Coombe Springs, England June 30, 1957
Code Number : 57 CSP 3
The training ( latihan ) that you've been receiving, my children, is a necessary condition for limiting, for putting an end to, all the errors and mistakes experienced by your ancestors up to and including your own generation. These have in very truth caused you to have gone not just astray, but very far astray ( inaudible ).

That's why in religion it's very strictly forbidden to put one's faith in stones, in places regarded as holy, or in anything other than human beings, for surely human beings have to be given guidance by none other than human beings, since they have the same form and the same ancillary forces, too. Likewise the practice of trusting in animals is also said to be wrong. Because, if people really worship animals, when they finally die they'll inevitably become animals too.

The Hague, Netherlands - September 29, 1957
Code Number : 57 HAG 5
Life is indeed difficult, so if a man does not have a strong desire to become a person who is well known, wealthy or successful, or a person who is wise, he even becomes the opposite. That is to say, if his will to win is not strong enough, nothing happens, and he feels it's all right just to be timid. If this desire to become wealthy is lacking, nothing happens, and he has the feeling it's all right just to be poor. And if he does not become famous, he says he does not care, becomes discouraged, says he doesn't need to look for anything, and that it's his fate to be like that. And if he is not wise in seeking knowledge, he can't achieve it because, well, this upsets him, that upsets him, or because he is sick. Then after that there is not feeling well, - it's better to stay stupid as long as I'm safe and sound.

That really is not permitted. It is forbidden by the One God. Do not decide anything of your own will before it is willed by God, because in reality a human being who worships God does not want to say anything is certain, no; certainty is in the hands of God alone. So obviously, if what is desired cannot be obtained - like becoming rich - be patient, surrender it to God so that God will give you true guidance, which is right for your path in life, corresponding to your soul ( jiwa ). And not only that; God will give to man so that man is not merely happy in his life but happy in his body, healthy for example, so that his good health becomes the good health of his soul, and he can truly worship God.

Manchester, England - November 11, 1957
Code Number : 57 MAN 1
Man's thinking and brain should not be stopped or silenced. When a person's brain stops thinking, and when the will that is in his heart ceases to function, it means he is dead. That is why in religion, in Christianity as well as Islam, one is not permitted to stop thinking, to stop one's heart, and especially to stop breathing. If one does, it is said to annul or violate man's worship of God. As a result of these prohibitions, people generally, especially in religion, are obliged to perform only what Bapak usually calls the syariat ( prescribed religious observance ); that is, they only believe in God, so that they do not have to think too much. Besides not being allowed to stop their thinking, so they think and believe just like that, they are also forbidden to cut down on food and sleep, or to go off and leave society.

Indeed, this is absolutely right, and Bapak approves. God and His wisdom, God and His revelation, God and His greatness, cannot possibly be understood, and cannot possibly be felt by the heart of man. Nonetheless, people fear these prohibitions and are obliged to do what is usually done, that is, only the syariat.

However, Bapak can say that in this last century man has become a man of thought, a man full of knowledge, a man who can be proud of the greatness and extent of his ability to create things that are admired by other people. Since man's situation has become like that, and there is no evidence or proof to support his belief in God, it is as though he is getting further and further away from God's greatness. It is not that man does not believe. But there are no proofs to fortify his heart in the belief that God and His power exist.

Hence, the coming of something brought by Bapak was like a miracle. It was miraculous and wonderful for philosophers to discover that a human being could receive it, and so easily. Indeed, Bapak agrees with the inference and opinion of other groups who have not yet received this training ( latihan ), when they say it is really not some mystic lore or a path to God if it is received so easily. But they forget, or they cannot yet grasp, that God is the One God, God is more in every respect than human beings. He can give man a way that can open people and make their way to God easy, or confirm their worship of the One God. If we consider and feel it, perhaps this is God's will, because human beings at this time will not believe something for which there is no proof, evidence or reality.

Colombo, Sri Lanka - October 26, 1958
Code Number : 58 CMB 3
It is not because of God's will that the human body is valued less than everything that is beneath it, but due to the error of human beings themselves, who give more importance to everything they have made than they give to their own selves. Examples of this are jewelry, objects that are considered sacred like certain weapons, and so on - human beings believe in such things more and hold them in higher esteem than their own selves; while in fact they themselves made those things.

That is why the prophets advised: Do not direct your worship towards anything - especially anything material - save only toward the One God, by way of your own inner self, to which you must be attentive. Because, if a human being directs his heart towards an object or something other than the One God who envelops him inside and outside his being, he will be influenced by that object or by whatever he directed himself towards.

It is for this reason that, especially in Islam, the amassing of wealth and property - while not forbidden - is not considered necessary or a must, for fear that people with wealth will glorify, indulge and celebrate their wealth more than their own selves.

San Francisco, CA USA - July 7, 1959
Code Number : 59 SFO 2
And after Adam had come together with his wife, he felt that this union was truly an open way for his worship of God. So he said that the union between husband and wife can be an open way for both of them to worship God. On the other hand, when the union between man and woman is from the passions of the heart, and not from what is symbolized by the serpent in the tree - that is, from an awakening of the inner feeling from the inner self- then the union between man and woman will degrade them from their rightful status as perfect human beings and they may sink down, even to the material world.

That is why in every religion, people are - if not forbidden -warned not to indulge ( in sexual union ) from the desire of their hearts. For doing so without the awakening of the soul, without the will of God, means obscuring one's own path. It blocks our way to the worship of God, and goes against our own path, the true path that leads to nobility as a perfect human being. It was also said in the scriptures that your heaven is at the feet of, or in the lap of, your mother, or of a woman. This is a way of saying that woman was created on earth as a means for man to enter the right gate or the right path to his individuality. So in those times women were not only respected but also treasured, because they were a way that enabled men to worship God.

Garstang, England - September 20, 1959
Code number of Recording: 59 GRS 1
If someone asks Bapak: ‘Bapak, what is my destiny? What should I do? I am not working, and I cannot find any work that is profitable for me. At this time my life is really very difficult. What is Bapak’s advice for me? Should I do this work or that work? Or should I go somewhere else?’ Bapak advises the person: ‘[Go] here and here, and your work should be like this…’ If he is able to advise others, of course Bapak should know about himself too. He knows where he can get food. He knows. Where can Bapak find security? He knows that, too. Well, that is how you measure [your progress] in Subud. That is why Bapak hopes you will be able to know for yourselves the destiny and path of your life, so it will be true to say that Subud is for this world and the hereafter. We are able to live here; we are also able to live there. Here we can eat bread; and over there we can also eat, let us say, brod. [Laughter.] Such is the reality that exists in Subud and is God’s will.

That is why in places like Turkey, in Istanbul, Bapak has heard the state forbids spiritual teachings to come into the country. Why? Because, according to what people have heard, when spiritual teachings come they do not encourage people to work and take care of their lives on earth. No. On the contrary, when spiritual teachings come, many people just want to die quickly. ‘Oh, there’s no point in making a living as long as we go to heaven one day. Even if we are destitute here, what does it matter?’ they say. That is what is forbidden. Maybe at that time Subud would have been welcome in Turkey, because Subud isn’t only for seeking heaven, but also for seeking well-being on earth. It really is true that Subud can work for this world and for the hereafter.

New York, NY USA - July 4, 1963
Code Number : 63 NYC 5
The same applies if you are a doctor, engineer or lawyer. Say you are a doctor: if your soul has developed to a stage where its effect can be felt, then in your activities as a doctor you will always be accompanied by God’s power; so your relationship to God is like student and teacher. Thus whenever you are in difficulties, God will bring you enlightenment and clarification.

That is why, in Subud, you are not forbidden or discouraged from studying; on the contrary, you are encouraged – especially those who are still young – to study and to broaden your mind and your heart so that you can learn about everything human beings need in this world. And when you encounter difficulties you will be sure to get guidance from God’s power, which accompanies you and guides you wherever you are.

Briarcliff, NY USA - July 15, 1963
Second Subud World Congress
Code Number : 63 BCL 6
Question: What should we do if we are compelled to join the Armed Forces and participate in the fighting of national wars?

