New York, NY USA - May 14, 1959
Code Number : 59 NYC 6
One of the main aims of Subud is that, besides worshipping God, we should live in harmony with others; be able to help those who need help; and guide those who need guidance. Thus the awareness of the community around us will be awakened, and people will really wish to participate in our work in Subud and truly worship the One God both inwardly and outwardly. This is Bapak's hope for you all.
Coombe Springs, England - August 25, 1959
Code Number : 59 CSP 13
Bapak is aware that there are those among you who consider themselves to be better and more perfect than others at accompanying the latihan, at guiding and opening people, and also more active. Bapak is aware of that. Indeed, your intention is good - to spread Subud rapidly. What Bapak regrets is that you do not implement this determination for being a Subud pioneer, which is excellent, in harmony with everyone else - with all the other members. Because in Subud it is really necessary that we should be united, for humankind is one. And if you helpers cannot yet achieve harmony among yourselves, how can you bring harmony to other people. And the truth is that you are not yet able to be in harmony with other helpers Bapak has appointed. That makes it very difficult for you to look after the rest of the members.
Paris, France - November 22, 1959
Code Number : 59 PAR 4
Furthermore, it is good to accustom yourselves to receive whatever you receive from God when you are surrounded by noise and busyness, because people do not always die in peaceful conditions. There are those who die while traveling in a car, those who die in the cinema, those who die after winning the lottery or after having lost their job; people die in many different circumstances. But if you have accustomed yourself to [being in the right state] wherever you are, you will know how to die without hindrance. Also, in your outer life it will become evident that you know how to be in harmony with others, how to be sociable, and how to unite the hearts of a large group of people.
You may also do latihan at home alone, in order that, as Bapak just said, you can feel the difference between life alone and life with others. Thus you will learn what it is like to die in a crowd and what it is like to die at home; in other words, how to die in a noisy place and in peaceful conditions.
So Bapak is saying that you may do latihan at home, but you should never neglect to attend the group latihan you share with others. For you have to realise that you do not yet know and understand your own measure. You do not yet understand your own capacity. Although maybe you are not aware of this – actually, there’s no maybe, you are absolutely unaware of it – when you do latihan together you are being helped by those who have made more progress. And those who are helping are also unaware that, at the level of the soul, they are helping others. Their heart may feel, ‘I do not yet have enough for myself, so how could I help you?’ That is the heart speaking, but not the soul. The soul is always in harmony with others; so is the inner feeling of your human individuality. For only in genuine harmony and real unity can human beings turn towards God, who is One for all humankind.
Perth, Australia - March 1, 1963
Code Number : 63 PER 3
As far as the members who are not on the committee are concerned: since the rules of the committee could be considered weak because they are not one hundred percent aimed at worldly matters, please be aware of yourselves, so that it will not be necessary to enforce harmony or to force everyone to pay attention to matters of harmony in the way it is normally done. I hope that you will have self-awareness, because each of you possesses a contact or guidance from God that makes you aware that it is a human obligation to be in harmony with one another, and to love and value one another. Therefore if you quarrel with one another, that is not a part of the spiritual life or of our receiving from the power of God. God always guides us towards a noble character, one that behaves in a way that is genuinely humane.
Melbourne, Australia - March 10, 1963
Code Number : 63 MEB 3
Such are the realities in Subud. That is why it is very necessary for you to act and behave in harmony, feeling empathy with one another. It is necessary because, when you are like that in your feelings and also have patience, it will make your journey to God possible. It will make it possible for your latihan, which leads towards perfection, to go faster and for you to receive more than if you are not like that.
That is why, for you in Subud, what you receive when you do the latihan is a feeling towards each other of being one family. Truly, in Subud there are no secrets any more. What you keep to yourself, what you conceal, the others will certainly get to know when they die. That includes Bapak himself. You will be able know who Bapak is and what his character is like. And the other way round: Bapak will easily know what you are like. So, as Bapak just said, the secrets we have between us truly will be revealed. If among us our secrets are revealed and we cannot keep them any more, it means we have to be, and it is our duty to be, in harmony with one another. For if we know each other’s secrets and are not in harmony, it will certainly damage our association. It will certainly break up our community, so that we will not reach what we are aiming for, but will just end up quarrelling. That would be like fighting over a bone that has no meat on it.
Christchurch, New Zealand - March 23, 1963
Code Number : 63 CHC 2
Bapak gets a lot of letters from people about how their marriage with their spouse is deteriorating, becoming more tense; how they feel that something has changed and how they are quarreling more and more. This happens because they had not yet found unity in their life when they got married. The only way – there is no other – is to do the latihan. Truly, God wills that human beings be in harmony among themselves, especially marriage partners: that the husband be in harmony with his wife and the wife in harmony with her husband – not just in their actions, but in such harmony that they form one heart, one feeling and one soul.
With one heart and one feeling like that, there can be no secrets. This too has happened, again in Indonesia. There was a couple. The man went on a trip. When he got there – if it was here, let’s say the wife was here, and the husband went to Wellington or to Auckland, or somewhere like that – quite unexpectedly, without intending to, he met a woman. And, as it happened, when he met the woman he wasn’t interested in her; but because she was able to pretend this and that, in the end he was obliged to sit next to her anyway. What is more, he also rather – what do you call it – flirted with her and ended up giving her some money, maybe for the needs of her family.
Eventually he went back to Jakarta, to his house. His wife came up to him, catching him unawares, and said, ‘I know. I know what happened to you. I know you met a woman who looks like this, and you flirted with her; I know you didn’t do anything with her, but you gave her some money.’ The man felt very astonished, because he never figured that his wife would know about it, since he hadn’t told her anything. [Laughter.]
