Toyko, Japan - July 27, 1967
Code Number : 67 TYO 8
THE Congress decided to establish an organization to be known as Subud Technical Specialists. This was to be a pool of technical expertise among Subud members all over the world, who, if organized, could share their knowledge and skill with others, particularly in developing countries. Bapak explained that S.T.S. should be a service organization which would contribute something from the Subud Brotherhood to the betterment of conditions in the world.
Further, the specialists who need to be gathered together should cover all fields: doctors as well as architects, manufacturers who produce various goods and specialists in other fields.
If we consider what we already have in our Brotherhood of Susila Budhi Dharma throughout the world, we are in fact not lacking in specialists; but until now we have not yet been able to use their skills. So Bapak appeals to you all, particularly to the specialists, to be willing to lend a helping hand or to give advice to brothers who need it.
The fact that our experts are scattered far from each other - for instance, there are some who live in America, in Germany, England, France, Japan, in Indonesia and other countries - makes it even better; for they can exchange opinions in their specialist fields. Also, those who are specialists in trade can sell goods that are produced and needed by enterprises of specialists in various countries.
In fact, if we examine it so far, Subud should not lack the means to live prosperously and become strong.
Concerning the question of advanced technology, as someone suggests, it is better to postpone its application and development for the time being. What is most important now and what needs to be given priority is that the specialists should be willing straightaway to guide and direct those Subud brothers who have now begun to wake up and to establish enterprises in agriculture, animal husbandry and other fields.
Wendhausen, Germany - June 18, 1972
Code Number : 72 WEN 1
If we test, if Bapak tests from the point of view of the kedjiwaan of Subud, the progress of technology of mankind today is extremely rapid, but what we have seen so far is still not everything. Because, later on, there will be something that will arise through the process of technology which will be more universal, more pervading and more destructive than anything we have seen so far, and will be a greater danger to humanity than what is in existence now. It is for this reason that Almighty God has now sent to us the latihan kejiwaan - so that there may be something which will become for men a break, a protection against the progress of their own intelligence and their own technology.
In fact, today there are already in many countries people who are extremely worried. They say to themselves: "What will happen to our country later?" Because in each country there are groups whose aim is to make their country higher than other countries, and who wish their country to win. So that, in fact, there is always an influence of the nafsu which misuses the technological advance which we have received.
If you do not believe it, if you ask yourselves is it really possible that this nafsu, this wish to win, is the influence of technology, is the influence of the material forces ( which it is ), then Bapak gives you one example: Consider yourself, before you have a gun or weapon in your hand. Your feeling is that of an ordinary person. In other words, you have a feeling of fear of doing anything that exceeds what is normal. But when you have a gun in your hand, your feeling of fear disappears. You no longer feel frightened of exceeding what is normal action for man, because you feel the power that is in your hand. You feel as though you are afraid of nothing any more because of this gun in your hand. This, therefore, is the influence of the material forces on us. And this influence is something that makes us exceed what is normal, and to do things which, in fact, are aimed at making ourselves more powerful and at winning over other people.
It is for this reason that we can say that the influence of technology on man nowadays is something that makes man destroy himself, or leads man to his own self destruction.
Look at another example of this, on a larger scale, the People's Republic of China. Before China was successful in discovering her own atom bomb, China had a feeling of fear, of apprehension towards the other big powers in the world. But once China was able after many trials to find the way to make an atom bomb, they expressed themselves: We have also got courage now, as much courage as you to do whatever we like!
This again is proof that the progress of man's mind, of technology, carries with it man's own inner being, and leads him towards his own self destruction. If there is a war, look at the situation, the country that actually suffers is the one that wins, because the country that wins has to rebuild the country that it has beaten. This is what we have experienced in the past. How much more will it be like that in the future? Because now we have weapons that can destroy a whole city in a short time, completely. Who will then rebuild these cities afterwards? Especially if both sides are equally destroyed?
So this is then the proof for us that the progress of technology, the progress of our ability to do in this world, leads us, if we are not careful and turn away from God, to our own self destruction.
This is why there is need for the latihan kedjiwaan. Because with the latihan kedjiwaan we are not able any more to act in a way which is against what is right, against what is the Will of God. With the latihan we can truly reap the benefit of our technological progress.
