what one possess, one's capacity and also what there is in oneself. Thus there is no need for the American members to become Indonesians, no; nor do the American members need to be like Bapak. Also no. Bapak is Bapak ; you are you. So Bapak tells you candidly that Bapak is not an incarnation of Muhammad, nor is he an incarnation of the Messiah, nor of the Buddha. Bapak Muhammad Subuh remains Bapak Muhammad Subuh.
God does not lack for anything: that is why we call him the One Almighty God, God gives revelations and grace to everyone, as He wills, and what He gives to His creatures is not taken from anyone. No; God Himself gives according to His will and His power, for God is All-powerful. It is also only God who knows whether Bapak Subuh is like Muhammad or like Jesus Christ or like Buddha. No one else knows. Nor does Bapak know either; he simply leaves it to God.
Chicago, Ill USA - May 2, 1972
Code Number : 72 CHI 2
As Bapak always explains, because the latihan kejiwaan which Bapak has received and which he has brought to all the nations, is a gift and a grace from God, it causes the one who received it, Bapak, that is, to be able to know and understand and receive proof of the truths which have been received in the religions.
When Bapak says that, does it mean that there are no proofs in the religions? You yourselves can understand how all the religions which have come into this world, whether Islam, Christianity - both Protestant and Catholic - Buddhism or Hinduism, and which have existed for a thousand years and more have changed.
If you think about it, something that happened and which has been handed down for five hundred or even three hundred years, let alone a thousand years, will have changed. What causes it to change? It is not that God wishes it to change, nor is it God Who changes it, but human beings. The people who become believers and the people in charge of the followers of a religion naturally wish their religion to be more popular and more believed by its followers. This applies whether it is Islam, Christianity - Catholic or Protestant - Hinduism or Buddhism.
That is the reason why bit by bit the truth gradually begins to wear thin, so that what remains is only like a myth or a legend; it comes to be something no one can prove who wishes to prove it. The followers or adherents only believe; they just believe whatever is given out by their religion. Even though it has been altered and even though the truth in it has begun to wear thin, because people believe in it the religion really reaches the heart, the subconscious, so that people do not like and will not allow anything that contradicts their belief.
This is how it is, brothers and sisters, and so a great many followers of these religions are in conflict with one another. For instance, the Christians say the Moslems are wrong, the Moslems say the Christians are wrong, the Buddhists say the Hindus are wrong, the Hindus say the Buddhists are wrong, and so on. And this is the reason why people who belong to these religions, to Islam, Christianity, Buddhism and Hinduism, for instance, want to bring them together and unite them. But up to now it has never been possible to do this, and Bapak himself feels that it is not possible to do it. For each religion has its own organization, the methods of worship, the ways of bringing the congregation together and, in short, the whole arrangement is different for each of them. Although their goal is one, that is, the One Almighty God, yet their ways are different.
For instance, someone traveling from here to Los Angeles, can go from Chicago via New York, or from Chicago via Montreal in Canada. One can go from Chicago via Detroit and so on, but everyone is aiming to reach Los Angeles. It is like that. Thus the aim of the religions is the One Almighty God, Who in Islam is called Allah Subhanahu wa te'ala. That is what He is called in Islam. In Christianity one also says God Almighty. In Buddhism it is Yang Maha Dewa Yan Maha Bijaksana ( the greatest God, the All-wise ). In Hinduism He is called something else again. Thus each of them is aiming in its own way towards the One Almighty God. That is how it is, brothers and sisters.
It is the same with Christianity. Those of you who are Christians and who belong to the Christian religion will also receive instruction when they enter Subud, as if they were being instructed in Christianity, so that they will understand better what Christianity is and also what is the aim of their religion. It is also the same for Buddhists and Hindus.