Săo Paulo, Brazil - May 29, 1963
Code Number : 63 SAO 3
Indeed the field of charitable work fits very well with our worship of God. So it is certain that, later on, we shall be facing all kinds of needs that are directed towards the area of charitable and social work. Therefore it is very important, when filling the committee posts, that you look for people who are able to work, and who truly give attention to the progress of the members and to how you can live in harmony; because with that harmony you will be able to worship God without all sorts of obstructions from every side, or from your own family.
In this way the spiritual association of Subud can really show society, or the public, evidence that the content and aim of the Subud latihan, besides worshipping God, is to love our fellow beings and give help to those who are weak. In short, to practise charity, which is truly in harmony with the symbol of our association: Susila Budhi Dharma. Through God’s grace, through our worship of God, God awakens the feelings of our entire being; so we become people who like to help, we become people who like to give to those who are weak, and we become people who truly love our fellow beings.
This kind of behaviour comes of course from within our latihan. So, if you have truly been able to receive from within your own individuality, you will be able to feel what the duties are of human beings living in this world: these are, as Bapak said just now, helping those who are weak, giving to those who do not have enough, and bringing harmony to those who are not in harmony.
All this is part of what you will learn and receive in the latihan. And it has been proved everywhere that members who have progressed in their latihan really feel the need to behave in that way. For such behaviour shows that in their heart and character they truly love their fellow beings. If they love their fellow beings, it is clear that they love God, because their fellow beings were also created by God. It is evident then, that in this Subud latihan the essential aim is to worship God, and to serve the whole of humanity with devotion.
Such good actions are evidence that your inner feeling is not under the influence of the low forces, which really want you to be in a state of disharmony: to hate one another, slander one another and fight with one another; to forget your worship of God; and, naturally, to forget your own self.
As Bapak said earlier, the low forces – which easily influence your inner feeling so that you cannot do such things as social work properly – continually make use of your desires; and your desires reside in your heart and mind. That is why people cannot bear to be criticised by someone, and cannot stand seeing a friend or relation higher than they are. They always have a feeling of envy in their heart. Envy means that you do not like to be less than someone else. That is the way the low forces influence your inner feeling; they use the desires that dwell in your heart and mind.
So as long as you continue to feel angry or disappointed when you see your friends given a promotion or a lot of money, and you still feel dislike towards your fellow human beings – your friends, and other people – clearly the low forces are still constantly disturbing your inner feeling. But if that is no longer true, then you will have only love for your fellow human beings. Love does not mean that you give everything away to other people. No. Love means that you like to help. And that is appropriate. So if – just for example – you have a hundred dollars, well, give a dollar to someone in need. It doesn’t really reduce what you have, only a little bit.
New York, NY USA - July 3, 1963
Code Number : 63 NYC 4
Furthermore, brothers and sisters, the growth or decline of the membership is a responsibility of the helpers, not of the committee. No. The committee just arranges the money and the worldly needs. So, whether the members understand or not, whether they are in harmony or not, prosperous or not, making progress or not – all that is the responsibility of the helpers. That is why Bapak says that the responsibilities and duties of the helpers are heavy.
It is best if in everything you do – even little things – you receive together and do them together, so that a helper does not act alone, without involving the others; because little by little that would divide and separate the helpers from one another. But if you always work together, and cooperate with other helpers in everything you do, you will become more and more closely connected with the other helpers, and so the helpers’ group will become united in their actions and their receiving. That harmony, which the helpers demonstrate, will become an example for the members.
Briarcliff York, NY USA - July 9, 1963
Second Subud World Congress
Code Number : 63 BCL 2
It is indeed the will of God that human beings on earth should have one aim, and live in harmony in their society. That aim is towards happiness in life and the perfection of our worship of God, who is One for all of humankind. And since we all have one aim and one God, it should be possible for us to be united with one another in our actions. In this way our life on earth will become harmonious, and we will not feel anxiety and doubt because of being threatened by others, as is the way in this world now.
Therefore Subud, the Subud association, follows the true way in accordance with God’s will; for it is God’s will that, as well as worshipping God, human beings should live in harmony, since such harmony will also bring peace, freedom and happiness. For instance, you may worship God sincerely but not have enough to eat. Worse than that, someone else may take your food. You may live in an unpleasant place, where you get wet when it rains and get hot when it is hot, and you are often molested by animals. If you live in a city, you may be hampered by other problems. Of course you want to worship God sincerely, but because your salary does not enable you to meet your daily needs, your worship of God will naturally be less wholehearted.
So, although you may consider that worldly things are not very important for your worship of God, in fact they do interfere. That is why it is important that we fulfil our worldly needs; and of course if possible this should apply to the whole world. We will be able to do that only when we are truly in harmony, when we are truly one in heart, one in our feeling. Certainly in the latihan we have already experienced that our souls are united, so we can truly worship God with one accord.
Washington DC USA - July 30, 1963
Code Number : 63 WAS 2
This is the reason why Bapak said it is very fitting, and truly in accordance with the will of Almighty God, that besides worshipping God we work for social good. But we need to begin with the society that is close to us; that is, with our own association, because our association is an example. If within our own group we are not yet in harmony, unable to be united – in other words if we cannot yet help or appreciate one another – how can we be so outside it? If among ourselves we are not yet good, then we cannot do good outside. Therefore, we must begin with ourselves. So Bapak hopes that you may, all of you, be truly united in action: one in aim, one in heart and feeling. Then everything will go well in your latihan.