BAPAK: Brothers and sisters, human beings living in this world need to be able to organise their life. Regulations that are made by human beings are necessary for them. So laws and regulations that are established in a country in order to bind people together are made by human beings themselves. You yourselves have created such laws and so you have to obey them. Of course, you have not literally made these laws yourselves, because they were passed before you were born, yet they have been established by your own countrymen or forebears. So it can be said that it is we ourselves who have made them.

Laws relating to waging war and to the armed services have also been made by you for the purpose of strength, or for warding off or deterring any danger that might threaten you; so you must obey them since they are your own laws. It is true that in this you are represented by your country, but there is no country if there are no citizens. So you cannot separate a country and its citizens, because it is the citizens who create the country. Therefore, from the spiritual point of view, you are not forbidden to join the armed forces or do military service. It is not forbidden, because these are your own laws: human laws that are necessary.

In this way you will also avoid committing an offence against your country, and against the laws prevailing in your country. Again, laws that say that anyone ordered to do military service and who refuses to do so will be dealt with in such-and-such a way – for example, they will be prosecuted and may forfeit their citizenship – this too is something enacted by you, both what is binding on your society and what is not. In other words, it is your own doing. So you must obey the laws for which you yourselves are responsible. In this, neither Bapak nor Subud have any objection to you joining the armed forces in order to follow the call of duty to your country, as this means complying with your own laws.

For those of you who have not yet joined the army but are being called up, there are many soldiers who have joined Subud, and many Subud members who are serving in the military. Bapak says this only by way of illustration, for Bapak hopes that there will be no war; but if there should be a war, your good fortune is that you have received guidance from within. You may not know how the guidance comes, but usually it is for your well-being; at the very least it will show you how not to come to grief.

Briarcliff, NY USA - July 25, 1963
Second Subud World Congress
Code Number : 63 BCL 10
Question: What should we do about helpers or members who come to the latihan after having drunk liquor or taken dope?

BAPAK: Brothers and sisters, the latihan requires that you quieten and calm your heart and mind beforehand. Therefore, although it is not forbidden, it is advisable not to drink before doing the latihan, especially for helpers. In fact, Bapak would also like to add that it is better in general not to drink too much. Therefore, if a helper comes to the latihan place after drinking, and is drunk, it is better to stop them doing the latihan, even though they are a helper. The same goes for the members. So it is clear that it is best if a member under the influence of drink is prevented from entering the latihan place and joining the latihan, and is told to go home and sleep off his or her drunkenness.

Detroit, MI USA - August 1, 1963
Code Number : 63 DTT 1
We need the guidance and direction of God in trivial things, from physical things to finer things, from small things to big things. Then we will end up not only with a pure soul; both our body and our soul will be pure.

So, you will really be trained in these areas. That is necessary, as Bapak just explained, so that you are no longer afraid to pay attention to the concerns of this world. Do not be afraid of becoming wealthy; do not be afraid of having lots of money. Do not be afraid of eating delicious food. Do not be afraid, because all those things are part of what you need in your life. However, it is important that you understand the content of all these things you need, so that they do not influence your soul and your inner feeling.

That is why there are no prohibitions in Subud. It is not forbidden to eat meat, to eat this and that, to do this or that. There are not prohibitions like that, and indeed they are not needed. You are allowed to do whatever you are used to doing. You will be able to know the power of each of these different things and different foods that you need for your life, and you will be able to discover their influence on your individuality. So you will be able to examine them for yourself and organise them so that they do not disturb the well-being of your life.

Detroit, MI USA - August 6, 1963
Code Number : 63 DTT 2
It sometimes happens that someone who is unable to feel patient, accepting and surrendered, and who is in despair, cannot find any other way out but to commit suicide. They imagine that this will end their life, that it will be the end of everything. No, brothers and sisters; when somebody who is in despair commits suicide, it is like a string that has become tangled up and is then left that way. It is tangled and remains tangled for ever.

So for the person in despair who commits suicide it is not the end of the story; the suffering they were experiencing before they took their life continues to be felt, without limit. That is the reason why it is forbidden in religion for someone who is in despair to commit suicide, because that will hurt and ruin their life, their soul and their inner feeling. Also, such an act indicates that the person does not really believe in God and God’s power, and that they are also unwilling to take responsibility for the mistakes they have made while living in this world and those made by their ancestors that they carry within them.

That is how it is, brothers and sisters. But you will of course avoid such a thing completely; you will not consider it or experience it. Indeed, in the latihan you receive, God guides and leads you so that as a human being you can come close to God and always receive within you what God wills. This means that you are always accompanied and protected by God’s power. That is why Bapak continually advises you to do the latihan diligently, patiently, with acceptance and a willingness to let go. Whenever you do the latihan, just surrender to God whatever is happening in your life that disturbs you.

Los Angeles, CA USA - August 28 1963
Code Number : 63 LAX 6
God has designed the self of human beings. Besides taking care of their lives by using their thinking, their heart and their desires, earning their livelihood and providing all that they need for living, they have been given something that is the power of Life within them, through which they can understand and become aware of what their life really is and how it will end.

So if the women among you like to put on make up and wear attractive clothes, that is not forbidden; it is good. It is very important that you look after yourself and wear clean and pleasant clothes. But as well as that, you need to understand the meaning of a woman making herself look her best and wearing clothes that are clean and of good quality. With the latihan you will be able to understand the significance of the clothes that you need.

You will also come to understand why, in Christianity, when a person dies they are dressed in beautiful clothes. Sometimes you pin their medals back on, even though they are dead and cannot do anything. Actually that has a meaning, brothers and sisters. If it had no meaning, there would be no point in doing it. Its meaning is that a person who has died is not dead, but alive; and in their new life they should receive everything that they need. So, the signs of greatness that exist outwardly in this world certainly have their inner counterparts, their counterparts in the soul.

Bapak will make it clearer. After Bapak had done latihan, latihan, latihan, latihan, latihan, there was a time when he was doing his latihan, just as you do it, and he saw himself dressed, but – wow – not in these clothes. He was surprised himself, because he was wearing very beautiful clothes. Bapak asked himself, his own guru, ‘What does this mean?’

‘This means that I, my soul, has moved upwards, has received a diploma, has been given the sign of a greater soul.’

So, in order to find out whether your soul has grown or not, you will later come to understand the signs for yourself.

Los Angeles, CA USA - August 30 1963
Code Number : 63 LAX 7
The relationship between human beings and their heart and mind is the same as between a human being and a sharp tool that is useful for peeling or cutting whatever human beings need for their welfare. So it is very important for you to look after your heart and mind, to look after that tool. And when your tool is blunt and you grind and sharpen it until it is sharp, the purpose of making it sharp is not to kill someone or to stab someone in the stomach. No. It is to cut an apple or an orange, or to cut up something hard that you need for your life, whether for eating or for something else.

That also applies to handling your heart and mind. Do not use your heart and thinking to do something that is wrong, but for something that is really beneficial for your life. That is God’s will, as Bapak said earlier, hence the need for good works or al-amr bi’l-ma ‘ruf wa ’n-nahy ‘ani ’l-munkar; that is, using everything we have within us in the best way for the benefit of human life.

The same applies to the other parts of our body – to all parts of our body. Human beings should use them appropriately, which means doing whatever corresponds to each part. For example, the hands are for holding, for sorting things, for writing, for all sorts of things, but not for hitting people. Similarly, the legs are for walking, for running, for getting around, but not for kicking people. No. The same is true for your other organs.

Therefore if we use all our organs, or just one of them, inappropriately, that is a sin, because it is not in accordance with the guidelines for piety, for what is called al-amr bi’l-ma ‘ruf wa ’n-nahy ‘ani ’l-munkar. The meaning of sin is making a mistake; and it is certain that the mistakes we make will come and hurt us. It is just a matter of time.

That is how it is, brothers and sisters. For example, if a person hits someone and kills them, outwardly he or she will be sentenced to death by the state because, according to the law, a person who kills someone should also be killed or sentenced to death. When you think about this with your mind, it would seem that when a person has killed someone and been sentenced to death, the matter is closed. But do not believe that; in truth, the heavy burden is the eternal sin, the sin of the soul. Because a person who has been sentenced to death and is executed is not finished. No. They will be tortured without limit by their own inner self. You will be able to confirm this if you can test, receive and understand what is truly forbidden in religion according to the teachings of the prophets, of people who lived long ago.