One time when Bapak was in New Delhi, in India, he had the experience of opening a maharishi; someone who had been worshipping in the Buddhist fashion for thirty-seven years and who was already a maharishi. Then Bapak opened him. On that occasion Bapak stayed in New Delhi for fifteen days, and so Bapak did quite a lot of latihans with this man. Eventually, after he had done the latihan for ten nights on end, when this man was worshipping and doing the latihan, he suddenly saw the Buddha in front of him. He saw the Buddha there before him, with a light shining from his forehead, shining from the front part of his head. Then the maharishi fell down with his head to the ground and wept. Afterwards I asked him why he was doing that. "Yes, Bapak," he said, "I thank Bapak very much, for Bapak is indeed my true guru. For all the thirty-seven years during which I have been practicing my Buddhist religion, I have of course longed to see the Buddha, for according to the teachings of Buddhism it is enough if one is able just once to see a vision of the Buddha, and that is all. To be able to see him just once means that one is able to ascend straight to heaven. And now I have experienced this. I have really seen the Buddha, and that is enough for me. I shall still go on doing the latihan, but I feel that this is already enough, and there is nothing more."
Cilandak, Indonesia - November 24, 1973
Code Number : 73 CDK 14
. . . Subud is a body, a form, that can be composed of all the various races and also of all their various religions. Thus certainly the latihan kejiwaan of Subud is like their technique, their reality; it is the reality of the religions, the reality of faith and belief. Thus those of you who believe in dewas and the existence of dewas, or in Buddha, will later on be able to receive the reality in the latihan. Also those of you who belong to the Islam religion will be able to receive the true meaning of the hakekat ibadat . . .
Cilandak, Indonesia - November 24, 1973
Code Number : 73 CDK 15
By this means you will not then merely be following your religion, but will be able to know the truth of it. And furthermore you will not easily be deceived nor stray or diverge from your target. Likewise you who are Christians will presently be able to obtain the truth of what you have heard, of what you have been taught as well as what you have followed.
There was an instance like this when Bapak was in India. While Bapak was there, he does not remember the year, but he was in India some six or seven years ago, he opened a maharishi, or, if perhaps not a maharishi, certainly a man who had been a Buddhist for years on end, for he himself said that he had followed the religion of Buddha for twenty-seven years. And all the time he had been following that religion he had longed to be able to see the reality of the Buddha in his spiritual form, his spirit or jiwa, but his wish had not been fulfilled.
Then, after he had met Bapak and Bapak had opened him, he at first did the Latihan according to his usual practice of sitting still in a state of samadi or meditation.
Bapak then touched him and told him not to do the Latihan Kejiwaan in that way. Bapak bade him stand up, and then told him to surrender, not to think about anything and not to meditate. He obeyed and was able to receive; that is, he felt movement within himself.
This went on until he had done the Latihan on five days. In his view he was extremely fortunate, because in only five days he had been able to see, truly to see in his Latihan the form of the Buddha. It was like a statue, but with a strange radiance. Clearly then, although having the nature of a statue, this was also a sign that the one who saw it had reached a certain level. But he was fortunate to have seen its radiance already.
His joy and contentment then led him to say 'This is what I was seeking, because for me, Bapak, to have been able to see the Buddha once is enough for my whole lifetime.'
Then Bapak told him 'It is not really enough. You barely knew and could scarcely see the statue. That is to say, you could scarcely see whether it was living or not. Even though you have been able to see his radiance, if you have not yet combined with him, that is, if you have not yet become one with him or at the least had a meeting with him - it can be said that you have not yet truly got to the real place.' 'Oh, is it like that?' 'It is'. So he carried on.
This is just for an example. Although someone may be a Buddhist, when he has joined Subud he will be able to receive the evidence of what he has understood, of what he has followed and of what he has been taught.
Wolfsburg, Germany - June 14, 1975
Code Number : 75 WOB 2
Subud fits very well with everything. In fact by being in Subud you will be able to find out the truth about Hinduism and Buddhism.
Bapak has often told you about the member from India who had spent thirty-seven years in the study of religious matters, in fact he had become a maharishi after thirty years of practicing samadhi. But about three weeks after he had entered Subud, quite by chance Bapak was in New Delhi for a while, and one night after latihan, when this member was in a state of quietness and emptiness, he saw the Buddha shining before him. He immediately fell on his knees and worshipped.