But Bapak wants to say that we need to start at the beginning, because all learning begins in a small way. We begin to learn, little by little, how to work in the social field. We begin with our own group. Let us first bring prosperity, progress and harmony to our Subud family. For what is called Subud is you, yourselves. Subud does not exist by itself, Subud is you. So Subud lives because of you and Subud dies because of you. Clearly Subud, the Subud association, consists of all of you. Therefore Bapak hopes that you will begin to prepare things and begin to work in the social field, first in our own family and later outside of it.
San Francisco, CA USA - September 9, 1963
Code Number : 63 SFO 2
In reality the Subud latihan is not a training that leads to divorce, nor does it cause people not to want to work. If that were the case and that were the fruit of the latihan, then truly the Subud latihan would not be from God. If it is really from God it cannot lead to those things. What would lead to such things would be a training that is motivated by the low forces, which do not know anything of close relationships between one person and another, and which do not know about harmony in the life of human society.
So it is clear that the Subud latihan, which we receive from God’s power whenever the influence of our desires, heart and thinking is stopped, wants and leads us to be able to live with harmony between human beings, between men and women, husbands and wives, wives and husbands. So the latihan will tend to preserve our marriage.
Of course there are hurdles and obstacles. In anything that takes you towards improvement there must be nasty stumbling blocks. There is no one working on something aimed at goodness who is not constantly disturbed by mistakes, and disturbed by things aimed at making them go wrong. That is bound to happen.
For example, if someone wants to be rich, they do not become rich right away. Before they are rich, they suffer; they first face difficulties; they make great efforts – meaning that they work day and night and think about nothing but making money – until finally they become rich. The same applies to those seeking knowledge and wanting to become learned. They too have to exert themselves to the utmost, go to great pains, study diligently day and night in order to become educated.
Anything that leads to betterment is always preceded by mistakes. But you have to be careful; you need to do everything wisely, which means you have to keep weighing things up. If you do that you will be able deeply to feel: ‘If I genuinely surrender to God in accordance with God’s command, and I follow and obey God’s commands that I receive in the latihan, God will certainly look after me.’
Toronto, Canada - October 4, 1963
Code Number : 63 YYZ 4
It is God’s will that human beings are one and are a family. That is why together we all receive in the latihan, so that each person can feel what others are feeling. In this way human beings are guided, led and educated to be in harmony and to feel as one. And if this can really manifest within human beings, this world will become harmonious. And of course, if it becomes harmonious there will be no war – that is, if there is real harmony. But human beings remain human beings, and are easily affected by all sorts of things; so, well, if in this world even fifty per cent of people are harmonious – that is, not everybody – that would already be good. Truly that is God’s will for humankind in this world.
Tokyo, Japan October 22, 1963
Code Number : 63 TYO 2
Bapak advises you all to do the latihan diligently and to be in harmony with one another, because only with harmony can you achieve something. That is because harmony between people truly acts as encouragement, which makes their worship of God real and eternal. And that is really what God wants, that human beings should worship God in harmony while fulfilling the duties of their life together.
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.
So it is clear that the aim of religion – whether it is Christianity or Islam – and the content of the latihan, is to help us become one harmonious human race in accordance with the will of God, so that we human beings are united in worshipping Almighty God who is One for all. Therefore if all of you, who are together in Subud and who have together received the latihan, do not get on with each other, and quarrel, then you are walking a path that deviates from the truth. For God’s will is in the latihan you have received. Every time you do latihan you always receive that you should be in harmony with others. So if you do not follow that, it means you are deviating from the rails or the line that God has given to you personally.
God knows what is right and what is wrong with each one of you. Therefore do not claim or consider that you are more right than other people. For in fact such an opinion indicates the contrary. People – here Bapak is talking in general, brothers and sisters – who are always bragging about their intellect and claim to be clever, are in fact the stupid ones. So it is clear that if you blame other people, you are the one who is wrong. If you were not wrong, you would not blame others; instead you would give them guidance. And what enables you to give someone guidance is, of course, that first you are able to understand the feelings of the person you are going to guide. That way, you will not be criticised afterwards, and the people you have advised will not be angry or disappointed with you.
And if you are fond of blaming other members, or like to maintain that your opinion is right, your behaviour is in fact motivated by the desires or passions in your heart and thinking; and these desires are the tools always used by the low forces that are below the level of your soul as a perfect human being. Whereas if you do not do that, but are patient and do not blame others or yourself, it means that you are protecting your inner feeling against the influence of the desires that are manipulated by the low forces.
Paris, France - July 14, 1964
Code Number : 64 PAR 3
You need to do everything with good cooperation: valuing and loving each other and in harmony. Do not just follow your own desire and your own will. You need to base everything on testing; then the helpers will not act in a way that is biased or one-sided, but always in harmony and with cooperation.
Paris, France - July 17, 1964
Code Number : 64 PAR 5
That is how good and excellent the result is of the latihan. But that is also how far away it is from where you are now. Therefore Bapak advises you all to be truly harmonious, truly patient and accepting, and be willing to let go and surrender to God. The reason why this is important is because you will not then constantly be disturbing the process of purification that is going on within you, and you will eventually reach the point where it all makes sense, the point of completion. At that point you, as a human being, will have a human latihan; and not a latihan where you go, ‘Oink! Owoo! Woof, woof, woof!’
How is it that a human being has a latihan like that? What is the reason? It is because their content is still wrong. Who knows? Outwardly they are human, but they have a dog inside them. Yes, so they go, ‘Woof, woof, woof.’