It is those mistakes that keep reappearing within their descendants. Eventually, it comes down to a descendant who tries to cleanse his or her being; and inevitably that goes slowly, it is not easy and takes a long time. So the receiving that takes a long time, when it takes a very long time for someone to receive the guidance from God that they need, it is not because God does not want to give it, but is due to their own mistakes, which have piled up within their being.

San Francisco, CA USA - September 4, 1963
Code Number : 63 SFO 1
Certainly you will not have forgotten and you understand what is taught in religion. In religion – whether it is Christianity, Islam or other religions – human beings are not required to use their thinking to worship God or to understand where God is. They need only to believe that God exists and to have great faith in God. It is also very important that they can empty the desires that reside in their heart and mind, because that is the way for a human being to receive the contact with the greatness of God that envelops human beings inwardly and outwardly.

Because of this teaching in religion, there is a belief among religious people that if a person worships God through meditation – meaning that they do it with the maximum effort they are capable of, an inner effort using their heart and mind – it is not valid. ‘Not valid’ meaning that it is wrong. So when people worship God through meditation and concentration, using methods that are made up by people themselves, that is considered wrong; it is not allowed. That is what is taught in both Christianity and Islam.

It is indeed very difficult to find the truth as to whether it should be forbidden or not; but according to what we have experienced in the latihan, it is true that it is wrong for human beings to look for God. The reason why it is wrong is as follows: God is Almighty; God exists both within and outside of human beings. God preceded human beings and will bring them to an end. So before people existed, God was there; and at the end when all have disappeared, God will be there. And within human beings, deeper than anything else, in the very deepest part of them, is the power of God. On the outside, human beings see the universe; for example, stars and suns. But no matter how far away they are, God is further still. So it is clear that God and God’s power are deeper than anything else within human beings, and further out beyond everything that human beings consider to be outside. Therefore God cannot be sought, and human beings ought not to search for God.

Yogyakarta, Indonesia - October 29, 1966
Code Number : 66 JOG-1
There are Subud members in Europe who are traders, experts in buying and selling things. Before they did the latihan they would be driven by greed in everything they did, meaning that they wanted only to increase their wealth and make the maximum profit, irrespective of whether they were hurting the well-being and good fortune of others. But after they started doing the latihan, it was as if they received an understanding that it is indeed appropriate for a person to make a profit, for that is like a reward for what they have done, but it should not be too much. Just so much is a good profit, and that is enough.

It has been the same with other kinds of behaviour. For example, people who previously had a bad temper, or who found it hard to curb their self-will, once they started doing the latihan became more sensitive and more able to curb it. So much so that some of them found it hard to understand that they could have become so patient. People who were drunkards before they began doing the latihan found that their drinking gradually decreased, until they did not get drunk any more. In fact, there was something else that was peculiar for the people there, although not for Bapak, who is a Muslim: a person who had been used to eating pork, once he started doing the latihan found that when he ate pork he would vomit. He tried it again and vomited again and was ill. So he asked Bapak, ‘Bapak, is this forbidden in Islam?’

‘Not forbidden, but it is true: pork is not good for the human body.’

Of course, he stopped eating pork. And the others stopped drinking heavily. All these are members’ experiences. Bapak did not stop them doing these things; all he said to them was, ‘Worship God sincerely’. They received it for themselves. They were restrained by the power of God that envelops them.

After doing the latihan they also gradually experienced the same sort of thing with regard to their feelings, in accordance with their growing capacity. Bapak cannot know what God wills, for it is God who rules over him and over everything, but Bapak’s feeling and opinion is that the reason why we are trained and we receive little by little is because God knows how weak human beings are, so everything happens in such a way that we do not experience any damage to our bodies. So, there is nothing in the latihan that is forced. It is in balance with your strength that is growing and beginning to develop. It is quite different from the way the heart and thinking work; they focus everything on what they are doing in order to bring it about, ignoring the fact that between one person and another there are differences in their strength, their ability and their circumstances.

Cilandak, Indonesia - January 22, 1967
Code Number : 67 TJK 1
For those of you who are not Muslims, do not think that Bapak is saying this to make propaganda for Islam. No. It is based on the spiritual reality. We are trained to restrain our desires, and also not to deceive our inner self. Less and less will we be accustomed to pretence; whereas in general those who pretend are many, not few. A person who is very stupid claims to be clever. How can he do that? A man who is not handsome claims to be handsome. A woman who is not beautiful claims to be beautiful. There’s the evidence. [Bapak mimes something. Laughter.] It is not that pretence is forbidden in Islam, but that you need to become aware of it.

But then, what can one do? People do want to make their body look beautiful. There is a story about this. It is a story but there is truth in it. In Java it is said that there was a princess called Galuh Candrakirana or Dewi Candrakirana, a daughter of the king of Jenggala. It is said that throughout her life she never dressed up. In fact there was a time when she was said to be covered in ashes. That was the time when Galuh Candrakirana, also known as Dewi Lara Kuning, went to Andhé-Andhé Lumut who was choosing a bride.

[Bapak turns to a member of the audience]You know, Bono; you know all about the story of Andhé-Andhé Lumut.

Her face was covered in soot, so that she would not be chosen, but she was the one he chose. And why? It was because she was inwardly and outwardly honest. This is reflected in her name, Candrakirana. Candra is her nature, her state; and kirana means unaffected, straightforward. In other words she showed herself as she was. But why did she make an impression and touch the heart of everyone who saw her? Because what was in her soul showed through.

Is that really true? Well, let’s see: just a small example. The soul is normally said to be the authority or power that lies in a person’s individuality. Outwardly, this corresponds to the authority attached to the status of a wedana or bupati. When they are appointed bupati or wedana, because of the power attached to their function they acquire a kind of inner radiance. But this is the ‘inner radiance’ of their status. When they retire, it is extinguished. [Laughter.]

So, if that is the case, this radiance from within – or from your status, which can also enter within you – is the important thing. If you have that within you, if your soul is radiant and of high quality, when someone sees you they will not just be looking at your appearance and your features, but as soon as they see you they will feel at peace.

Planegg, Germany - April 28 1967
Code Number : 67 PLG 2
So the latihan is not like the kind of training practised by people or groups who use meditation and other methods, because practices based on meditation and other practices like hypnotism, spiritism, and so on, will deaden your inner feeling. So what comes alive is not your individuality but your heart and desires. That is the reason such practices are forbidden in religion and also forbidden by Almighty God. Human beings should not use such methods [to look for God], because a way that is right and can lead to God cannot involve any method or approach other than God’s grace. So it is God who will show you the way. And this is what you have received, and what has started to facilitate the encounter between your inner and your outer, between you and your soul.

God created human beings as a whole; not carelessly, leaving them to their own devices, but accompanied by God’s will that has been embodied in all the parts of their body. So once you have been able to receive the content of your hand, to receive the will of God that has been embodied in it, your hand will understand the path for its life. Here are your eyes, here are your ears, here is your nose, here is your mouth and here are your feelings; and the same applies to your legs and all your other parts, all the way to your understanding. God created humankind accompanied by God’s will, which has been embodied within them, as Bapak described to you the day before yesterday. With God’s will embodied within them, if a person is truly obedient to God and truly surrendered to God, their journey to God will be faster than that of the angels.

New York, NY USA - May 19, 1967
Code Number : 67 NYC 4
At times you will also experience – those of you who have been in Subud for a long time and have received a lot of purification; namely, latihan – that you meet an old friend, someone you were close to. When you meet your old friend you suddenly feel unwell; you get a headache, you feel restless, you feel anxious. Do not take those symptoms to mean that you are falling ill, or that you are sick. Feeling like that shows you that the friend you are with has a lot on their mind, they are depressed and sick. You can prove it is true, that you are not the one who is sick, because when you leave your friend you will find that you get better and are as you were before you met them. You need to understand this so that you learn to tell the difference between the way you feel after mixing with other people and your own feelings.

That is how it is. This is why, according to the messengers of God, angels … or even the spirit of one’s ancestors who have received God’s grace, cannot approach their own children who still live in this world. The reason is that their children are full of thoughts, they are full of desires and they carry all kinds of illnesses. The result is that the parents find it is impossible to get close to them.