Wolfsburg, Germany, June 18, 1972
Code Number : 72 WOB 3
So, brothers and sisters, it is now very necessary that you should become pioneers to make the hearts and inner feelings of mankind peaceable, so that men may know, may understand that the firearms cause their nafsu to flare up. It should not be so. So although there are many, many atom bombs, this does not matter if people do not make use of them. It is another matter if people use them; then certainly these material things are dangerous. Clearly then, brothers and sisters, these material things will not be dangerous if men do not activate them. Why is this so? Because they are made by men. This is why it is highly necessary for men to be able to receive guidance and direction from the One God, so that even though technology develops further, it will not be used for anything that will destroy our life on earth.
This, brothers and sisters, is why Bapak is calling on you all to set up enterprises and a bank quickly. For with the existence of a bank and enterprises, it will be easy for us to do everything.
Melbourne, Australia - April 15, 1976
Code Number : 76 MEB 3
Brothers and sisters, the great progress that has taken place in the world in recent years in the field of the material has been entirely at the instigation, or through the pressure of the thinking and the nafsu. To the extent that this great effort of mankind in the material world has produced all sorts of wonders, or things which are unusual for man, things like fantastic airplanes, and fantastic weapons which make the earth tremble, which have been invented for example, in countries like the United States and in Russia, and so on. But because all this advance in science and technology has been at the instigation of the nafsu and only from the heart of man, it is clear that its aim is also in that direction. Its aim is parallel with that which has brought it about, in other words, is directed towards anger and greed. And it is for this reason that many people are now concerned about the situation where in the near future more and more of mankind will perfect and have at their disposal weapons of destruction, whose power is so great they can easily destroy the world. In other words, marvels of science whose purpose is not to bring peace and prosperity, but to bring harm and disquiet or chaos to mankind. Now it is certainly something that is not God's will, but it is only now through the birth of the latihan kejiwaan that there is something to balance this pressure of nafsu, that can mean that our efforts in this world can be directed more in accordance with God's will, that is, towards peace and prosperity. What has gone before we cannot change now, we can't do anything about. Because that's how man is, and especially one can see this in the field of people who are religious people who have followed religions of the world. They say they follow God's will and they worship God. But this is largely in the realm of theory. In other words, they worship God with their minds. They worship God with their knowledge and their understanding. So that actually their worship to God is no different from the effort in this world, in the material world, to gain wealth and to gain power. And there is nothing in between, and there is no respite from the pressure of the mind and the heart.
It is only now, with the birth of the latihan kejiwaan, that we have the possibility of something different, of a guidance and a power within our lives that is beyond the heart and mind, and beyond the nafsu. So that in our action, in our work and in our efforts in the world, we have a sort of motive power which is not solely from the mind. In other words, we have something that is within the mind and outside the mind. So that there is a hope now that with our work and with our efforts in the material, they can be directed towards welfare of mankind, towards prosperity and towards peace and harmony among men. So that men can gradually return to a state of harmony in their lives, to a state of welfare which is indeed God's will. Because it is God's will that man can live in this world in a state of harmony, a state of mutual assistance, and in a state of happiness, as long as he is able to live in this world. So that gradually this world can be transformed into a harmonious and peaceful place, which is a fitting abode for the worship of God by all mankind.
Bapak knows that recently or in the last few years, there has been a lot of discussion about the question of religion, the question of technology. That is, the people who hold to religion want that mankind should act in a way that is harmonious, should cooperate, should work together, should share what they have to make a world that is truly peaceful, and that men really work together and cooperate and help each other. In other words, that men should try to live according to the will of Almighty God. While in the pursuit of technology, man pursues knowledge in such a way that he is always faced with greater and greater progress of his knowledge of the world. He meets with more and more success in his ability to master this world. He gains more and more power through his discovery so that he wants to achieve more and more mastery over this world. Because every step he takes, he sees more wonders and more power coming into his hands. So that in the end, his wish to progress knows no bounds because he always sees in front of him more and more possibilities to advance, to progress. So that the confidence in his own power grows all the time, and he certainly forgets any boundary to his ability to advance. But in his wish to advance, he doesn't advance in the name of humanity. He wants his discoveries, his power to remain the province of his own country, or if not his own country, he himself or his own group. So that he conquers all sorts of things in this world. He gains great power, and can even conquer other worlds, like he can go to the moon, etc., but he doesn't do this in the name of humanity. He does this in the interest of his own group. And there is not one nation in the world, but many. There is not one person in the world, but many millions. So each one of these are seeking for more and more power through the advance of technology and science. So it is clear that as more and more people progress, as more and more people learn about the world and gain more mastery over the world, so there is bound to be more and more tension and dissension in the world as these different groups grapple for power, through the advance of technology, through making weapons of great power, through all sorts of things that they can discover.