You are a person. As a person, when you do latihan you should be able to move like a human being, and understand and know what you are doing because you have reached the stage of completion, where it all makes sense. So far you have not yet experienced that. You are still on your way towards that point where it all makes sense, where all is complete. At that point of completion you will begin to get lessons from God. Now, you cannot yet get them; you cannot yet receive lessons from God. Why is that? It is because even though you have a head, its content is not human. And God will not teach someone who is not human.
That is the point, brothers and sisters. That is why Bapak hopes – because, well, it is for your own good – that you will act and be in harmony with each other. There is no point in saying, ‘You are wrong, I am right.’ ‘I am wrong, you are right.’ There is no point. All that is just your thinking. You have not yet reached completion. Only when you have reached completion will you be able to know [Bapak knocks on something]: ‘Ashtray!’ [Bapak knocks on something else.] ‘Oh, no, this isn’t an ashtray. Its nature must be like that.’ [Bapak knocks on something else.] ‘Oh, no, this isn’t an ashtray either. This is a glass.’
That’s it. You haven’t reached that point yet. You are still very far away from it. Therefore do not quarrel and fight over a bone that has nothing on it, for that will in fact interfere with your own well-being, with your progress, and with the development of your own soul.
Paris, France - July 18, 1964
Code Number : 64 PAR 7
So, what is most important for all of you is first, to be patient in waiting for God’s gift. That is the first thing. The second is to act in harmony, both in the latihan and outside the latihan – for example in your meetings – and to cooperate when there is something to be done.
If you make a mistake you can put it right if you are able to put your passions aside. You will not be able to find a true solution that most of the members can unite behind if you still depend on your passions. For who likes to have their flaws exposed? Nobody! Even a thief – as Bapak said earlier – about whom everybody agrees that they are bad and that what they do is despicable, they themselves will say,
‘Oh! Me? A despicable thief? No! I’m a gentleman!’
‘A gentleman? How come?’
‘If there weren’t people like me, there would be no policemen,’ he might say. ‘We provide employment for the police.’
[Laughter.]
Bapak prays that your enthusiasm will not collapse as soon as he leaves. Don’t let that happen. Bapak hopes that after he leaves here you will continue to be in harmony, and will always do your latihan as diligently as you have been doing during this time.
Wolfsburg, Germany - August 16, 1964
Code Number : 64 WOB 2
It was said by people who lived long ago that the nature of Almighty God is Rahman Rahim [Arab.], which means All-loving and compassionate. That is the nature of God; in other words, the will of God. So if it is really Almighty God who is accompanying you in your everyday life, you will radiate God’s love and compassion that is within you, and you will love your fellow human beings. It follows that you will be a source of harmony among human beings.
Wolfsburg, Germany - August 21, 1964
Code Number : 64 WOB 4
So it is true that if you possess human culture you will become a valuable person. That is what God hopes for you: that you should understand how to live. For if a person lives according to God’s will, then even if they pursue profit, position or money – in short any kind of excellence – their actions will not depart from living in harmony with their fellow human beings. Being in accordance with God’s will, their desire to acquire something will not lead them to forget kindness.
Therefore do not be in a hurry to think that you are able to correct other people, or to think that you are better than others; because your path to the place where you are heading, which is towards your own personal art of living, is still a long one. And it can be obstructed by feeling that way, by feeling capable or clever, or feeling that you are an example for others. Of course you can talk with your friends and relate your experiences, but do not ever say that this is the right way or that is the wrong way, because what you are all experiencing is your own individual growth. This one grows this way and that one grows that way. So it cannot be right if you criticise someone, because the growth of A is different from the growth of B.
That is why you should not do that. Also, apart from holding up your own progress in receiving God’s guidance within your being, it causes quarrels and divisions between you. What we human beings need is to live in harmony in this world; without harmony we will not get to the truth, because we are going against God’s will. God wants human beings to live in harmony, wants their heart and brain – their heart and thinking – to be like … well, to be like the prophets, the messengers of God. That is why it is said that only the messengers, only the prophets, can enter heaven and find the right way, because they possess hearts and brains as wide as the ocean, unlike normal people.
Surabaya, Indonesia - October 27, 1966
Code Number : 66 SUB-1
Indeed it is God’s will that human beings should always be in harmony while living in this world, for it is this harmony that constitutes prosperity, well-being and happiness. This is what all of you, and Bapak too, have experienced while receiving the latihan. And there is no difference between what happens in the latihan here and in other countries; it is all a grace received through your being or your individuality. In Christianity it is called revelation; in Islam it is called uncovering. What we receive in the latihan is therefore truly in line with the verses of the Quran that you often hear recited when somebody has died; that is, in the Ya-Sin chapter.
In the Ya-Sin chapter it is told how human beings will be uncovered and the mistakes and errors they have committed while living in the world will become apparent. For it is said that their hearts and thinking are locked away while this is going on, and each part of their body is asked and required to express everything it has done. The heart and thinking cannot interfere because they have been locked up and the power they had in life has been taken away. Therefore each member of the body will accurately acknowledge what it has done while in the world. That is what it says in the chapter called Ya-Sin.
Before you – or Bapak himself – have experience of this in the latihan, you have the feeling: can this be true? If a person is already dead, can they really still be questioned? Yes, in truth the human thinking mind and the human heart cannot conceive or under-stand such a thing. But your soul, your individuality, can know it if you have been graced or blessed by God to be able to awaken from your normal state, and if you have been freed from the pressure of your desires, thoughts and imagination – in other words, if you have received the latihan.
