Perth, Australia - March 2, 1963
Code Number : 63 PER 4
As Bapak has said, the latihan you receive appears trivial, insofar as the walking, shouting, moving like this and like that – as seen from the outside – just look like movements and activities that people normally do, and which you have done every day since you were small. However, in reality it is the guidance and direction from God’s power, which manifests in your being.

Education and direction from God and God’s power, which you have received within your self, can act and make good progress if you do not keep disturbing it. What disturbs it, and is always there within you, is none other than your heart and thinking mind. Your heart and mind are in fact a constant disturbance. They are a very strong, tremendous disturbance to God’s guidance and direction working in your inner feeling.

Because of this, for five or at most ten hours a week, you are required not to use your heart and mind, so that you can really receive God’s guidance and direction within your being. You can use the rest of the time – that is to say, other than those ten hours – for your needs that fit with the working of your heart and mind. Of course you might object to that: that it is only for ten hours in a whole week, fifteen minutes or at most half an hour in one day and one night. So every time you do the latihan, and before you do the latihan, you should not use your mind and heart, which can interfere with your receiving; that is, with what God is giving you.

As Bapak has said, in the heart and mind there are low forces. For the heart and mind are indeed the home of the desires, and it is the nature of the desires always to be used as tools by the low forces, to block, tempt and impede the progress of your inner feeling, which is being cleaned and improved, and is receiving guidance and direction.

Santiago de Chile - May 11, 1963
Code Number : 63 SCL 2
It is fortunate for you that in this – in doing the latihan, which is essentially purification in your inner feeling – you have obtained guidance and direction from the Almighty. So, although it is generally hard to do, you can keep on going, slowly but surely. The most important thing for you is that you should be patient. That is to say, you should have a patient heart, put everything in God’s hands, let go and believe in God’s greatness, and trust that God always guides you.

Briarcliff, NY USA - July 15, 1963
Second Subud World Congress
Code Number : 63 BCL 6 Bapak: It is like this. We receive the latihan in the same way that we receive guidance and direction from God: in a state of awareness and calmness – and of consciousness. Do not become oblivious. If in the latihan we feel an itch, or feel we are being bitten by a mosquito, we mustn’t just let it happen [without being aware]. If we do that, it means that our feeling is not alive. It is certainly God’s will that our feeling be alive, truly alive, so that we may even be able to feel it before the mosquito is there and get out of its way [Bapak mimes avoiding a mosquito]. So you do not let the mosquito bite you here, then here, and then here. [Bapak mimes and demonstrates. Laughter.]

For those of you who have already been able to receive a lot in the latihan, so that your purification has gone fast and deep, your latihan can already be effective; meaning that it can lead and guide your character and behaviour in accordance with God’s will. But for those of you who have not yet reached this stage, this guidance and direction is of course not yet effective. Therefore it would be good if you could, as it were, help the process whereby God’s guidance in the latihan is starting to cleanse you. When something has been cleaned within you do not then dirty it once more and go on doing that, again and again.

Detroit, MI USA - August 1, 1963
Code Number : 63 DTT 1
A man is sick; he does not feel well. Normally you would give him a powder, or an aspirin, or something like that. His wife cooks, and while she is cooking she never ceases to worship God, as when you are doing latihan. When the food is ready, her husband eats it. When he has finished, he asks his wife, ‘What did you put in your cooking? Did you mix any medicine in it?’

‘No. How can you cook with medicine – it would taste awful!’

‘So how is it that after I ate your cooking just now, my illness disappeared?’

This is the benefit if you are able to cook in a way that does not come from your desires but from the guidance and direction of your soul, like when you are doing the latihan. So human beings are generally influenced by low forces, and therefore cannot easily find again the guidance and direction from God that was created within their individuality. Their life and death have come to depend on matter, on low forces that are in this world.

Clearly you do not need to be like people who lived long ago, and put aside pleasures and anything else that could influence you. With the latihan you do not need to keep away from them; you can still maintain your life and live your life in the way you do now. This means that if you are working, you go on working; if you are doing something, you continue doing it. You do not need to give up your work and give up your pleasures, because it is God’s will that you should be able to pay attention to worldly concerns while at the same time feeling and receiving God’s guidance and direction within you.