But if the child is pious – if they have an attitude of patience, if they have been purified by God, if they have received the latihan as you have – their parents will visit all the time, they will always be close, and they will even give advice. In Javanese, this advice is said to be given in a miraculous way, it is given in a supernatural way.

In the same way, if you reach the stage that Bapak just mentioned, when you see a drink that happens to contain alcohol, you only have to look at it and your head will start to spin [gesture]. Feeling like that tells you that you should not drink it, because it contains alcohol and it will muddle your thinking.

It can also happen when you see food. You see some food: you only have to look at it, you have not even tasted it, but you get nauseous [gesture], you want to vomit. Feeling like that tells you that if you were to eat that food you would get ill; at the very least you would be sick and feel unwell.

This is what is meant by: ‘God has laid down laws; God has laid down rules; God has set dos and don’ts for humankind, for you.’ So knowing whether something is permitted or forbidden to you is there, inside you. This is very important, because then you will not be swayed by advice any more; instead you will act according to what God has put inside you. This is what is meant by the law of Allah, God’s law, the rule of Almighty God.

If you have not reached that stage yet, well … naturally, you will still enjoy alcohol and enjoy eating the kinds of food that religion forbids. And the only way you will prevent it is if you get advice; if someone tells you to stop. But, because you get advice only when someone gives it to you, if that person is not around, there is nothing to stop you doing it again. Who is to know? If you cannot restrain yourself, then of course there is nothing to stop you drinking brandy and eating food that is forbidden by religion.

Cilandak, Indonesia - October 27, 1972
Code Number : 72 TJK 7
Apart from the fact that you will eventually come to feel loving-kindness and will have a feeling of affection towards your fellow men, you will also know and be able to grasp how the nafsu go round and about in your inner feeling. In this way you will afterwards cease to be one hundred per cent controlled by the nafsu or used as tools of the nafsu or tossed around by the nafsu. But what is more you will be able to manage them.

And hence you will eventually be able to do things of a worldly nature, such as earning your living, running a business, keeping a shop, and so on, yet your heart and feelings will be full of love towards your fellow men. Thus you will not seek a huge profit when that profit would be harmful to other people.

That is why using money with the intention of getting a large interest on it, what is called money-lending, is forbidden in religion, forbidden by God; because in fact to do this really makes trouble for the person being helped, the person who asks for a loan or who borrows the money.

Cilandak, Indonesia - November 24, 1973
Code Number : 73 CDK 15
There is no need to go off to a cave, no need to be ascetic, no need to go and live in the jungle, where you might even be seized by a tiger. You can stay contentedly at home with your wife, or a wife with her husband. Much pleasanter, is it not? And you may eat, but don't overeat, don't take three platefuls at meal times. Don't do that. And you should be in a state of simplicity. That is why, through his simplicity, a man with a religion thinks it enough just to be like that. Well now, this also is a mistake. Seeking for God is forbidden, but it is just the same with not seeking. It is even being obstinate, even being wrong. How so? It means that if you leave it like that, that is the end of it. Don't do that. Let this be felt.

We are creatures with feeling, creatures with intelligence, creatures who can perceive the refined as well as the coarse. We are different from animals. Animals can be glad, they can. Animals can feel pleased, they can. But show their pleasure and joy they cannot. Where is there the animal that can laugh? If there was an animal that could laugh, it would be worth, not a rupiah or two, but maybe millions. It would be put into a zoo. If you are looking for an animal that can laugh, it is man.

So we must not just remain apathetic, we must not be like things. We should feel.

Cilandak, Indonesia - October 6, 1974
Code Number : 74 CDK 13
After you have practiced fasting for one, two, three, four, five days, and up to ten days, you will be able to receive and to know what is the influence of the nafsu upon you with regard to this breakfast. So in the end you do not need any breakfast but you can still walk, still write, still talk. Thus this fast is really very useful for training you to block off and check whatever you need to stop and that you feel is causing damage to yourself.

This next applies especially to the young rather than the old. Young people, of course, like to hold their wives in their arms, which is forbidden during the fast. You know how it is when you are with your wife and how it is when you are not. That is also training. But in fact it does not work out like that, brothers and sisters. Instead it is "Oh, if it is day, fast, but if it is night I do not". It goes like that. You must not be like that. It is as if you made a bargain with God. Even if you do it secretly, God knows. The Lord God knows what you do wrong.

Thus it is clear, brothers and sisters, that the fast is an essential condition if you are to be able to block off the force of the power of the nafsu that influence your lives and which can cause not only your life in the hereafter to become dark and obscure, but also your worldly life, so that you are unable to find your right way in life according to the will of God.

It is thus clear, brothers and sisters, that the fast is a lesson full of practical proofs, full of evidence, full of clear proofs. That is why the fast is necessary and is required by God, and it is the reason why people say "I am fasting for God's sake". But no; the fast is for the sake of human beings. The fast is just for the sake of the people who fast; that is, human beings. God wants nothing from human beings. God reminds human beings that it is useful for their own selves.

Cilandak, Indonesia - March 16, 1975
Code Number : 75 CDK 2
Not only is it clear to see but it is also the truth that the latihan kejiwaan of Subud or the nature of our Brotherhood of Subud is not a kind of school or teaching, nor can it even be called a religion, but the latihan kejiwaan is at the center of every kind of teaching or religion. Therefore, Subud members are not forbidden or prevented from observing the practice of their respective religions, so those of you who are Muslims, you still perform your religious duties according to what is prescribed in Islam. You are not prevented, nor are you forbidden to do so, because Subud is not a religion with the sort of rules that exist in religion. The latihan kejiwaan of Subud is something that brings you clarity and conviction in the practice of your religion.

Los Angeles, California USA - April 30, 1976
Code Number : 76 LAX 1
This is what changes everything that exists within the human self, so that people who formerly used to enjoy hitting other people, who enjoyed quarrelling and so on, no longer knock other people about. But they become quiet, peaceful people, honest people, better people. Those who receive this, if they are lucky, are those who fast in the month of Ramadhan, as Bapak said just now, or who have fasted for a full twenty days. Whereas you, who have not fasted, have received it.

That is what Bapak means by saying that you are truly blessed by the One Almighty God. What is the reason why you, why the Subud members, are blessed by God? Why not other people? Bapak himself does not know. That is what God wills. Maybe it is in accordance with the times. The present era, brothers and sisters, is one which there are many people who do not believe in the existence of God, many people who do things that are forbidden by religion, whether it is the religion of Islam, the Christian religion or any other. These people do things that are not right.

New York, NY USA - May 5, 1976
Code Number : 76 NYC 1
To have a physical body, you need food. But in all this, Bapak has not yet touched on the final one of these forces, which can be said to be the number one tempter for man, and again something that man cannot do without. It is the human force.

For indeed you may say, that men do not eat each other, men do not eat one another in the way that men eat beefsteak or whatever it is; and yet in a sense, they do. Because human beings eat each other in marriage, that is between men and women. But what they eat is not their flesh, but their feelings. You know very well, if you don't believe this, just consider for a moment how it is when a wife nags her husband. It is said that this is the greatest suffering, the greatest pain that a man can experience when he is nagged by his wife; and the reverse is also true. The pain that a woman experiences when she is berated by her husband, let us say. And this is because the two depend each other's feelings. And this is because in the relationship between man and woman, they indeed do eat each other's feelings or what is within them. And this indeed is always a temptation for man.

So that you see for example, a human being, a man who has already one wife, so let us say he has already the burden of one temptation, he still looks for another, and then for another, and then for another, so there are men who marry twenty times. But marrying officially is one thing, they even marry unofficially. In fact this is a subject which is something not nice to talk about, or let us say it is dirty. But how can Bapak avoid talking about it, since it is the reality of the human forces? That men sometimes even like to go out and have relations with prostitutes, or women who have no morality. Do not imagine that when men and women have sexual intercourse, that their influence does not touch the jiwa. Indeed that enters the jiwa, what a man receives from the woman, and vice-versa. So that while the material forces only affect the thinking, and the vegetable forces only affect the feeling of man, that is the feeling of the body, the animal forces go deeper than that to within the white blood of man's body; or in other words, to man's inner heart, what is called the "hati nurani".