Then he said to Bapak: 'Bapak, I thank Bapak very much indeed for his guidance and for leading me to be able to find what I always dreamed of seeing, that is, to see the Buddha in shining light.' Bapak answered: 'It was not Bapak who guided you, but God Himself Who guides you in your jiwa, so that you can know how Buddha truly is who is full of light.' And it is also the same for Subud members of the Christian and Islamic religions, including Bapak himself.
Brothers and sisters, Bapak says that this Subud is a latihan whose nature is willed by God to form a way which is attuned to the situation of mankind at the present time. In this present atomic era, men indeed have more faith in their own intelligence than in the blessings or inspirations which are given them by God, whereas in all the holy books, whether in the Buddhist scriptures, the Gospels, Al Qur'an or any other of the holy scriptures, it is said that human beings will be able to hear the voice of Almighty God and understand the power of God when they are really powerless in His presence, and when they are truly able to be emptied of the nafsu in themselves.
Malang, Indonesia - November 20, 1976
Code Number: 76 MLE 1
It is clear that full instruction has been available. There has been no lack of teaching. Everything is included in the lines laid down by the messengers of the One Almighty God, the aforesaid prophets. That is without taking into account the lines laid down by prophets such as the Buddha, the Hindu teachers and so on. Those too were also able to receive their books, if we speak of Buddha, Wedha and the others. Those scriptures were also taught to mankind. In fact the words in those books are actually very beautiful indeed; so beautiful that one feels as if those who taught these things were sitting every day in the presence of the One Almighty God.
Oslo, Norway - July 24, 1977
Code Number : 77 OSL 3
Brothers and Sisters, in all the histories of the world to find some group, or some movement, that is able to unite people of different religions and different nationalities - this is something that has certainly never existed before until this Latihan Kejiwaan, because in every religion there is a teaching which is limited to that religion. In other words, the Christians follow Jesus Christ, the Muslims follow Muhammad, and the Buddhists follow Buddha, and so on. So it can be said that each Messenger of God who has come before is, as it were, a local Messenger, local to that group, but doesn't embrace the other group which follows another Messenger of God. While this is so, how is it possible for men to be united? How is it possible for men to be harmonious together, if each one follows a path that is different and excludes each other? For this reason it has never happened before that it is possible for men, following different religions, and of different races and different nationalities, to exist together and to worship together in harmony. Now Almighty God has willed that we receive directly the teaching according to our own nature.
Woodstock, VT USA - September 12, 1977
Code Number : 77 WOS 1
No one at this present time has experienced what was experienced by the prophet Muhammad, or not yet. But nowadays people experience things differently. That is why Bapak thinks and feels that it is as if the people who say they are Islam are not yet like the prophet Muhammad. They say that they are Islam, but they still do the kind of things that are usually done by Buddhists. ( Note: This refers to what happens in Indonesia. )
The teachings of the religion of Buddha are, of course, different from the teachings of the religions of the prophets, brothers and sisters. Buddha was different from the prophets. Thus the Buddhists' way of approaching God or worshipping God or directing oneself towards God is an inner way. The meaning of inner is that it is being in the state or atmosphere of what can be called the dream-world, or something like that. But it is not like that in Islam. Islam, although not a state of the physical body, is yet one of the feelings; yes, it is a pure and holy feeling.
Well then, brothers and sisters, is this feeling truer and more real than the physical body? Of course it is. Reality means something like this. Your hands may be intact and complete, but if you have lost the feeling, the sensation, in your hands, as with someone who is paralyzed, what use are your hands? You Will not be able to feel anything that your hand is touching, so that if your hand touches something, and you are asked what it feels like, there is no feeling at all. Your hand is empty of feeling.