Los Angeles, CA USA - August 16, 1963
Code Number : 63 LAX 2
Therefore devils can in fact have understanding. They can know what will happen in the future. So if there is someone who knows the future, do not imagine they have reached perfection, because the devil priests are like that, they know things before they happen. They can even find things that are lost.

The same is true of the vegetable forces; the society of the vegetable forces has seven levels. Likewise in the animal society: seven levels too. In the society of people also: seven levels.

So, for you to ascend to the level of a perfect human being, you must go through four times seven – that is twenty-eight – levels. That is a fact, brothers and sisters.

That is why you should not be in a hurry to say that you are already perfect. You constantly need the guidance and direction of God, because as a human being you cannot achieve the point of perfection needed.

Tokyo, Japan - October 22, 1963
Code Number : 63 TYO 2
So, to be clear: the Subud path, our way in Subud, truly leads us to unity in the life of human beings, who all come from one humanity and return to one humanity. And they also come from One God and return to One God.

Indeed there are many voices in this world; there are many people who try to create harmony between the various religions that are spread around the world, and also between the various nations. But the efforts they make are still coloured by the self-interest of each religion and each nation, so no matter how they try to organise it, differences are bound to persist. It is different if we leave everyone free to follow their own conviction in accordance with their respective religions. All that is required is for each person to be able to receive the reality of their religion, because the reality within each of their religions and within each of their traditions, is simply the one path that leads to God. So they have one direction, towards God, but each with their own discipline.

It is precisely these different disciplines that cause quarrels between them. One religion criticises the rest, and they too criticise each other. And it is the same with nations. Indeed, brothers and sisters, it is very difficult to create harmony and make it a reality, unless it is through God’s power. That is why the fact we have obtained God’s help is of very great good fortune for us all. The fact is that God is helping human beings to receive and carry out God’s guidance and direction towards unity of the kind Bapak just described.

Paris, France - July 9, 1964
Code Number : 64 PAR 1
This is the reason why a religion – any religion – can accept every human being in this world, with their different nationalities; because indeed the religions, based on God’s commands, do not distinguish between one person and another, or one nation and another, for they are all simply one human race.

To some extent you have experienced this reality in the latihan. For instance, if where the latihan is taking place there are people from Africa, from Indonesia, from Saudi Arabia, from America and from other places, once they are in latihan they will not feel that they are in a foreign place. And they will not feel towards each other as if they belong to different races but will feel that they are all one race of human beings, one nation. In fact these people of different nationalities will feel that they are cousins, or brothers and sisters.

Based on this it is really right if we call our association – the group of people who have received this gift of God – a brotherhood. That is why we refer to those who receive the latihan as ‘the spiritual brotherhood of Subud’. This is the guidance and direction you have received from God in the latihan, which shows you it is really God’s will that you should live in harmony, loving each other like blood brothers and sisters. That makes it possible for people in this world to find harmony, so that nothing arises that creates problems between nations.

Cilandak, Indonesia - Frebruary 18, 1967
Code Number : 67 TJK 2
Although the latihan you receive looks like children playing around, and your movements and behaviour in the latihan appear no different from the actions of your everyday life, in reality that is the right way, the way that does not take you away from your normal state. For example, you do not have to keep your eyes closed and be still. It is not necessary. You do not have to close your ears, you do not need to close your nose, you do not need to close your mouth and refrain from eating and, finally, you do not have to close your thinking and your heart.

This is to prove that God’s guidance and direction is different from anything else. Normally, people say that they obtain the whisper of their soul because they are quiet; that people receive the whisper of their soul because they close their eyes, suppress their thinking and other activities, and become like statues. No. God wills that you receive God’s gift in the most normal way possible, and that it should not change who you are. This is implied in what you have received. Indeed, God does not want to be unfamiliar to human beings. For if something seems unfamiliar, if it seems that you need to study it and think about it, it is difficult. Be normal. But, although you are normal, do not be careless. You are not allowed to be blasé. That’s called taking it too lightly. Don’t do that. You must be attentive. This is important.