Now those who advocate the other way, the way of cooperation, of sharing, of mutual help, that is, those who believe in religion, are looked down on by those who pursue technology and science. They are looked down on because religion in their view teaches man to be apathetic. They say, "These religious people, they only want to live just in any way they can live, so that once they have finished their life on this earth they may go to heaven". Because indeed for someone who really believes in religion what is important, is what they will experience in the next life. As long as this life can be taken care of, as long as they can just survive, that's enough. So it can be said that religion teaches man to be apathetic. So those who pursue the way of progress, the way of knowledge, they don't care about heaven, they don't care about the next world. They want progress now, they want to achieve whatever they want to achieve now in this world, and they don't care what happens afterward.
Now what is needed is for those who believe in God, for those who believe in religion to tame, to bring under control the power which is unleashed by science and by technology. But how can they do it? Because they cannot convince those who hold the power, they cannot convince those who make the discoveries, those who believe in the progress of man's mind and man's understanding. Because for these people, they are just apathetic, and they are people who are advising them to restrain their curiosity and not to make progress. So it is as though those who believe in God, those who wish to follow that way, are powerless to control the others, because they cannot supply the proof. The reason for this is that what they say is based only on belief.
Singapore - February 15, 1978
Code Number : 78 SIN 2
Bapak would like the committee to organize quickly a group or a panel of experts - that is, a group or a body of people who have real expertise in the field of enterprises, and so on. This group can then give advice, guidance, supervision and help to all Subud members who want to start or who have already started Subud enterprises. By 'experts' Bapak means people who have real experience and training in a certain field. For example, experts in industry, agriculture, technology. Also people like lawyers, accountants, and so on. People who can really help those Subud members who want to start enterprises. The problem is this: enterprises are work that is done in this world. The purpose or the aim of enterprises is for this world, in this world. Therefore, they have to be done according to the rules of this world. So if you do an enterprise you have to do it professionally, according to real know-how and real understanding of the field in which you are working. For this reason it is necessary for the committee to get together those Subud members who have some expertise in something so that they will be willing to give a little of their time to help, foster, advise and supervise the work of those who are doing enterprises.
Now, this is very important. What has become customary in the past is that when people doing enterprises have a problem or a question they run to the helpers. So it is the helpers who guide the enterprises. Yet, it is not sure whether those helpers know anything about the field in which the enterprise is. They may not have the faintest idea about industry, or about agriculture or something like that. So when they give advice it is very often not practical or right - with the clear result that the enterprise then starts going downhill, starts to lose money and very often falls on its face, or goes bankrupt, or something like that. There have been examples of this sometimes, in the United States, in England and in Europe.
Cilandak, Indonesia - February 4, 1979
Code Number : 79 CDK 4
Brothers and sisters, it has been an instinctive habit that, right up to the present time, the viewpoint taken by mind and heart has always been that the worship of the One Almighty God, or what the Javanese race in Indonesia call kebatinan, esotericism, should really not be mixed with worldly activities such as earning money, earning food and clothing, earning a livelihood. It is said that the more advanced they are in the inner life and with regard to the One Almighty God, the more people will be failures in their outer life as lived in this world, and in providing for their lives in this world. They take it to mean that to advance inwardly is to fail outwardly. That has come to be the usual way of working at it, so that the structure of society has been organized with one group that works in the field of farming, in the field of art, in the field of various skills such as of what nowadays is called technology, and a second group that works as what is called satrias, in the military field, which extends right up to kings. The third group does indeed work too, but in the field of the kobatinan, the field of worship, the Brahmana, the priests. This structure was arranged so as to remind people not to mix their worship of God with the way people work to earn money and the basic necessities of life.
That way of looking at things has become instinctive, brothers and sisters, and not just here, but it is also like that in Europe. Many questions are asked of Bapak as to why, when Subud is the worship of God, is Bapak always urging people to do enterprises. Will these not become an obstacle to the worship of the One Almighty God? Brothers and sisters, that is of course a misunderstanding. That misunderstanding has gone further and further. Why has that happened? It has become usual, if someone worships God, just to keep on seeking God with their minds and wills. People think that if they did that they will ultimately succeed in finding God. If they really could find God they would in fact be making a mistake, for if human beings could find God, it would not be a case of the human being and God, but two Gods. That is how it would be if only one person was looking for God, but if it were ten people, there would be ten Gods. It is thus clear, brothers and sisters, that people make their own difficulties in worshipping God so as to be able to find the qodar from the One Almighty God. They make their own difficulties for themselves with their hearts and minds. In actual fact, brothers and sisters, there is nothing easier than when someone receives the qodar from the One Almighty God.