But the human forces go straight to the jiwa. So that a man who behaves in the way that Bapak has described is completely lost, because his jiwa is filled with more and more dirt, or different kinds of influences; so that his jiwa, let us say, which started on the human level, it sinks and sinks and sinks; until finally, he gets the Jiwa of an animal, and next the jiwa of a vegetable; and finally, the jiwa of a material object, maybe a table, and after that, the jiwa of a floor tile, and finally the jiwa of a stone.

So through this behavior, through this temptation, his jiwa can sink from the human level back to a material object, so he becomes a material object. And this is why, in fact you must be aware, that women who are let's say, prostitutes, are forbidden by religion. In other words, women are forbidden by religion to act like that, and this is indeed something that we can also experience and know in Subud. But Subud is the one way that things which are ruined, can still be put right, that things that have had it, can still become alive again.

Toronto, Canada - May 17, 1976
Code Number : 76 YYZ 4
And the influence of the human force comes to man from woman. For example, what man gets from the animal world is courage, and his strength through his food, what man gets from a woman is consciousness which permeates and makes up his character. So this is why, if a man from India marries a woman from the United States, at the latest, after seven years of being married it can be said that the woman will have changed and will no longer be American but will be half Indian. And similarly the man from India, after seven years, he will no longer be an Indian but will be half American. And this is the meaning of what used to be called in Dutch, a half-blood. In other words, half from here and half from there. And if that man marries again someone from another race, it will be mixed again. So that from mixing one with another and another the consciousness or the jiwa of that man, let us say he originally had a jiwa on the rohani level, that jiwa will change, and it's very rare that the jiwa goes up. It usually changes downward. And it is even more so if the man, later, for example, at some time, engages in sexual relations with a woman of bad morality or a woman who is immoral. Then his spiritual consciousness will really suffer and will be very much reduced or ruined. So this is why in all religions it is forbidden to transgress against sexual morality. And this is why sexual morality is something very, very important for human beings to observe. And to achieve all this, to put right what is out of place within us, or to understand or to get to know what Bapak has just explained, just from listening to advice of other men or through the teachings that we hear from other people, that is impossible for mankind to achieve; indeed, to achieve it is impossible for man unless with the guidance and the help of God Almighty. But what can man do if indeed the guidance of God Almighty or the grace of God Almighty is something that is also so difficult to achieve? Because indeed man cannot do anything to achieve the guidance or the grace of God Almighty except wait for it. In other words, to wait for God's grace to be given to him.

Cilandak, Indonesia - July 25, 1976
Code Number: 76 CDK 6
When Bapak was in Singapore he met members from Kuala Lumpur who were of Sikh origin. In Kuala Lumpur, in Malaysia, it's quite forbidden, strictly forbidden for the Muslims there to join Subud, because Subud accepts people who are not Muslims. Plainly, then, Subud is not Islamic, since it accepts non-Muslims. It's rather the reverse with us. So times are now changed. This is called an era of progress, not the era of the camel any longer, but those people still believe it's as it was. So they are what was just now referred to as wrong, people ridden by nafsu and void of other content. We don't blame them, for that is how such people are.

There are other events, brothers and sisters, which are really illuminating. In France there is a shrine where, if sick people go, they are reputed to be healed. To this place came Mary, Mary who had died, the mother of Christ. Mary spoke to the people to whom this visitation came, telling them that eventually a Muslim would come to Europe, but a modern one, clean-shaven. Bapak has never had a beard or moustache. If they could grow, he would like to let them, but they would come out sparse, so he goes on shaving. Mary said that eventually a Muslim would come, without beard or moustache and dressed in modern clothes, just like these, only at the moment Bapak isn't wearing a tie. This man would give Christians guidance and show them the way, the true way.

'But', said Mary, 'You mustn't make this known now. If you talk about it now, you will go mad.' Among those looking after the shrine were two women. One of them did talk about it: she went mad and then died. The other didn't dare to speak about it until the present day. Erling Week had knowledge of this.

That's how it is, brothers and sisters. Thus our surrender to God is so simple that, as at the time you receive the latihan, not only can it be believed but it really has to be believed, for it is indeed the only way.

Bristol, England - June 29, 1977
Code Number : 77 BRS 4
If you happen to be a merchant and you are selling some things, if you act in a way that makes things difficult for the buyer - in other words if you act like a profiteer or someone who takes too much profit for himself - then that is not right. If you are able to know the right measure or attitude as a merchant, you will fix your profit at just the right level. It is true that as a merchant your aim is purely to make a profit; but if you have once received the guidance of God within you, you will be aware of the amount of profit you can allow yourself, so that not only you profit, but the one who buys from you also profits. And just as you feel happy in making your profit, the buyer will feel happy because he knows that he has got a bargain. This is actually very important because this is the effect of the guidance of God within us.

In religion the same thing is taught. We are taught not to be profiteers if we are, for example, in the field of merchandising, or merchants. We are taught that we should not take a profit that is greater than what is right. In Islam, for example, profiteering or usury is actually a sin or forbidden. In religion this is only a rule - this is only something that people say - but for us in Subud this arises spontaneously within us so that, at the moment when we are selling something we will be aware not only of our need as a seller, but we will also be conscious of the feelings and the needs of the buyer. In other words, we acquire a much wider awareness of the society around us, so that we will then be businessmen who truly have a feeling of social responsibility in what we do.

Hamburg, Germany - August 6, 1977
Code Number : 77 HAM 3
There is a saying in the Javanese language which normally people do not understand unless they are experts or have a real understanding of spiritual matters - and what this saying says is that the one who has received the revelation of God Almighty, he is the one who is truly wise, and he is the one who can truly understand things that are in the realm of the miraculous. So what we receive in the latihan kejiwaan is entirely in the hands of God Almighty. It is quite possible for a helper who is maybe not yet a long time a helper, to receive a revelation or the grace of God Almighty. This may be a helper who is just at the local level, but thanks to God's revelation, he is suddenly able to acquire a real wisdom and understanding; while it is possible that helpers who are already doing the latihan for a very long time, and are already sitting at the regional or national level, have not yet received such a revelation from God Almighty.

Because of this, and because we cannot know what Almighty God will give to each of us, the helpers ,therefore have truly not to have a feeling of being higher than each other or lower than each other, but simply to wait together for God's grace and God's blessing for them. This is the reason why in the spiritual, in the kejiwaan, it is absolutely forbidden to have a feeling of being higher, of being above other people. This is what is referred to in the spiritual sense as Tokkaburr, especially in Islam. It is a quality where people like to make claims or to determine that such-and-such will happen in the future, although they are not quite sure yet whether it will happen or not. In other words, people who like to 'show off'. This is something that is absolutely forbidden in religion. The corresponding term in Dutch, maybe you know it, is forbarrer: those of you who can speak Dutch - forailich - premature. So this is something that is very much forbidden in religion. The reason why ,this is so much forbidden in religion is because a feeling of pride or a feeling of being higher is truly an enormous obstacle or barrier to receiving any kind of grace from God Almighty.

This is why - Bapak again reminds you now, repeats once again - that in your situation as helpers you must not ever have a feeling of being higher than another, or something like that. That is why the question of spiritual degree among helpers is a great secret which we never think about or discuss because, actually, as helpers we are all equal, all on the same level, all equally high and equally low.

Barcelona, Spain - August 27, 1977
Code Number : 77 BCN 2
It is true that what Bapak is talking about is what is usually referred to nowadays as sex, but this fact - that is, the union of man and woman - is actually the basis or the most important thing in the life of man, because it is the cause or the motive for a man to work hard. In other words, the thing that makes a man willing to work hard in life, and to wish to achieve something in life, is his wife. And through his wife he will receive children. So it is clear that the fundamental or the foundation of man's life in this world is the union between man and woman. A man will not strive to achieve in life unless because of the needs of his wife and his family. That is the reason why, in religion, it is very strongly forbidden for a man to have sexual relations with women of bad character, or something like that; and also it is very much forbidden for a man to have relations with a woman other than the woman who is his wife, because if he does that he will not be able to obtain the reality of the union of man and woman, such as Bapak has described. That is why Bapak advises us Subud members now who have received the Latihan Kejiwaan - from now on, whenever we experience, whenever we have a union with our husbands or wives, that we should, at that moment not bring into it any form of thinking or any problems or anything at all that we have, but rather to put aside completely everything other than just to be aware of the power of God and to be aware of ourselves exactly as when we are doing the Latihan Kejiwaan. If we can do that we will, sooner or later, be able to receive the proof of the reality of the union of the jiwa. That is, as a result of the union, at the moment of the union and afterwards, we will experience a satisfaction which we cannot compare with anything else in this world. From that feeling which we get at the moment of the union of the jiwa, there will arise a true feeling of love between husband and wife, so that they will feel completely united and this will make their life together completely hharmonious.