That is the reason why sometimes you hear people in the latihan screaming and pleading for help, even though nobody is beating them. Sometimes they scream in despair even though there is nothing to despair about in the room, which is empty save for other members doing their latihan. What these members are expressing and feeling is the reality of what is described in the Ya-Sin chapter of the Quran. So you can compare what Bapak has just been explaining with what has been said by the messengers and by those who have been blessed by God, who were able to receive and become aware of their life and the feeling of life.
Calcutta, India - March 8, 1967
Code Number : 67 CCU 2
If you can get along with each other, and that harmony causes or helps the Subud association to spread, you will become an example for the whole of society. As a result, people who are not in Subud will say that it must be true that the guidance of God manifests in the spiritual association of Subud, because Subud members clearly get along and behave well. This will constitute concrete evidence that what we receive in this spiritual training is guidance, direction and leadership from Almighty God.
London, England - March 28, 1967
Code Number : 67 LON 3
Clearly, if Subud were not from God it could not possibly create a feeling of closeness between one nationality and another, between one religion and another. That is impossible. From year one to now, nineteen hundred and sixty seven, people have been trying to get the religions to unite and be in harmony with one another. They cannot, because every religion has its own beliefs. In Islam they believe that only Islam, only Prophet Muhammad, can show the way for human beings to reach heaven. The same goes for the other religions.
That is how it is, brothers and sisters, so Bapak would like you to be in harmony, to respect one another and trust one another. Try it, as an experiment. Once there is harmony among you, among the helpers, you will certainly be in harmony with the others too. If you are advising others to be in harmony but you helpers yourselves cannot do it, how can that work? Then you are lying to yourself, and that will cause you to make very slow progress in the latihan.
Paris, France - April 18, 1967
Code Number : 67 PAR 2
What you need to work on is your attitude and the way you behave towards others, towards other Subud members and people in general. For if you are not in harmony and do not cooperate with others it will harm your own self, with the result that your worship of Almighty God will not find its right path. That is because God loves all human beings – not just one, two or three people but everyone – and this too is the nature of a human being of good behaviour and character symbolised by the name we ourselves have chosen: Susila Budhi Dharma.
The name Susila Budhi Dharma is the symbol of our spiritual association. Susila conveys the meaning that, as members of the Subud association, our feelings and behaviour are truly humane; meaning that we love, help and respect all our fellow living creatures, especially our own family – that is, our Subud family. Budhi means that the power of God manifests within us. This manifestation of God’s will is a path for us to come close to God. Dharma means that you truly love each other – especially, once again, your own Subud family – and in your feeling you are willing to let go and be accepting, both towards God and your fellow human beings. That is the meaning of Susila Budhi Dharma, Subud, which is the name of our spiritual association. Because this is so, Bapak hopes that you will be willing to come close to this name, which is a symbol of your being, even if you cannot do it completely.
This applies especially to the helpers. They need to possess these qualities, because in reality they are Bapak’s assistants. At the very least they are the older sisters or brothers of all Subud members. So it is very important that helpers should be an example for their younger siblings. If there is discord among the helpers themselves, if there are constant misunderstandings and they never get on, then the members will be even worse, because they are bound to copy them.
So please be aware of this, in order that you helpers become an example for your younger brothers and sisters. Then the Subud spiritual association will not only develop and grow quickly, but also will become an example, and its name will acquire an excellent reputation among people outside of Subud. Without the need for any propaganda they will realise that Subud has shown them a good example, and they will spontaneously join Subud. They will say that Subud is an association that truly reflects what its name symbolises; that is, Susila Budhi Dharma.
The Hague - May 11, 1967
Code Number : 67 HAG 3
The final advice that Bapak would like to give you – to both those of you who sit on the committee and to the helpers – is that the future progress and spread of Subud depends on the harmony between you; on your being of one soul, in the way you receive in the latihan. When you are doing the latihan you feel that you are in one family, the family of humanity. That is God’s will, lest the world become chaotic, lest misunderstandings should arise again and again between large numbers of people, causing great wars.
There needs to be harmony between human beings, so that there will also be harmony between nations and between religions. This is something we truly experience in the latihan. It is why people of different nationalities and religions can join in the latihan. This person may be a Christian, that one a Muslim, this person a Catholic, that one a Protestant and yet another a Buddhist, but they become one in the latihan. There is no difference between them.
An example of this occurred when three helpers came to Kelantan in Malaysia. One was a Christian, one a Buddhist and the other a Muslim; whereas all those who wanted to be opened there were Muslims. So they were opened by a helper who was Catholic and another who was a Buddhist. Upon being opened they all were able to receive, and they said, ‘What you have done is truly by God’s command. But it is a pity that you are not able to speak in the language of Islam.’
The English helper replied, ‘That is a proof that the latihan does not come from a person or from a nation. Nor does it come from a particular religion, but from God. That is why we are one in the latihan, even though I belong to the Catholic religion and you to Islam. It means we are one humanity under one God.’ Then the people in Malaysia understood, and they acknowledged that the Subud latihan can bring harmony between nations; that it can unite nations and religions.
The amazing thing is that after receiving the latihan, the ruthlessness, savagery and bad temper that are present in the character of human beings and nations, disappears. For example, in Mexico: outwardly the people there seem to be ruthless. They are like this [Bapak demonstrates], but once Bapak had done latihan with them they were no different from all of you here. So it is clear that the latihan is very effective in making peace and encouraging a family feeling between human beings of different nations and religions.