S. Widjojo Center, Jakarta, Indonesia - January 15, 1981
Talk To Councilors And Guests
Code Number : 81 JKT 1
In Central Kalimantan, the price of vegetables and other foodstuffs is high. Carrots cost 1000 rupiahs a kilogram. Why is it so costly? Because the people who live there don't like to farm. They'd rather pan for gold in the river. In one day a man can bring in 5 to 10 grams of gold. Which means he'll get around 60,000 rupiahs in a day. And, think of it, if that's what they take in using the most rudimentary methods, how much more could be taken in using more advanced tools and technology. Besides gold and copper there are also diamonds of various types. The pure, clear white ones, and then yellow ones and beautiful blue ones. The reflective power of these gems, experts say, indicates their approximate age - a minimum of 300,000 to 400,000 years old. This is not strange since Kalimantan, just from examination of its enormous trees, is obviously the oldest island in the Indonesian archipelago. Some trees are said to be three meters in diameter, and some of those large trees, Bapak has heard, are contained in the very concession Bapak has selected.
So, brothers and sisters, this has been a description of the projects Bapak is beginning now in Kalimantan: projects Bapak foresaw long ago.
Bapak says that actually those of you who were in Coombe Springs will remember that Bapak talked about Kalimantan then. Bapak came first to Coombe Springs in 1957. So it means that already from 23 years ago Bapak had this plan to develop Kalimantan. You may ask Bapak why Bapak waited so long. The reason is simple. The reason is that, when you want to do something and when you only talk about it, people won't believe it. It is very hard to accomplish something if you simply talk about it. It's very easy to talk. Anyone can say, "Oh yes, we should do this and this and this." But then people say, "How do I know that you know what you're talking about?"
It is at this point that we need some kind of proof, some kind of background to what we are doing. Bapak feels that the proof is now here. In other words, with this building and with what Subud has achieved so far, the time has come to proceed with these ( Kalimantan ) projects.
London, England - March 28, 1981
Code Number : 81 LON 3
The only way that man can now - if Bapak really feels within himself, Bapak is convinced and knows - that the only way for man today to still correct the state of the world, to still correct his life in this world, is if this latihan spreads throughout the world. Because man's mind today has developed far beyond what it used to be in the old days; through man's intelligence and man's will to progress, and man's ability to develop his life in this world, he has been able now to create technology and material things which are really dangerous for his own life, for example nuclear bombs and nuclear weapons and so on...weapons of tremendous power.
Now, everybody at the moment is saying, "Well let us try to do without these nuclear weapons," but the fact is, Bapak has read in the newspaper, and you are all aware of this, I think, all mankind is now aware of this, that nuclear weapons pose a three-part problem, if you throw them away, they are dangerous. Like, if you throw them in the sea, all the fish die maybe, and maybe all the people who eat the fish will die. If you keep them, it is dangerous; if you deploy them and just keep them where they are, they are dangerous. If you use them, they are even more dangerous.
So O.K., if you have a thing that is dangerous if you throw it away, it is dangerous, if you keep it, it is dangerous if you use it, what is the way out? What is the answer? The only answer is not in the thing anymore, but in the person. So if you want to look for the solution, it is no use looking at the thing itself, but instead, one ought to look at the person who is using it.
The answer to the problem: it can only be something safe; it can only become something that is not dangerous, if the person who has it does not wish to use it, because the thing that is dangerous is not actually the weapon, but the person behind it. For example, if you have a table with a long line of pistols on it, actually there is no danger at all. It is only if you have a person who wants to pick up one of those pistols and use it, then it becomes dangerous. So actually, if you want to avoid the danger, it is not the material; it is not the pistols or the weapons that you have to correct; it is the people who have charge of these weapons.
Wendhausen, Germany - April 25, 1981
Code Number : 81 WEN 3
Many of you are still unable to receive. What is the reason for that? It is because your actions are not yet all filled with life. Bapak will illustrate how it is for Bapak.
( Bapak stands up and gives some examples ). For instance, Bapak asks Bapak himself what is Bapak's right work ... and in that way he understands that Bapak's work, in everything he does for you, in awakening the life of human beings so that they recognize the power of God which is both inside and outside their selves. And how is Bapak's attitude to all of you? As if to his own children. Why does Bapak still wear all this ( shoes, tie ,etc. )? .Because they do not shut Bapak off from the worship of God. He does not need to wear a long beard and he does not need to walk with a staff in order to be called a highly spiritual man. For people are not forbidden to be rich or to be clever, brothers.