As Bapak said earlier, once God has come close to you and you are close to God’s power, you will get guidance and direction in your every movement. You are guided even in the way you smile. Isn’t that extraordinary? That’s so. If you are a woman and your smile is guided, that is amazing. But you are not looking for someone new; you already have the person your smile is meant for – your husband. [Laughter.] It is said [in the wayang story] that when Sembadra smiled at Arjuna her husband, he would become disoriented. Yes. It means that when he met Sembadra and she smiled at him, he was stunned, all his thoughts disappeared. But you are not there yet. When your husband comes home worried that he has no money, he erupts. He says, ‘You don’t understand. Here I am in trouble, and all you do is just smile.’ [Laughter.]

And you will no longer need to ask whether there is anything further to know about this path, whether perhaps there is something Bapak has not yet given you that would help you progress faster. If Bapak had something like that to give, it would in fact become a burden. Yes, instead of helping you to walk forward, rather it would cause you to stumble. There is no such thing, brothers and sisters. This is the way because it is the guidance and direction of God. Who could guide you better than God? There is no one. So if you want more, you will in fact get less. You want to go fast but end up slower. Isn’t that right, Leonore? Don’t do that; do not wish to progress quickly. But do not be indifferent either.

Toyko, Japan - July 24, 1967
Code Number : 67 TYO 1
During his last journey Bapak spoke to members in America, England and other countries about what happened when Almighty God created the angels, the world, mankind, and so on. The content of this story gives you the impression that it is not easy to come into the presence of Almighty God. True, in this story Bapak told you that God put His Will into the inner self of man. But if man searches for God with his heart and mind, he will not be able to find Him, because actually the heart and mind can only be used for man's life here on earth. Therefore as long as man still uses his heart and mind, he will not be able to receive God's guidance and direction that already exist in his inner self, because this guidance of God existing in man's inner self can only be received when he is no longer filled with self-interest. What is the reason for this ? It is because man is tempted by the lower forces that have become the content of his self, dwelling in his heart and mind. It is different in your situation. Although the state of your inner self has not yet reached a high level, you are already able to receive the guidance which manifests in the Latihan Kejiwaan, so that your actions are automatically accompanied by this guidance.

Cilandak, Indonesia - August 22, 1967
Code Number : 67 TJK 7
Such is the progress of the life of man who only pursues superiority, advantage and victory for his own groups, for his own set, because of the influence of the material forces. How fortunate and happy you are to have received the Grace of Almighty God which enables you to receive His Power that has awakened the inner feeling ( freeing it from the influence of nafsu, which dwell in the heart and thought and are used as tools by the lower forces, including the material force ) so that in all your actions you are directed to the ideal way in line with the Will of Almighty God and according to the requirements of your life. Thus, brothers and sisters, Bapak repeats: you are really fortunate to be able to receive guidance and direction from the Power of Almighty God while under the ordinary conditions of life; namely, while doing your work as people ordinarily work, still being together with your wife and children, still busy in search of the requirements for your life. Indeed, it is the Will of God that you work and act as ordinary people living on earth, besides fulfilling your worship of Almighty God according to His direction and guidance.

Now consider, brothers and sisters, the nature of the love and justice of Almighty God towards everything He has created. Take, for instance, the caterpillar. It has been created to live among foliage, so that it can exist by eating the leaves of the plants where it lives. An animal such as the tiger has been created with sharp teeth and claws and lives in the jungle, where it can seek its living and everything it needs for its life by using its sharp claws and teeth. A creature like a bird is created to live with wings and is able to fly, so that it can find its living by using its wings. Members of the snake family are created to live among bushes and are poisonous; and there are also many other kinds of animals. Man is even better equipped for he has been created as a being with mind and intellect which enable him, according to the range of his knowledge, to reshape material things and to fulfill the requirements of this life. Therefore, if there are still people who have lost their way in seeking their livelihood, it is clearly the fault of their ancestors, who have caused them to have a narrow and disordered inner feeling. But even so, you should not blame your parents, for they themselves were not aware of the wrong conduct in their lives. So there is no reason for you to blame them.