It is thus clear that it is not this physical body that is important, but its content. In Buddhism it is not like that. In Buddhism it is not the body and not the sensation and feeling that are important, but the heart, the emotions. The heart does not deal in reality. It is as if you make a picture for yourself of how it would be if you had ten million dollars, for instance, and how then you would buy a hundred motor cars, for instance, and how you would build or buy a house as big as the Empire State Building. Yes, it feels very nice if you picture such things, and you feel happy. So this is the emotions.
Rio de Janeiro, Brazil - October 16, 1977
Code Number : 77 RIO 2
Adam had two sons - Said Anwar and Said Anwas; and Said Anwar always followed in the footsteps of his father, which means that he always did everything according to the will of God Almighty - and from him descended the line of the prophets. But Said Anwas was not willing to follow what was the guidance of God, but always wished to follow his own will and his own effort. And, as Bapak has told, Said Anwas became very powerful and he was able to create a heaven and a hell. But this heaven and this hell that he created was not the real heaven and hell, it was only a shadow heaven and a shadow hell. And everything that he created was not from the power of God, not from the will of God, but from his own will, his own power. And up till now there is still this story, or this history, that Said Anwas exists in the world.
For example, Buddha. In Buddhism you never hear about anyone going to heaven; you don't hear about Buddha going to heaven. Because what is experienced in Buddhism is that you keep coming back again to this world. And this is what is also called reincarnation.
So, it is clear that what was achieved by Said Anwas, and by those who liked to use their heart and mind and their own power, is always limited to this world.
But it is quite different with the descendants of Said Anwar, because they were really able to go to heaven by the will of God Almighty. And that heaven was not imaginary, but was a real heaven that they could experience.
San Francisco, CA USA - December 1, 1977
Code Number : 77 SFO 1
Yes, God always allows human beings to do what they want and is always generous and merciful to them, so that eventually Sayid Anwas achieved what he hoped for and was able to live and never die. It is said that he will only die with the dissolution of this world. Then he changed his name; changed it for himself. He changed his name, and •Sayid Anvias was no longer Sayid Anwas, but became Sanghyang Sis. Sanghyang means god in the Sanskrit language. Then he changed his name again, to become Sanghyang Nurcahyo, because he was as bright as the noonday sun. This is how it was, brothers and sisters, so that eventually Sanghyang Sic or Sanghyang Nurcahyo gave rise to the line of the dewas or demigods. There were the dewas of earth, water, air and fire and so on.
These practices are still followed up to the present time in India, by the people who are called Buddhists and Hindus. There are also many followers of these religions in Indonesia as well. Thus it is clear, brothers and sisters, that there are now still people who practice meditation, samadhi, spiritualism, hypnotism, magnetism and so on.
Bapak does not blame them, because these are people who are taught to do that. But Bapak cannot say what will happen if they follow that example. Although Sanghyang Sis had so much power that he was immortal in the sense that he was free from aging, but would only disappear with the disappearance of this earth, that is the direction followed by the material forces. That is the death of the setans. The satanic or material world is not a low one, brothers and sisters. No; it is also a high one. It is high. That is why the prophet Solomon is said in the stories to have been the richest man in the world. Those dewas, those gods, are invisible beings. Thus if you wish to be invisible and not to die until the death of the earth, that is the way to follow. That is why there is no mention of a mi'raj or ascension in the story of the Buddha. There is no ascension, which means being called by God, when there is a meeting of the inner-self with God. There is no mention of that. In the time of the Buddha, Buddha claimed to be God. That meant that a human being was God, or that God was a human being, a Man-God.
Toronto, Canada - August 23, 1979
Code Number : 79 YYZ 11
That is how it is brothers and sisters, and that is why all of you, who are of various races and religions, can follow the latihan, whereas a tarekh, a tarikat, has to be studied in accordance with the teacher's instructions, and one is not allowed to do anything outside that. It is also the same thing in the religions. That is the reason why Subud is not a religion and it has no religion, no one religion, because it can be received by all mankind with all its various races and religions.