Huntington, New York USA - September 10, 1977
Code Number : 77 NYC 2
Bapak has, of course, often explained about drinking hard liquor and taking drugs. So far as possible, these things should not be done in Subud. That means that you should not make a habit of them. So as to get out of such habits, people should accustom themselves to reducing them little by little. But all that is up to you and to your own wishes, for, as ordinary human beings, we wish to be free to follow our own will. But because Subud is a body of people who do in reality worship God, we should as far as possible avoid things which cause the self to degenerate, and which also hinder the smooth running of the latihan kejiwaan and are very bad for the health.

That is why Bapak says that we should make it a rule as far as possible to avoid drinking alcohol, strong drinks and continuing to use drugs and so on; practices which are very deleterious to your selves. But that is all. There are no sanctions, so that people who do not observe these rules are barred from membership; of course it cannot be done like that. For this is like it is in the religions themselves; Christianity forbids people to drink strong drink, and it also forbids them to take drugs, and so does Islam, but people who profess these religions still do these things. Thus no action can be taken about this. That is why the members are only advised, only asked to fall in with the helpers advice, with Bapak’s advice, that is that they should as far as possible refrain from these things. And the way to prevent is to cut it down and down and down, little by little. This explanation has already appeared in the Pewarta Kejiwaan Subud, and there is also a special letter which Bapak addressed to all the members.

In the teachings of the Holy books it is only forbidden to do anything that will be harmful to health. Thus strong drinks and drugs and narcotics are not specifically mentioned there, because at that time they did not yet exist, so that they could not be mentioned in the Holy books. But people who follow a religion will of course make some such prohibition for themselves, so as not to cause damage to the followers of that religion. Thus it is clear that they wish their followers always to be in a good state.

Christchurch, New Zealand - January 18, 1978
Code Number : 78 CHC 4
if you follow the way of Sayid Anwas you will come to a dead end. So Bapak leaves it to you as to which way you choose. But, if you can avoid it, you should not choose that of Sayid Anwas, but choose the way of Sayid Anwar, who worshipped in a pleasant and easy way, and still remained an ordinary, normal human being. Like Bapak here; Bapak is called a spiritual expert, yet he still wears a tie. Well, what is the reason for this? A tie does not mean anything. Here it, is it cannot do anything to Bapak.

Well, Bapak is an ordinary man. Thus Subud does not forbid Subud members to wear any particular kind of garments. Wear whatever you possess. You may do that. And eat well, brothers and sisters; eat good food. You may do that if you can buy it. It is not forbidden. Thus nothing is forbidden, except that you should not do anything that is wrong. It is just that. Thus you must not be afraid of God, but be afraid of doing things that are wrong.

Cilandak, Indonesia - March 5, 1978
Code Number : 78 CDK 2
Thus the setoniah or material forces are your friends and companions. Yes. It you had no setans, you could not live in this world. Well, what are those setans This ( the table ) is a setan brothers and sisters. Well, then;I am holding this setan, this material object. Before ever Bapak knew about it or had heard about it, Bapak understood that there is life within every material form that exists. Bapak knew that. Thus there is life in rocks and stones. If you really look into a stone, things are spinning round, moving. That is the reason why there is movement in the Latihan Kejiwaan. So human beings worship God with movement. That movement means life.

That is why it is forbidden for people to turn towards a stone, a valley, a cave, and even more so to other things. It is forbidden, and it is a culpable act. Turn towards your own self; your self provides the one and only way to follow which will lead you to the perfection of life. But be careful, for you are inwardly filled with obstacles which are not easy to avoid; that is, the material forces. You can only build a house because of material forces. Could you build a house if there were no material things? You could not. Actually nothing could be done if there were no material things, brothers and sisters. We could not have this meeting here this morning, for none of you would have any clothes to wear. Who wants to sit next to someone who has no clothes on? Well, I would not like it. If you like it, that is up to you.

Tunbridge Wells, England - September 16, 1979
Code Number : 79 TBW 1
Brothers and sisters, in the tarekh, in religious teaching, there is everywhere - whether inside or outside England and in Indonesia itself - the kind of teaching which teaches people the way to understand the road to God by doing it yourself, through prihatin or self-denial, which means giving up pleasure. Sometimes people leave their wives and children. They believe that all this is necessary in order to get rid of the influence of the nafsu, whereas these nafsu are in the heart and mind, and how can human beings get rid of their hearts and minds? If they can get rid of their hearts and minds it means that they become stupid; silly, foolish people who can do nothing. They are passive in every situation. That is strictly forbidden by the One Almighty God. You must not be like that. For human beings to remain human, they have to possess these things; kuasa ( power ), kersa ( will ), rasa ( feeling ) and hidup ( life ).

Human beings must not be like animals, so that once they have eaten and slept with their wives or husbands they then call it a day. They go to sleep at night and next morning they start anew. Thus no question of calculation arises at all in their lives.

To live like that is not permissible; that is not the will of God. Human beings should be able to live through constant calculation concerning their lives. God Himself does that. If God does that, it means that God also calculates His power. If He did not, this world Could not exist. It is obvious, brothers and sisters, that it is because God really does calculate their orbits precisely that the earth and other planets can travel in an orderly and well-regulated manner, and not run into one another. If God does this, then why should not human beings do it? That is why religion firmly forbids people to be lazy. They should do everything that they have it in them to do. The eyes can see, and they should be made to see. Seeing sharpens the eyes. The ears too have to be made to do what they ought to do, and so on, up to the mind. Make your minds work, in order to make them as sharp and keen as possible, so that you can know what human life in this world is like.

That is God's will for mankind, so that human beings will be really human; that is, be what is called tritunggal, three-in-one, or kuasa, kersa and rasa. In the tarekh, as Bapak has just said, brothers and sisters, it is generally said that if you get to the top level, reach what in Dutch is called the toppunt, the top point, you will reach a point of nullity, which means there is nothing. If you have reached that point, that nullity, it is there that you will be able to hear the whisper of guidance from God, the whisper of guidance from the jiwa. That is what is taught in the tarekh, brothers and sisters. Thus the various tarekhs are teachings which lead to nullity, to emptiness and nothingness, whereas for us this is something that you have experienced each time you do the latihan kejiwaan, brothers and sisters. Why is this? It is because this is from God. It is thus clear, brothers and sisters, that there is no need to go looking for God, and human beings cannot seek Him unless He grants them His grace; that is, unless He grants them what is called wahyu. This is how it is. So this is how it was for the prophets - for the prophets Abraham, Moses, Jesus Christ, Muhammad and the others - their wisdom did not come to them because they sought it or strove to attain to it, but it came from the One Almighty God. And what are the conditions for this to happen? Only surrender with patience, trustful acceptance and sincere submission to God. This is how it is. This is the necessary condition for human beings, and it is very important for them in order to be able to receive the blessing of God, and so that all their cleverness and skills can be purified and cleansed of the influence of the nafsu. When that has been accomplished, one can know clearly what has been received from God. That is what Bapak was saying just now about finding the spring, the source of life, the source of civilization and culture and of everything you need.

Cilandak, Indonesia - February 16, 1980
Code Number : 80 CDK 2
Now for the question about abortion.

Sharif reads from the letter.

BAPAK: No, that it is not right. Nor is it right to have an illicit relationship. Thus if there are women who have abortions, it is the doctors themselves who are at fault, why do they do it? Because this is a question of money, and the money, in short, blinds their eyes, so that they can justify something wrong and regard something unlawful as being lawful. This is also forbidden in religion. Furthermore, the results can be serious for the woman who has the abortion. If she is not properly looked after the results can be bad.