High technology is not prohibited. As you count money it is as if you are saying "Allah, Allah, Allah". That is why it is said in religion that you should do everything as well as you can, because God knows everything that you do. There is evidence for this which you have received in the latihan kejiwaan of Subud. Why, when they can already talk, are people trained in the latihan to talk? Why, when you can already walk, are you trained to walk? Why, when 'you can already move your hands, are you trained to move your hands? Why, when you can already laugh, are you trained to laugh? It is so that you can feel the difference between "I walk" and "I am made to walk"; between "I talk" and "I am made to talk.”
Later on, when it reaches your mind, it is the difference between "I think" and "I am made to think". That is what is called "wisdom", a knowledge beyond the ordinary.
Wolfsburg, Germany - May 3, 1981
Code Number : 81 WOB 6
This is how God is, and that is why it is said that God precedes all beginnings and follows all endings, that He is within the innermost and beyond the outermost. Thus all that is in the power of God, whereas the rest of it comes from the powers of the various things which God has given to His creatures. There are others of God's creatures besides human beings; yes, all sorts of other creatures. You can more or less see for yourselves that besides this world here, which is inhabited by human beings, there are other worlds which the scientists have discovered; that is, the planets. The ability that human beings now have to travel in space is indeed a sign that God is the All-powerful Creator Who loves all that He has created. Human beings will be able to expand, their scientific achievements still further, and will be able to deepen, heighten and extend their technology, because all that is from God. Human thought reaches its limits when in the presence of God, but the knowledge of God is unlimited; limited only by the limits of God Himself, which is to say that it is eternal, everlasting, constant and unchanging.
So in order to strengthen your faith in yourselves, brothers and sisters, God will give human beings teaching in accordance with what each can receive and what each should have. Where the legs are concerned, God teaches human beings that their legs are for walking; they must walk, they must be good at walking, and so God creates legs for them. Thus without needing to ask anyone about it, people already know that their legs are for walking. God creates human beings with hearts and minds. They do not need to ask anyone about it, but with their minds they already understand that the human mind is the place where God gives teaching to human beings. It is thus clear, brothers and sisters, that God gives teaching to human beings in the place which is appropriate to receive it. Bapak can say that it is as if God will enable human beings to see the miraculous. God fills the eyes of human beings with His power, so that they can see and know. So too with their hearing and their sense of smell, and also with their brains, their minds. Why did the prophets say, why did Christ and Muhammad say, that the mind is important for human beings?
Sao Paulo, Brazil - May 31, 1981
Code Number : 81 SAO 3
It is clear, then, that through doing our latihan, carrying out our worship of God, there arises within us a picture, an understanding of our needs in this world and the activity which we have to do to fulfill it. We begin to understand not only our obligation to worship Almighty God, but also the correct use of all the instruments that God has given us for living in this world.
We understand that we are not forbidden or prevented from following, pursuing and keeping up with the development of technology in today's world. We have to understand that God does not get angry with us or object to us if we make progress. After all, the whole world and everything in it is created by Almighty God. And God has handed over this world to us to run and organize. It's the least we can do to help God by running and organizing this world, and not always keep running back to God every time we want something.
God has very much else to run. Besides this world, God has an enormous universe, all of which requires God's attention. So, at least this little bit that God has given us to look after - let us really look after it in the best possible way. This is why Bapak is always telling you in his talks to do enterprises. And enterprise, now, is what we call part of the organization side of Subud.
Now, in reality, our worship of Almighty God, or our relationship to Almighty God, is something that cannot be organized. Because it is something that is between man and God. And a third party has no place and no function in this relationship. We need organization simply as a bond between Us human beings in this world. Because if human beings are not tied together by a bond, then they - like a herd of goats - go in all directions.
The nature of man is like that: if he is not part of an organization his nature is like a goat. Supposing he ought to go in this direction, then he goes in the opposite direction. And if you want him to go in that direction, then he goes in yet another direction. And it is usually said that, of all the animals, the goat is the most difficult to shepherd, to look after. This is why it has been said that all the messengers of God started life as goatherds. But, of course, this is a symbol: They were not herders of goats with horns, but human goats. Because, in fact, to organize human beings is harder, is more difficult than to organize a herd of goats.