Toyko, Japan - August 1, 1967
Code Number : 67 TYO 10
Indeed, brothers and sisters, it is the Will, the Wish of God Who has created everything - for instance, man and other creatures, everything you see and hear, all is created by God - that all His creatures should be able to act according to His Will and live in harmony with one another. For harmony alone strengthens and enforces your position so that you are really directed and orientated towards Almighty God. For it is harmony among men on earth which makes it possible for the world to become peaceful, and when it is peaceful the disturbances of life automatically disappear. Thus, brothers and sisters, it is indeed the Will of God for men to live in harmony with one another and to return again to the original state of oneness, as illustrated in the existence of Adam and Eve.
Cilandak, Indonesia - August 22, 1967
Code Number : 67 TJK 7
Brothers and sisters, the cleverness of the brain and the sensitivity of the heart of man that enable him to change the forms and conditions of material things have become the right of man, because Almighty God has created him as the highest creature and God really loves him. But in fact this right that he possesses and the love of Almighty God for him are still being misused, so that the products of man's work are not used for the purpose of safeguarding himself and for the harmony and prosperity of human society, but are used to cause trouble and to disturb human society. The proof is that many people are now worried that powerful weapons like the atom bomb and nuclear weapons may really be used.
Leicester, England - July 8, 1970
Code Number : 70 LTC 1
Hold firmly to the latihan kejiwaan, so that the Power of God may always fill your actions and behavior; the Power which can in truth cleanse all the faults and impurities that have soaked deeply into your flesh and blood.
Thus, besides being beneficial and useful, the latihan really does perfect your life, both in this world and the next, which means that it has no limits. This too was spoken of by Christ, when he said that death is not a limitation of human life but a continuation of life for mankind.
This is why you are really to be pitied if you still lack concord and harmony, meaning that you do not yet truly give and take and respect one another. For disharmony among you obstructs your purification. Such a state of affairs means that you feel no gratitude to the One God nor to your jiwa which is being purified and developed by the Power of God.
Bapak therefore hopes you will cease to be split, and to lack harmony, and to fail to fit in with one another, for this condition can be described as fighting over bare bones - quite useless; and it just augments the impurities in your inner feeling. Then everything you have done, all the efforts you have made over the years to attend the latihan regularly, can be called useless.
Cilandak, Indonesia - December 5, 1970
Code Number : 70 TJK 6
Brothers and sisters, there is a story about people of old among whom when husbands and wives quarreled they did so with refined words which were pleasant to hear and more inclined to cause each other to understand than to dispute. That differed from the way you quarrel with your wives. Why? Because the people of old were not influenced by the nafsu amarah when they disagreed with their wives, but only by the nafsu mutmainah, the nafsu which remembers what is noble and remembers the Power of Almighty God; whereas the nafsu amarah, which usually influences you when you quarrel with your wives, is the nafsu of self interest and justification of one's own will. So the longer the quarrel with your wife goes on, the more heated it becomes, and that can cause a rift in the harmony of your marriage.
Jakarta, Indonesia - August 16, 1971
Code Number : 71 TJK 13
Before he had tasted meat, before he had eaten animal flesh, Adam and Eve were companions; they slept by each other but felt nothing. They just felt like friends, that was all.
After eating animal flesh, Adam soon felt a strange sensation in Eve's presence. If Adam were near a chair, for example, it meant nothing, but near Eve his feeling was quite different. He felt strangely disturbed. Why was this? Because there is a characteristic in human nature whereby a certain awareness arises. In your case, what happens when you are in the same position as Adam near Eve? This is rather intimate, but it cannot be otherwise, for it is a true story.
After a while Adam united with Eve, and then he felt 'Now I can feel how you feel and you can feel how I feel'. When they were walking, for instance, if Adam wished to eat an apple, Eve had the same feeling, she also wanted to eat an apple.
If Adam wanted to bathe in the river, Eve also wanted to do so. Those were the earliest bonds; later, the unifying of their feelings rose continuously higher and higher. Whatever Adam thought about was in Eve's thoughts also, and her thoughts were Adam's. There was harmony between them, mutual understanding.
So the latihan kejiwaan is of real benefit, by truly guiding you and so enabling men and women to know one another and feel love and affection for one another, as Adam and Eve did in their time.
Bapak has never yet heard tell that Adam divorced Eve. Eve was Adam's only wife throughout his life. Bapak has never heard that Adam ever divorced Eve or remarried, but Bapak constantly receives letters from Subud members who are upset, in a turmoil. Bapak is not criticizing them, however.
Religion does not allow the marriage relationship to be severed, except by death. This seems hard, but not when considered in the light of what Bapak has just told you. The difficulties are felt by the heart, because it is still ignorant and cannot yet receive the truth. When the heart is able to receive the truth, there will be no difficulty. And that is how it should be. It should not be necessary to forbid divorce. So if divorce occurs it is a sign of something being wrong. If there is no harmony with one wife, how can there be harmony with another wife?
A man acts in unison with his wife, in sleeping, eating, drinking, in everything. But what happens if there is discord between them? What causes the discord? The nafsu, the heart. So there cannot be unity if you are still influenced by the nafsu, by heart and mind. And if you are not in accord with your wife, it is even less possible to be so with another person. If you are not in harmony with others, it is impossible for you to have accord with God.