Sri Lanka - March 20, 1981
Code Number : 81 CMB 4
Now Bapak also says that the reason why an expectant mother some times has cravings - she wants to eat this or to eat that - is actually the wish of the baby. The baby's feeling is still very sharp; it is still very strong. It is so strong that the baby can put its wish into the heart and mind of the mother in this life. This is the nature of the life that we live with the jiwa, that we are able to penetrate into the heart and mind of somebody else. This is actually something which you will experience and should experience through the latihan kejiwaan. As you progress in the latihan kejiwaan, eventually you return to the state of a baby in the mother's womb, so you will be able to project or to put your thinking into the thinking of somebody else.

Brothers and sisters, this is why in every religion we are forbidden to have a feeling of hatred towards other people. The reason for this is that our hatred, even if we do not speak about it, can be felt by somebody else. This is why not only should we not have bad feelings and bad thoughts about other people, but even more we are not allowed to say bad things of other people. Even more, we are not allowed to do bad things. As people who experience the latihan kejiwaan, you should more and more be careful about what you feel about other people and what you think about other people. For even if you do not speak about them, your thoughts and feelings can penetrate and affect the person. The person can feel what you are feeling.

Wolfsburg, Germany - April 23, 1981
Code Number : 81 WOB 1
This is the usual way people live who worship God, whereas for Subud, or for you Subud members who practice and follow the way of the latihan kejiwaan of Subud, you are still whole and complete human beings who continue to work and to enjoy various pleasures, so that the Subud members feel that nothing is forbidden to them in Subud. But there is sometimes a danger for the members themselves, the Subud members, in such an ease and normality. Because there are no prohibitions, the Subud members themselves tend to do as they please. Thus if they do as they please, it means that those Subud members are influenced by nafsu. Yes, that is what Bapak says is the danger. That is why it is very necessary for Subud members to be careful and watchful. It means that your seeing is affected by the dangers inherent in your seeing and your hearing by dangers from your own hearing. So too with your speaking; your speaking will endanger your own speaking, and so it goes on, so that your thoughts will endanger your own thinking. This is something Which it is not easy to analyze or to separate out and examine. That is why, brothers and sisters, Bapak always says that you should surrender everything to the greatness of the One Almighty God which envelops you all both inwardly and outwardly, for it is God alone Who can set aside all the obstructions in your lives and Who can put right all the things that are wrong.

What is the reason for this? It is because the power of God surpasses everything that He has created; that is, the whole extent of the universe and all that it contains. This is how it is, brothers and sisters, and this you have proved for yourselves. You have witnessed it for yourselves at the time of your opening and each time that you do the latihan. That is why you are conscious in doing the latihan, brothers and sisters, but you cannot prevent what is happening in it. You are conscious of thinking, but you cannot prevent it. Thus it is clear, brothers and sisters, that you can be separated from the influence of your minds, which are full of the nafsu which always hinder your inner-feeling in worshipping the One Almighty God. It is like what is symbolized by the rising of the sun at dawn, whose rays automatically cause the morning mist and dew to disappear. It is no use telling the mist to go away or willing it to go, but the rising of the sun will disperse it automatically. This is a symbol of the power of God, for When The Power Of God Shines Forth the influence of the nafsu is automatically swept away.

Sao Paulo, Brazil - May 28, 1981
Code Number : 81 SAO 2
All over the world there is a tendency or idea so deeply ingrained in people, that it is inappropriate for people or groups interested in spiritual matters, to engage in business, trade or things like that. This idea is so very deeply ingrained that it is quite difficult for people to understand that, in Subud, things are exactly the opposite.

In Subud we can worship God in our everyday lives, in the things we do every day. By doing business, by working, we do not endanger our spiritual progress. We do not draw away from God. For we are, when we do these things, actually in latihan: we are accompanied by the Power of God because the Power of God is within everything. It is within all our organs, within our hands, our feet, our mouth, everything. This is exemplified by Bapak. You may imagine that Bapak when he is talking to you like this is not in latihan. But in fact Bapak is in latihan. This is Bapak's latihan. And Bapak doesn't want it to be that only Bapak is like this: it should be all of us for whom this is true. If we can really put this into practice, then there is no longer for us anything that can be called "forbidden". The word "forbidden" itself disappears. The same with the word, "inappropriate". Such words are no longer in our vocabulary.

For the important thing for us is simply, Is what we are doing right? What is right or wrong comes back to our own self. The rightness or wrongness of anything depends on our own self: because within our own self is the Power of Almighty God.

This is really how it is: right and wrong are within our own self because we have God's Power within that self. And because of the Power of God within us, we are able to worship God and do God's Will right in our ordinary everyday activity, like this. Some people have this idea that something that is "holy" is something outside of you. So, for instance, you go to what is called a "holy place". People are usually enthusiastic about going to places they consider holy, like churches or shrines or old tombs or things like that. And they say, "Oh, yes, there is an angel who lives there. Bapak tells you that this is completely wrong. On the contrary, it is those places where the devils are always sitting about. The Power of God - or, in other words, the angels - is something that is with us when we are working in our ordinary lives, wherever we happen to be - like here, now. This ( Bapak gestures ) is what is holy - not those places people imagine.

Los Angeles, CA USA July 22, 1981
Code Number : 81 LAX 1
( Testing )

God does not forbid you to work as a film star or as a dancer as long as your behavior does not deviate from what is right, from what is God's will, and from what is human. Because it is equally forbidden - supposing you are doing some-very "respectable" type of work - if at the same time you deviate from what is God's will, from what is human in your behavior, this is equally bad.

If you can stick to this, you will truly possess a nature that can be described as Susila, Budhi, Dharma.

Melbourne, Australia - May 7, 1982
Code Number : 82 MEB 4
God has given man everything he can take, according to his capacity. However, man receives it with his passions ( nafsu ) which cannot save him, but only cause turmoil and suffering in his life. The proof can be seen in the fact that now that man has invented nuclear weapons and wants to destroy them, he is unable to do so: he is in danger whether he throws them away, keeps them, owns them or uses them.

Clearly then, all this is man's own fault. God always provides for man because God loves man, and now it is man's own fault that he is in a situation where the weapons are taking over control. Made by man, they now threaten him with destruction. That's why, brothers and sisters, what we hope for is that you will all be able to spread the latihan kejiwaan of Subud which will enable man to distinguish between good and bad, right and wrong, and to be aware of what is destructive. Knowledge is necessary for man; it is important for our lives, it enables us to cover long distances in a short time. Man has achieved this through using his intelligence. Man needs to use technology so that people will prosper in their lives in society. This helps to explain the great importance of the latihan kejiwaan of Subud, to enable people to know how far they are allowed to go and what is forbidden by God, learn to know what is permitted ( halal ) and what is proscribed ( haram ), in respect of human actions in this world.

Toyko, Japan - June 7, 1982
Code Number : 82 XTY 1
Normally, meaning from the oldest times until now, the spiritual could not cooperate with the material, or heaven was not able to work together with hell. But now it is God's Will that heaven and hell should work together and that the spiritual and the material should be able to cooperate. The proof of this is in the latihan, where we learn that at the same time as we walk, we can pray. We are able to work, to write, to do all sorts of things with the power of God, with God. God is working in the world, not only in the hereafter. But in the olden days and until today, it was not like that, and not only over there but here in Java, it is the same. It is forbidden for someone who worships God to work in the material because then he will forget about heaven. This has the effect that the rest just go on and on only paying attention to this world, with the result that we have now, as people finally end up making atom bombs and nuclear weapons to annihilate mankind. But from now on it is not like that. Now it is God's Will that there should be cooperation between these two so that man's understanding should become aware that God is not only there in the hereafter, but here also in this world. Normally, all this is done by the priests, isn't it? "A11 your mistakes can be forgiven by God through the intermediary of the priests or kiyai. But not any more. Now the ordinary people have contact with God, because God considers that the priests and the kiyai have not done their work right. This is because apart from those who are full time in the church they regard everyone else as civilians, as observers only, while the "officials" who deal with God are the priests. It is the same with the people in the mosques.

In Christianity it has already been said that Christ has already come down to earth. This is not Christ that you see in the pictures, for he has come down to human beings at this time and this ( latihan kejiwaan ) is the reality of it, and Bapak is the intermediary.

In Islam, it's the Imam Mahdi. Now he has already come down to earth but people misunderstand, they ask: "Where is the Imam Mahdi?" There is no one! All of you are the Imam Mahdi! All is already clear in the latihan kejiwaan of Subud. That is why there is no latihan anywhere like this latihan kejiwaan of Subud.