On the contrary, you should find a way that enables you to correct the errors they have made. It is fortunate for you that by the Grace of Almighty God you can receive His guidance and direction which manifest in the latihan kedjiwaan of Subud, so that the faults do not remain endlessly within you. This is the reason, brothers and sisters, why Bapak has often said that the latihan kedjiwaan of Subud puts a halt to this, so that the faults in your inner feeling will no longer be transmitted endlessly into the inner feeling of your descendants. In this way, your children will be human beings who have a human inner force, and an inner self with the qualities of Susila, Budhi and Dharma. As for those of you who are already old and whose children were born before you received the latihan kejiwaan of Subud, you should have the feeling of patience and acceptance, surrendering with submission and sincerity to Almighty God so that, through the latihan kedjiwaan that you follow, you can bring benefit to your children. Besides this, you should also guide them so that, when they have grown up, they will like to tread in your footsteps and wish to be opened and to follow the Subud latihan.

The animal life force is in truth the servant of man's life. Man is not able to abandon or avoid it, because it is always present in the food he eats, even though it may not be in the form of buffaloes, cows, goats, chickens and other animals. Clearly, man will not be able to avoid the influence of the animal life force, even if he only eats fruit throughout his life on earth. If he avoids the animal life force deliberately, he will be even more influenced by it in his life, and moreover, he will have less enthusiasm to work or to devote his whole self to work according to the Divine Decree. You need not therefore be afraid of facing the influence of the animal life force. It is all right for you to eat meat provided it is clean and wholesome and does not contain anything that may cause sickness. Regarding this, the most important thing is for you to be able to regulate it, and the way for you to do this is by becoming able, little by little, to follow the guidance and direction from the Power of Almighty God that manifests in the latihan kedjiwaan of Subud which you receive and practice.

Lima, Peru - May 5, 1968
From Pewarta Vol. X No.3
' . . . Thus one may truly say that Almighty God has reached down a hand to lead and guide you, because counsel and advice is, it appears, of no use.'

Brothers and sisters, Bapak will now explain about the latihan kedjiwaan of Subud, in the hope that this explanation can penetrate deeply into your inner-feeling so that it may be easy for you to receive the purification proceeding in all of you.

With regard to what has happened to your selves, why is it that up to now you have not been able to receive the development of your djiwa that will guide you in your life? That, truly, is what you must be aware of, because through the development of your djiwa you will be able to understand the difference between one and another of the djiwas that have become your inner content.

This situation is indeed very difficult to understand so long as you are still influenced by the nafsu, heart and mind, because your nafsu, heart and mind have been used as tools by those jiwas for too long a time. This shows, therefore, that much help from Almighty God is needed, and by the Grace of God you have received that help, manifesting in the form of movements and gestures which you only have to receive and follow.

Although the nature of those gestures seems like that of the movements and gestures people usually make, their nature is in fact one of purification, because the influence from the nafsu, heart and mind is not present. Thus, clearly, the latihan of movement and gestures which you receive without the participation of your own will - which means it is free from the influence of nafsu, heart and mind - is, in truth, the way to purify all the uncleanness and faults that have come to be interwoven in the inner-feeling.

A person's self can in fact be likened to soil. Some are like fertile soil without much rock or sand in it; some like fertile but clayey soil containing rather a lot of stone and sand; some like hard, dry soil full of stone and sand; and some like sandy soil.

When rain falls upon fertile soil that is without stones or sand, plants grow immediately as soon as the water has been absorbed, and when cultivated they will bear a crop beneficial for human life and will eventually produce a really abundant harvest. This exemplifies the self of a person who receives very good counsel or advice, together with excellent guidance and direction, so that eventually he can readily increase his knowledge or develop the nobility of his character.

As for the nature of soil that is fertile but clayey and contains rather a lot of rock and sand, when rain falls upon this soil it also causes plants to grow, though not so quickly as in soil of the first kind; and if plants with fruits beneficial for human life are grown there, they will eventually produce a fairly good harvest - meaning that it will suffice for the needs of life. This exemplifies the self of someone who receives excellent counsel and advice together with good guidance and direction, and is thus able eventually to improve his knowledge or develop his character to a high level. But something is lacking in the self of this person: that is, if there is anything wrong in his actions, he does not hesitate to put the blame on other people or to involve them.