What is the reason for this? It is because Bapak received this under all circumstances. It so happens that Bapak is a Muslim, so that the time that Bapak received this, he received it as a Muslim; that is, by doing the prayers, the solat, and reciting what the Muslims usually recite. But besides this there were also all the other religions. For instance, Bapak danced; he danced in the way that the Buddhists dance, the way that the Hindus dance, the way that people of other religions dance, he also received what is taught in Christianity. Bapak received all of these. From this, Bapak drew the conclusion that all these religions are truly from God, and that they are really all one. There are differences in the way that this is organized, which is according to the person who receives it. That is why Bapak does not lay down any rules, or anything except just to receive.
Then Bapak went on to spread this to all the members, and this is also the way that you yourselves receive. If you are a Christian, you will receive what Christianity is and it is very probable that this will become really clear to you, and you will really be aware of the content of the religion that but some of the members, both Christian and Muslim, after having followed the latihan kedjiwaan of Subud, become highly developed in their religion, so that the Muslims really understand Islam and what is said in the Koran. Eventually they say, "If it is like this, Bapak, I shall not go on with Subud, because I have now come back to Islam and I now understand what it contains." Bapak's answer is that he does not forbid this, for the latihan kejiwaan of Subud is from God, and so long as they remember God, that is the end of the matter. As to whether you still need your religion, that is left to you, for all that depends upon your own selves. But in fact it is after receiving the latihan kejiwaan that you can really understand the religion of Islam. The main point of this is that it is Subud that opens the way for Muslims to understand Islam.
So too has Bapak received letters from Christians, who say that they are no longer active in Subud and the latihan because after doing the latihan kejiwaan for however many years they have been in Subud, they now feel that what they receive in the Christian religions true. Thus it is the same case as it is for Islam. So too for Buddhists. When Bapak was in India there was a maharishi there who had spent thirty years going deeply into Buddhism, going deeply into his religion. It was the same even for this maharishi, when he entered Subud, Bapak himself felt afraid ( to open him ) because he only looked at Bapak. But because he asked to be opened, eventually Bapak opened him. But all went well. It did not take long for him to start moving about in the latihan, and he stopped meditating. Then after about two or three weeks he saw a vision of the Buddha. The Buddha was radiating light. Then the maharishi said to Bapak that this was now enough for him, and he was not going on with the latihan any longer because it is enough for a Buddhist if he can just once see the Buddha in a vision. That is a sign that this person has achieved the fullness of his religion.
That is why Bapak tells all the members that Bapak does not object, brothers and sisters, supposing that any of you feel like that. It can be said that quite a lot of Subud members resign, and Bapak is not at all surprised. For of course, brothers and sisters, to receive wahyu ( grace and revelation ), to receive from God, is not something easy, but neither is it difficult, whether it is easy or difficult depends upon yourselves.
Sydney, Australia - May 17, 1982
Code Number : 82 SYD 6
This is the reason why Bapak always hopes that whenever you do the latihan you will always follow its movements freely and without restraining yourself.
Do not imagine that when you do not move that is good. Not at all. That is the fashion of Buddha, the fashion of stone.
So, in the latihan kejiwaan of Subud it is required that everything moves and comes to life.
Cilandak, Indonesia - July 6, 1984
Code Number : 84 CDK 11
Don't worry that Subud diverges from religion or runs counter to what is in religion, what is in Buddhism or what is in Christianity, because it is the same. What is in Subud is the same as what initiated the religion, what started the religions. This is why Bapak did the testing the other day with the international helpers and told them that they should feel how the other nationalities are, how other nationalities feel. This is essential for them to be able to do their work. This is what is meant by being a helper: to be able to feel what is going on in other places. And what is going on with other people. If Ian Arnold feels sick, Bapak feels sick. If Ian Arnold feels happy because he has a lot of money, then Bapak will feel happy.
So, Bapak is a reflection of the state of the world.
Amen. Bapak Muhammad-Subuh Sumohadiwidjojo