This is why Bapak has to keep traveling around, has to keep giving advice over and over again because there is still always misunderstanding; but in fact we can take it easy - why make problems for ourselves? None of this "sad" feeling!

There is confusion everywhere. Look at the Arabs looking everywhere for the Imam Madhi. Now Khomeini says he is the one !

Cilandak, Indonesia - June 22, 1982
Code Number : 82 CDK 3
Now I will go on to the human force, the jasmaniah. You borrow many things from your fellow men. If you get work as a clerk, for instance, because someone has helped you to do this, you have borrowed something from him. If you have money, it is because someone has financed you. It is difficult in relationships between human beings; people do not eat people. But in marriage it is as if they do. If you are a man, and if you are clean, pure, and then you marry a woman who is not pure, then a part of her impurity will fall upon you, while part remains with the woman herself. That is how it is if it is the woman who is impure, but mostly it is the man who is the impure partner. He goes out on the town, then comes home to his wife, and this is very hard on her. That is why men are forbidden to wander from home, whereas it is in their nature to enjoy wanderings.

What is required of people when they marry is that they should be like Wisnu and Sri. Wisnu and Sri were just two people, brothers and sisters, and in all the world there was only one Sri. When women try to imitate her, they cannot do it, but, on the contrary, there are many who are like Rahwana Raja.

Thus marriage is also something one needs to examine closely, and that is why in the old days the elders always used to calculate whether there was any obstacle to a marriage, so that a marriage between these two people would run into no difficulties. Nowadays people talk about their stars, their signs of the zodiac.

Well, brothers and sisters, the nafsu stop at the jasmani level. You cannot hope to take them on to the rohani level, for human beings who attain to the rohani have already been able to leave the nafsu behind. Thus so long as you live you cannot hope to attain to the rohani level unless you have been able to leave the nafsu behind you. In this, brothers and sisters, we have been able to receive help from God through the latihan kejiwaan of Subud, in the course of which we are separated from the nafsu. For this we we are only required to surrender ourselves to the One Almighty God with trust and sincerity and you have been fully equipped to do that. You have been given the equipment with which to think, you have your minds with which to consider whether things are right or wrong, you have feelings to pick out what you wish, you have hands and so on to use. Through acting honestly, without a lot of lies and deceit, you will be able to receive guidance.

London, England - August 11, 1983
Code Number : 83 LON 14
Brothers and sisters, once there is this intimacy between your inner feeling and the Power of God, your inner feeling will be able to know anything that has happened in the past, in any sphere of life. Take something ordinary, like banking. Why was it forbidden for Muslims to establish banks? The reason is that banks seemed only to sell money for profit, that is, to indulge in usury. Now Islam disapproves of usury because it entails oppression of the poor and needy, whose sufferings are increased when they are bound hand and foot by interest they have to pay on money lent out to them. In reality, however, banking is a system or way for giving guidance to people who are unable to work and do not know how to earn a living, so that they can stand on their own feet. Correctly understood, a bank is a guide to help the poor improve their lot and to lead people towards prosperity.

Ideally, bankers should not only administer loans, but should also impart understanding to the borrower. A banker may say to a client, for example: 'You are borrowing from us, and we are giving you a loan so that you can make good use of the money and be a happy customer, and if you are a happy customer, I in turn will be a happy lender'. So, brothers and sister, it should be clearly understood that a bank is not a place for exploiting the poor so that they have to borrow more and more and fall deeper and deeper into debt. Brothers and sisters, this is an example of the type of understanding you will receive from the latihan kejiwaan. From the latihan, you will be able to know the true use and benefit of everything.

Anugraha, England August 14, 1983
At Seventh World Congress
Code Number : 83 LON 18
Brothers and sisters, in religion it is forbidden to feel resentment towards anyone or to look down on others. And yet, brothers and sisters, in the world today, truly religious people, even those of the same religion, sometimes hate each other, not just halfway, but one hundred per cent, as has occurred in Iraq and Iran. Who would have thought this could happen among people of the same nation? Why does it happen? Because they are influenced by the nafsu. So the nafsu, brothers and sisters, aroused by man's own heart, embodies itself in the material objects of his making and through them exerts a reciprocal influence on man's heart. This influence has reached such a pitch, that man only knows the other forms of life as he knows material objects.

Now, if material objects are placed alongside or close to each other, they cannot unite or attain harmony, because they are oblivious of each other. This is the nature of the satanic forces. They do not understand you, nor do they understand who are their friends. It is in the satanic nature that whoever wins, wins, and whoever loses goes on losing. This explains why people who wish to Worship God blame the satanic forces and try to give them up. They fail to realize that the clothes they wear are also satanic. Yes, Bapak's smart suit and tie are satanic, brothers and sisters. For they, too, are material objects.

Hamburg, Germany - September 18, 1983
Code Number : 83 HAM 2
Brothers and sisters, there is something which should not be necessary to explain, and yet it is, for I hear that there are still some cases where husband and wife are doing latihan together, or where a man does latihan with some woman other than his wife.

Brothers and sisters, it is really necessary for Bapak to explain about this and to forbid it. It really is forbidden for men to do latihan with women, even with their own wives, because the spiritual life is full of secrets, so that it can be said that the latihan kejiwaan strips people 'naked'.

To be naked means not to be covered by clothing, and clothing here symbolizes the nafsu. That is why many Muslim women wear a veil and a garment which covers them completely. For that covering is decreed by Almighty God between men and women. Well, between husband and wife it isn't so important, but even so there is a story from India in this connection about Batara Guru, who was king of the dewas:

This king of the dewas had a very beautiful wife, who was called Dewi Uma. Now, even though Uma was already Batara Guru's wife, her beauty dazzled him, so that once when Batara was riding on his cow Gumarang with her, Batara Guru was overcome with desire for her, so that he wanted to make love to her there and then. Uma protested, saying:

'You must not; not here on the back of a cow. Why do you go on like this and why do you want me so urgently when you are already my husband?' 'I cannot help it; I must 'have you.'
. . . read more 83 HAM 2

Cilandak, Indonesia - July 6, 1984
Code Number : 84 CDK 11
In the Middle East, before they became wealthy, people were extraordinarily faithful to God. They were experts in praying to God and talking about God and worshipping God. But from the moment they found wealth under the ground, they have no equal in transgressing God's commandments. Witness only Iraq and Iran: they kill people, they wage war, during the month of Ramadhan, which is totally forbidden by the power of God and by their own religion.

Through Subud, man is able to know for himself what is right and wrong. And because right and wrong is then part of us, we also learn to feel that we are the same as other people, there is no division any more, between us and others.

Jakarta, Indonesia - June 17, 1985
Code Number : 85 CDK 10
So truly, brothers and sisters, it is not God who creates problems in this world, who threatens our life in this world; it is man himself. For if you look carefully in religion, for example in the religion of Islam, it is strictly forbidden for man to hurt another human being, let alone to kill him. And yet today we treat killing as though it is like eating tempeh on the roadside, as something so trivial that we hardly notice it.

If we can understand the true situation of man, the death of a human being, the point of death, is really not important, as long as we reach it by a way that is pure, as long as we are in a state of purity.

Cilandak, Indonesia - June 14, 1986
Code Number : 86 CDK 7
You will continue to receive from this power as long as you live. Don't imagine that this will stop, or something like that. The receiving will continue, continue to the end. And when Bapak says 'the end', Bapak doesn't mean the end of the receiving but the end of 'you'. 'You' will end before the receiving ends. The receiving will always go on because God is eternal. There is no end to what you receive and what you experience.

You ask things from God and that is fine. It's not forbidden to pray for things, to ask God to give you this or that. But this tendency to ask things from God has its own danger. The danger is that the heart and mind lose their faith in the existence of God's power. Why? Because maybe you ask for this or that, but then you don't get it. And then you think, 'Oh, God doesn't really exist.' That is the heart and mind talking; it's the interpretation of the heart and mind.

The fact is, whatever you really ask from God you will receive, providing you are capable of receiving it. If you ask God for something and you don't get it, it is not because God cannot give it to you but because you are not yet capable of receiving it.

Amen. Bapak Muhammad-Subuh Sumohadiwidjojo

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