The characteristic feature of the hard dry soil, which contains a lot of stone and sand, is that the rain falling upon it does not sink in quickly, so that the soil gradually becomes full of small poisonous creatures and gives off a bad smell. Soil of this kind must therefore be broken up and cultivated to make it able to grow plants whose fruits are useful for human life. Yet, even when this is done, the result is still not satisfactory at times. But if this soil is simply left alone - meaning not broken up and cultivated to make it fertile - it will at length produce plants that are usually thorny or of hardly any use for human life. This exemplifies the self of a person who receives and also listens to the best counsel and advice, but into whose inner-feeling it does not penetrate quickly, so the more he receives, the more it just accumulates in his heart and mind. Such a person is clever only in bandying words and he misuses the counsel and advice given him, so that nothing he does turns out good. Such a person, therefore, needs guidance and direction that can enable his self to become free from the influence of nafsu, heart and mind; and if it fails to do this, he will become more and more conceited, feeling he is the only clever one.

The explanations or illustrations given above of the self of man, as exemplified by fertile soil, semi-fertile soil, hard dry soil and sandy soil, are as though each one were completely of that sort - meaning a soil entirely fertile, entirely semi-fertile, dry or sandy - whereas in fact fertile soil does contain some proportion of stones, dry earth and sand, and the dry and sandy soils also have some fertile soil in them, even though only a small amount. This is also true in the case of a person: even though his inner-feeling may be said to be clean and able to receive quickly, there are in fact still faults and impurities in it; and others, who have many faults and impurities in their inner-feeling, have some part which in fact is clean and able to receive, even though this part is not large. Hence you need not worry about this matter, because Almighty God has given you His Grace enabling you to receive and follow the way of the latihan kedjiwaan of Subud, which is in truth guidance and direction from God. Thus it is clear that your body, as exemplified by these soils, has begun to be worked upon and purified by the Power of God: that which is uneven is being leveled, that which is full of stones, dry soil and sand is being broken up and then filled in with fertile soil, meaning soil that can quickly grow plants useful for human life.

The question of how quickly or slowly this work is completed depends upon the condition of the soil. If we speak of your body, it depends upon whether there are few or many faults and impurities in it. This is what you need to feel; you should not blame Him Who does this work, or you will fall into despair.

Cilandak, Indonesia - August 31, 1968
Code Number : 68 TJK 4
Therefore the latihan Kejiwaan of Subud has as its basis man's worship of Almighty God in accordance with His guidance and direction manifesting in the latihan. If man, or if you, can really persevere in it, its aim is for you to become human beings of noble character who obey His Will.

Remember that the latihan Kejiwaan of Subud comes and is present through the Grace of Almighty God, which brings to a stop the influence of nafsu, dwelling in heart and mind, which usually is the greatest hindrance for the calmness and quiet of the inner-feeling. So it is fitting for you to obey the latihan Kejiwaan of Subud - which in essence is guidance and direction from Almighty God - with a complete feeling of surrender to His Will.

Brothers and sisters, Bapak feels it is not necessary to extend and expand these explanations about the existence of the latihan Kejiwaan of Subud. You have already considered and felt enough of what can happen and what can be done - namely, that in the latihan hall filled with many people of various nationalities and religions everyone can receive guidance and direction for himself in accordance with his inner-self. Although people who are gathered together in the latihan hall differ outwardly in nationality and religion, everyone can receive guidance and direction for himself in accordance with his inner-self. Also, although people who are gathered together in the latihan hall differ outwardly in nationality and religion, they still remain harmonious and feel as though they were among their own family. This is an astonishing fact, because usually a person cannot live harmoniously with members of other nations and religions, or even with members of his own nation and sometimes not even with his own family. This proves that the latihan Kejiwaan, which is filled with the guidance and direction of Almighty God, is in truth really a Grace from God. Therefore it is fitting that we use our lives to serve Almighty God well by doing what is good, as already indicated in our inner-selves.