Jakarta, Indonesia - August 23, 1971
Code Number : 71 TJK 15
Sydney, Australia - April 4, 1972
Code Number : 72 SYD 1
God envelops the whole universe. That is the scope of the latihan kejiwaan of Subud, brothers and sisters. This is a fact, brothers and sisters. Not a few people are remarking that at this time a group of people is in existence who are drawn from every race and religion in a really surprising way. They wonder how it can happen that people of different religions can be united together, both with others belonging to their own religion and also with those who belong to other religions, and how can they be of one accord in their worship of the One Almighty God, so that there is real harmony? Thus it is clear, brothers and sisters, that it is only the fact that people are always overwhelmed by the nafsu that causes them to be out of harmony with one another, and that is what always gives rise to mutual accusations. It is the nafsu that cause people to be divided amongst themselves, brothers and sisters, and that cause the division between one race and another. It is also just what causes divisions between parents and children, and between brothers and sisters of the same blood.
San Francisco, CA - USA - April 14, 1972
Code Number : 72 SFO 1
The One Almighty God is God of all creatures, and He is your God both in your life in this world and also after you have departed from this world. This is the usefulness of the latihan kejiwaan of Subud, brothers and sisters. This is what mankind has always been seeking. Now things are beginning to move. People are beginning to wake up and not just to believe what they are told. They want to know the real truth, what Christ said to his disciples: God is within you, God is always with you. This, brothers and sisters, is the use and benefit of the latihan kejiwaan of Subud. It is very fortunate that this latihan kejiwaan willed by God has now been sent down into this world. Perhaps the time for it had come.
Bapak himself does not know or understand why Bapak was the one chosen as a target the first time this happened, nor why, out of all the people in the world at that moment, it should have been Bapak. Bapak does not know; it is God Who knows. Why was this not received by some king or the son of a king? It is true that had it been a king’s son or a king who received it, then it might not have reached you. Indeed God is All-wise. This grace was bestowed upon a man who was in the middle, neither high nor low. Thus he was able to relate both to the low and also to the high. Such is the wisdom of God. Indeed, something that is easy is usually received indifferently, brothers and sisters, the things people seek are those that are difficult or expensive and that therefore seem to be valuable. That is the usual way of things. For instance, the teaching in a free school may be in no way inferior to one where the fees are $100 a month, but because it is free and there is nothing to pay, it is probable that not many people will go there or send their children there. But many people will go to a school that charges $100 a month, and they will send their children to it. That is how people usually are.
So Bapak hopes that none of you will develop these habits. The latihan kejiwaan of Subud is very easy, very simple. Oh yes, the science of being close to God is very easy. It is your own thinking that makes things difficult for you; it is your own thoughts that make things difficult. For instance, if all of you here are in harmony and on good terms with one another, your latihan is likely to go well. What is the reason why the latihan here is not good and why are some people rather indifferent about it? It is because the members here do not yet display true harmony. Of course, if you are out of harmony, your latihan will not be good either, for your hearts contain nafsu and the content of your selves is nafsu, whereas what is needed in order to be able to develop your jiwa and to receive the purification of your inner feeling is to reduce and minimize the force of the nafsu in your hearts and minds.
For this reason, brothers and sisters, Bapak hopes you will be harmonious. What need is there to be out of harmony? What need, when all you want is to live happily, to be happy both in this world and the next, to have happiness in your life here in this world as well as after your die. This is what is needed, and Bapak hopes that the Subud members will be like pioneers in the pacification of the world, pioneers in bringing peace to the peoples of the world. That is why Bapak hopes that the Subud members will be really Subud minded and will really possess the qualities of Susila, Budhi and Dharma, which means behaving in accordance with the principles of Susila and of true humanity. It means to have budhi because you are in accordance with the will of God and with the grace you have received. Dharma means becoming people who want to help; to help the needy, help the ignorant, help people who are in the dark.
Chicago, Ill USA - May 2, 1972
Code Number : 72 CHI 2
Washington, DC, USA - May 5, 1972
Code Number : 72 WAS 1
Capetown, South Africa - May 24, 1972
Code Number : 72 CPT 2