Cilandak, Indonesia - September 1968
Announcement From Bapak To All Subud Members
Concerning testing and suffering
From Pewarta Vol. VI No. 2
When a helper or a member carries out testing in the spiritual way ( kejiwaan ) of Subud it is similar to doing the latihan kejiwaan. The difference is that, when testing, the person who tests has a question to ask before doing the latihan, to which he or she then receives an answer in whatever form he is able to receive it. Whereas when one does the latihan it is necessary first to empty oneself of ideas and imaginings, to surrender in trust and sincerity to the will of Almighty God, and then one will receive and follow the guidance and direction that comes from the Power of God manifested in the latihan kejiwaan.

This then is the difference between testing and just receiving and following the latihan kejiwaan. If, therefore, a member or a helper tests frequently, because there are many different questions, he will be obliged to reduce the time spent in receiving and practicing his latihan, which is, essentially, following the guidance and direction that come from the Power of Almighty God.

Cilandak, Indonesia - June 1969
About Subud and Islam
( Letter ) To Christopher Gardiner, I.S.C.C.
From Pewarta Vol. VI No. 5
Since it is clear that our inner-feeling vibrates because it is touched by the great and all-powerful life-force which envelops our whole being, we are convinced that it is the Power of Almighty God.

If it is guidance and direction from Almighty God, we are certain that His guidance and direction lead towards the perfection of life and the excellence of man's character, in accordance with the Will of the One Who gives the guidance and direction - that is, God the Almighty, the All-Merciful and the All-Loving.

Further, you who receive and follow the latihan kejiwaan, are no longer influenced by the nafsu that dwell in the heart and mind when you receive and follow the latihan kejiwaan, which means that your heart and mind cannot reject or change anything you receive. So, suppose that during the latihan you receive words whose meaning you do not or cannot understand, and suppose you receive movements and energy that are unknown to you, your heart and mind cannot reject or prevent them, but can only look on like one at the cinema who may watch what is shown on the screen, but has no power to change it.

There are also some of you who feel, in receiving these movements and energy, that they are like those of a Moslem in worshipping Almighty God. It seems that it is this receiving that causes the person who receives it to feel the necessity of embracing Islam. But the receiving does not stop there; there are still many kinds of movements and energy to be experienced. This is the proof that it is God's Will that not only one or two nations and the whole of mankind but the whole universe and everything in it which He has created should worship Him.

Maybe you will be able to feel for yourselves from the explanation given above that there is still a long way for you to go and very many things in the field of the kejiwaan that are still necessary for you to experience, and the realization of this is a matter for God's Will, and depends on your inner capacity and ability.

As for the members who are Christians and wish to embrace the Islamic faith, or those who are Moslems and wish to embrace Christianity, Bapak neither forbids this nor does Bapak direct or order them to do this; because in Subud, as Bapak has explained above, you are able, through the Grace of Almighty God, to receive and follow the latihan kejiwaan, which is in reality guidance and direction from Almighty God, so that the understanding and faith you have obtained from studying and from habits you have practiced for years are as if wiped away from your inner-feeling.If it is guidance and direction from Almighty God, we are certain that His guidance and direction lead towards the perfection of life and the excellence of man's character, in accordance with the Will of the One Who gives the guidance and direction - that is, God the Almighty, the All-Merciful and the All-Loving.

Further, you who receive and follow the latihan kejiwaan, are no longer influenced by the nafsu that dwell in the heart and mind when you receive and follow the latihan kejiwaan, which means that your heart and mind cannot reject or change anything you receive. So, suppose that during the latihan you receive words whose meaning you do not or cannot understand, and suppose you receive movements and energy that are unknown to you, your heart and mind cannot reject or prevent them, but can only look on like one at the cinema who may watch what is shown on the screen, but has no power to change it.

There are also some of you who feel, in receiving these movements and energy, that they are like those of a Moslem in worshipping Almighty God. It seems that it is this receiving that causes the person who receives it to feel the necessity of embracing Islam. But the receiving does not stop there; there are still many kinds of movements and energy to be experienced. This is the proof that it is God's Will that not only one or two nations and the whole of mankind but the whole universe and everything in it which He has created should worship Him.