Vancouver, Canada - June 22, 1973
Code Number : 72 YVR 2
Cilandak, Indonesia - April 12, 1974
Code Number : 74 CDK 4
Cilandak, Indonesia - June 22, 1974
Code Number : 74 CDK 8
Cilandak, Indonesia - December 24, 1974
Code Number : 74 CDK 23
Wolfsburg, Germany - June 14, 1975
Code Number : 75 WOB 2
Cilandak, Indonesia - July 20, 1975
Code Number : 75 CDK 4
Cilandak, Indonesia - October 31, 1975
Code Number : 75 CDK 8
Cilandak, Indonesia - February 13, 1976
Code Number : 76 CDK 1
Cilandak, Indonesia - February 15, 1976
Code Number : 76 CDK 3
Cilandak, Indonesia - March 28, 1976
Code Number : 76 CDK 5
Melbourne, Australia - April 12, 1976
Code Number : 76 MEB 1
Melbourne, Australia - April 14, 1976
Code Number : 76 MEB 2
Melbourne, Australia - April 15, 1976
Code Number : 76 MEB 3
San Francisco, California - April 28, 1976
Code Number : 76 SFO 4
Los Angeles, California USA- May 2, 1976
Code Number : 76 LAX 2
New York, NY USA - May 7, 1976
Code Number : 76 NYC 2
Toronto, Canada - May 12, 1976
Code Number : 76 YYZ 2
Toronto, Canada - May 12, 1976
Code Number : 76 YYZ 1
Toronto, Canada - May 17, 1976
Code Number : 76 YYZ 4
Kendfield, England - May 27, 1976
Code Number : 76 KFD 6
London, England - May 29, 1976
Code Number : 76 LON 3
Cilandak, Indonesia - July 25, 1976
Code Number: 76 CDK 6
Cilandak, Indonesia - September 24, 1976
Code Number: 76 CDK 13
Cilandak, Indonesia - October 13, 1976
Code Number: 76 CDK 16
Malang, Indonesia - November 20, 1976
Code Number: 7 76 MLE 1
Cilandak, Indonesia - March 14, 1977
Code Number : 77 CDK 4
Bristol, England - June 29, 1977
Code Number : 77 BRS 4
Swanwick, England - July 9, 1977
Code Number : 77 SWK 4
Edinburgh, Scotland - July 1, 1977
Code Number : 77 EDI 1
Rotterdam, Holland - July 15, 1977
Code Number : 77 RTM 4
Herk-de-Stad, Belgium - July 16, 1977
Code Number : 77 HDS 3
Oslo, Norway - July 24, 1977
Code Number : 77 OSL 3
Blonay, Switzerland - August 15, 1977
Code Number : 77 BLN 1
Woodstock, VT USA - September 13, 1977
Code Number : 77 WOS 2
Montreal, Canada - September 17, 1977
Code Number : 77 YUL 2
Buenos Aires, Argentina - October 22, 1977
Code Number : 77 BUE 2
Lima, Peru - November 1, 1977
Code Number : 77 LIM 2
Santa Monica, CA USA - November 29, 1977
Code Number : 77 LAX 3
San Francisco, CA USA - December 3, 1977
Code Number : 77 SFO 2
Seattle, WA USA - December 11, 1977
Code Number : 77 SEA 2
Honolulu, Hawaii USA - December 27, 1977
Code Number : 77 HNL 3
Christchurch, New Zealand - January 13, 1978
Code Number : 78 CHC 1
Singapore - February 15, 1978
Code Number : 78 SIN 2
Cilandak, Indonesia - September 22, 1978
Code Number : 78 CDK 20
Yogyakarta, Indonesia - December 23, 1978
Code Number : 78 JOG 2
Wisma Subud Jakarta, Indonesia - January 6, 1979
Code Number : 77 JKT 1
Wisma Subud Jakarta, Indonesia - January 7, 1979
Code Number : 79 CDK 2
Toronto, Canada - August 16, 1979
Second Talk At The Sixth Subud World Congress
Code Number : 79 YYZ 5
Toronto, Canada - August 19, 1979
Code Number : 79 YYZ 9
Toronto, Canada - August 20, 1979
Code Number : 79 YYZ 10
London, England - August 27, 1979
Code Number : 79 LON 2
London, England - September 2, 1979
Code Number : 79 LON 6
Reigate, England - September 8, 1979
Code Number : 79 REI 1
London, England - September 23, 1979
Code Number : 79 LON 7
Singapore - September 28, 1979
Code Number : 79 SIN 1
Singapore - September 30, 1979
Code Number : 79 SIN 2
Toyko, Japan - December 25, 1979
Code Number : 79 TYO 1
Toyko, Japan - January 1, 1980
Code Number : 80 TYO 1
Toyko, Japan - January 2, 1980
Code Number : 80 TYO 2
Jakarta, Indonesia - May 3, 1980
Code# 80 BSB 1
Cilandak, Indonesia - June 22, 1980
Code Number : 80 CDK 5
Jakarta, Indonesia - July 26, 1980
Code Number : 80 JKT 4
Jakarta, Indonesia - September 2, 1980
Code Number : 80 JKT 7
S. Widjojo Center, Jakarta, Indonesia - January 15, 1981
Talk To Councilors And Guests
Code Number : 81 JKT 1
Sri Lanka - March 13, 1981
Code Number : 81sri-lanka1
Wolfsburg, Germany - April 26, 1981
Code Number : 81 WOB 2
Baden, Austria - May 7, 1981
Code Number : 81 VIE 2
Bad Voslau, Austria - May 9, 1981
Code Number : 81 VIE 3
Sao Paulo, Brazil - May 24, 1981
Code Number : 81 SAO 1
Bogor, Indonesia - February 27, 1982
Code Number : 82 BGZ 1
Perth, Australia - April 28, 1982
Code Number : 82 PER 3
Melbourne, Australia - May 7, 1982
Code Number : 82 MEB 4
Auckland, New Zealand - May 22, 1982
Code Number : 82 AKL 3
Jakarta, Indonesia - December 15, 1982
Code Number : 82 JKT 5
London, England - July 31, 1983
Code Number : 83 LON 1
Hamburg, Germany - September 17, 1983
Code Number : 83 HAM 1
Cilandak, Indonesia -- April 8, 1984
Code Number : 84 CDK 2
Bandung, Indonesia - April 24, 1984
Code Number : 84 BDO 1
Wisma Subud Cilandak, Indonesia - June 26, 1984
Code Number : 84 CDK 6
S. Widjojo Center, Jakarta, Indonesia June 29, 1984
Code Number : 84 JKT 4
Wisma Subud, - Cilandak, Indonesia - July 8, 1984
Code Number : 84 CDK 14
Cilandak, Indonesia - May 9, 1985
Code Number : 85 CDK 3
Jakarta, Indonesia - June 24, 1985
Code Number : 85 JKT 4
S. Widjojo, Jakarta, Indonesia - June 25, 1985
Address To Bank Susila Bakti's Shareholders Meeting
Code Number : 85 JKT 5
Amen. Bapak Muhammad-Subuh Sumohadiwidjojo