Maybe you will be able to feel for yourselves from the explanation given above that there is still a long way for you to go and very many things in the field of the kejiwaan that are still necessary for you to experience, and the realization of this is a matter for God's Will, and depends on your inner capacity and ability.

As for the members who are Christians and wish to embrace the Islamic faith, or those who are Moslems and wish to embrace Christianity, Bapak neither forbids this nor does Bapak direct or order them to do this; because in Subud, as Bapak has explained above, you are able, through the Grace of Almighty God, to receive and follow the latihan kejiwaan, which is in reality guidance and direction from Almighty God, so that the understanding and faith you have obtained from studying and from habits you have practiced for years are as if wiped away from your inner-feeling.

This is the reason why, although there are members of various nationalities, countries and religions in our spiritual brotherhood of Subud, we can all receive and follow the latihan kedjiwaan together in a good way without any feeling of strangeness towards one another. This is the situation of the Subud members who come together to receive and follow the latihan kejiwaan; although their movements and energy seem to differ, one from another, each one is as though automatically regulated. This is why the spiritual brotherhood of Subud can receive and can be joined by men and women of various nationalities and religions. Thus, you can perhaps understand that Subud is not a religion but an association of human beings who, because of the Grace of Almighty God, are able to receive together His guidance and direction towards the perfection of life and excellence of character in accordance with the Will of Almighty God and in harmony with the inner nature of each individual.

You are certainly able to feel that, if Subud were a religion, Subud would clearly not be able to accept a religious person, even if he were a Moslem or a Christian, because every religion has its own principles. As to whether a Christian member embraces the Islamic faith, or maybe a Moslem embraces Christianity, this is up to his own conviction, because every time he receives and follows the latihan kejiwaan, which is truly guidance and direction from Almighty God, it is felt that his heart and mind are unable to work and he only feels calm and peaceful in surrendering to the Will of Almighty God.

This is all, and Bapak hopes this short explanation of Bapak's may fulfill your hopes somewhat. Also, Bapak prays that through the Mercy of Almighty God you may always be safe and happy.

Cilandak, Indonesia - October 15, 1969
Second talk at fifth Indonesian national congress
Code Number : 69 TJK 6
This, therefore, is Bapak's hope for all of you: make Subud safe and strong, and act with unanimity, for truly Subud is you and you are Subud.

Honored Chairman, Center and Group Delegates, and all brothers and sisters present here.

Although a Congress of the Association of the Spiritual Brotherhood of Subud is like a congress held by any association, there is actually, as you know, a very great difference, because a Congress of the Spiritual Brotherhood of Subud is a congress held by members who, through the Grace of Almighty God, are able to receive guidance and direction from His Power, which manifests every time you receive and follow the latihan kejiwaan of Subud.

If the kind of work you do is not profitable enough for your life, you must, so far as possible, firmly stop the desires of your heart that want to enjoy eating, sleeping, following the sex impulse, and pursuing all kinds of entertainment, generally called pleasure seeking. This is what Bapak usually calls the practice of prihatin.

Maybe some of you ask why you must practice this when you are Subud members who regularly receive guidance and direction from Almighty God?

Ah . . . brothers and sisters, remember that the Prophet Muhammad, who received Grace from Almighty God and became His Messenger, and other Prophets who received God's Grace during their time in this world, practiced prihatin; so you need to do so even more. The practice of prihatin is very necessary to enable you to decrease the pressure of the nafsu that swarm in your inner feeling. In other words, to prevent the nafsu in your heart and mind from constantly obstructing the guidance and direction from the Power of Almighty God manifesting in the latihan kejiwaan of Subud. In short, the nature of prihatin is to humble ourselves before the Greatness of Almighty God and strengthen our faith in His Power. So, clearly, however you look at it, the practice of prihatin is very important for you, because it provides a means of measuring the strength of your faith and your feeling of trustful acceptance and sincere submission to the Power of Almighty God. As people usually say, if your faith, acceptance and submission to the Will of Almighty God are only half-measures, and not even sincere but given only sparingly, then you will receive only sparingly from Him.

Now, as to the existence of the latihan kejiwaan of Subud and the question whether there has ever been a latihan like it, we cannot give a definite answer. But according to our receiving, vibrations of the inner feeling of the kind we receive are not something new, because their coming and existence coincide with the existence of man. Certainty on this question, however, exists only in the Power of Almighty God, and we need only receive and follow His guidance and direction which are manifested in the latihan kejiwaan of Subud. We can only bear witness, in accordance with what occurs in it, that the coming into existence of the latihan kejiwaan of Subud has been granted in this age, when man lives as he now does, with his heart and mind - owing to the rapid progress achieved through them - influenced willy-nilly by the atmosphere of the world which is now so disturbed. The coming and the presence of the latihan kejiwaan of Subud brings your inner feeling into balance so that, in addition to thinking about and attending to worldly needs, you feel that you must follow the way of this latihan, which truly is guidance and direction from the Power of Almighty God that envelops you outwardly as well as inwardly. Therefore, although you must think about and attend to the needs of your life on earth, the presence of the latihan kejiwaan always makes you remember and feel the nearness of the Power of Almighty God that in truth guides and directs your inner self towards perfection in life according to His Will.

Cilandak, Indonesia - October 16, 1969
Fourth talk at the fifth Indonesian congress
Code Number : 69 TJK 8

Cilandak, Indonesia - October 18, 1969
God's guidance
5th talk at 5th Indonesian national congress
Code Number : 69 TJK 11

Cilandak, Indonesia - December 5, 1970
The second Sjawal talk
Code Number : 71 TJK 7

Toyko, Japan - April 10, 1972
Code Number : 72tyo172 TYO l

Toyko, Japan - April 11, 1972
Code Number : 72 TYO 2

Honolulu, Hawaii USA - April 12, 1972
Code Number : 72 HNL 1

Toyko, Japan - April 12, 1972
Code Number : 72 TYO 3

San Francisco, CA USA - April 14, 1972
Code Number : 72 SFO 1

Marin County, CA USA - April 15, 1972
Code Number : 72 SSA 1

Los Angeles, CA USA - April 19, 1972
Do not let this gift of God be in vain
Code Number : 72 LAX 2

Vancouver, Canada - April 22, 1972
Code Number : 72 YVR 2

New York, NY, USA - May 9, 1972
The spiritual and the material
Code Number : 72 NYC 1

Cilandak, Indonesia - June 22, 1973
Talk given by Bapak on his birthday
Code Number : 73 CDK 1

Cilandak, Indonesia - August 12, 1973
Code Number : 73 CDK 2

Wolfsburg, Germany - June 14, 1975
First talk at fifth world congress
Code Number : 75 WOB 2

Wolfsburg, Germany - June 17, 1975
Third talk at fifth world congress
Code Number : 75 WOB 9

Wolfsburg, Germany - June 19, 1975
Code Number : 75 WOB 11

Cilandak, Indonesia - July 25, 1976
A talk to helpers and committee
Code Number : 76 CDK 6

Cilandak, Indonesia - February 12, 1977
Talk to helpers and committee
Code Number : 77 CDK 2

Cilandak, Indonesia - May 14, 1977
Code Number : 77 CDK 6

Medan, Indonesia - May 21, 1977
Code Number : 77 MES 3

London, England - June 20, 1977
Code Number : 77 LON 1

Oslo, Norway - July 20, 1977
Code Number : 77 OSL 1

Cilandak, Indonesia - March 5, 1978
Code Number : 78 CDK 2

Cilandak, Indonesia - April 2, 1978
Code Number : 78 CDK 4

Cilandak, Indonesia - March 17, 1979
Code Number : 79 CDK 7

Wendhausen, Germany - April 25, 1981
Code Number : 81 WEN 3

Perth, Australia - April 28, 1982
Code Number : 82 PER 3

Lisbon, Portugal - May 15, 1981
Code Number : 81 LIS 1

Melbourne, Australia - May 7, 1982
Code Number : 82 MEB 4

Osaka, Japan - June 1, 1982
Code Number : 82 OSA 1

Amen. Bapak Muhammad-Subuh Sumohadiwidjojo

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