Cilandak, Indonesia - February 17, 1982
Code Number : 82 CDK 1
This, brothers and sisters: is why the one and only way in which one may hope to obtain happiness in both this world and the next is to surrender to the One Almighty God in the way which you have received, If you have a religion, you should practice it, because religion is also an effort which people make to behave rightly. There is nothing in religion which says you should do anything wrong, Well, the latihan kejiwaan of Subud is evidence to show you at all times whether what you are doing is right. Thus if you stand up ( and test ) Or if you put yourself into a state of Surrender and ask whether what you are doing is right or wrong, then you will clarify it for yourself, and you will be able to unravel the question for yourself. Thus if you ask why it is necessary for you to live in this world, it is necessary so as to bring order both into the world and into your own self; it is necessary to bring order into society, if you can. So come, let us live together in harmony, worshipping God and doing something to support our lives in this world. If at least three-quarters of mankind possessed that, this world would become a peaceful, safe and happy place. If the world is still as it is, still full of sin and wrong doing, then of course if people make nuclear weapons one knows What will happen as a result.
People say that they do these things in the interests of science or for national defense. Yes, of course scientific research is very necessary, brothers and sisters, and it is what God always teaches human beings to do. In fact Bapak has actually received about this, and, if he has not misunderstood what he has received, what human beings have acquired up to now is not yet fifty per cent - not even forty, thirty, twenty or even ten per cent - of what is possible for them. Their achievements would still be slight even if they had attained to fifty per cent of what is possible for them in the future. At present this is just beginning. In past centuries people said that human beings could not possibly get to the moon, let alone the planets, let alone more distant parts of space, but now it is happening. Human beings can know about these things and can make these journeys, so that they have really been able to set foot on the moon. Many people say that it is a sin to go to the moon. It is not a sin, brothers and sisters, for the fact that human beings have been able to go there means that God has given it His blessing in this. If God had not given them His blessing, they would not have got there. Without God's blessing human beings would not yet have acquired the skills which enable them to pass through the barriers between this earth and the other worlds, the planets, so that nowadays they can feel how this barrier exists between this earth and the other planets; the barrier of airless space, so that there is nothing to support them and they cannot float in it like birds flying Their things are weightless, they have no weight at all.
If human technology has reached such heights, it is not through human technology itself but through the grace of God witch He has bestowed upon mankind. So how much more will be possible for future generations, for Bapak's grandchildren who will be able to experience and do things infinitely more advanced than -anything we have at present. Nowadays people can desalinate sea-water to use in places where it used to be very difficult to find fresh water; nowadays even sea-water can be made into fresh water because human beings have thought how to do it but one must make no mistake about it, that is all really through the grace of the One Almighty God. It is Just like when you live close to a rich man, gradually some of his riches rub off on you. If you are close to God or if God is close to human beings, and if someone has really been granted the grace of God, then if that person does something wrong and is punished for it by what he, himself has made, that is his own fault. That is why, brothers and sisters, besides having a high and wide technology, we need to be close to the power of God which means that we need to worship the One Almighty God. Yes. how do you imagine that the prophets knew how things were going to be? They understood that but they knew that if they published what they knew to people in general, that they would bring trouble upon themselves. That is why the prophets did what would be best for the people and what would make them happiest.
It is in accordance with the present situation that we should not still go on behaving as people used to d in the past, at any rate so far as you are concerned - as for other people, that is up to them. You should not say, as people did in the past, that if you are fated to be poor you must just go on being poor. You must not say “It is my lot as a Javanese to occupy a lowly position”. No, you must not think like that; you must not complain, you must not feel inferior. God is All-powerful, brothers and sisters. When God created human beings, He did it all at once, once and for all, and it is your own fault if you get left behind. Bapak has experienced this, brothers and sisters; you really do not have to look far for an example; you have one in Bapak himself. Bapak never dreamed that he would travel round the world. He never dreamed that he would, but that was what God willed, so that it turned out that Bapak does travel around the world. Bapak himself is amazed and wonders how he can do it. This is the wi11 of God, Who is All-powerful, If you have followed Bapak' s journeys you have perhaps been astonished that the people who pay homage to Bapak are not just those of his own race only, but also people in America and all over the world. Even people who do not know Bapak pay homage to him, not that Bapak asks them to. That is what happens in other countries where the Dayaks, just recently the same thing happened in Borneo, were very anxious to meet me. They cried when Bapak refused to let them carry Bapak on their shoulders. Just think, who aroused those feelings of love and affection for Bapak in these Dayaks? It was the One Almighty God. This is proof, brothers and sisters.
Perth, Australia - April 28, 1982
Code Number : 82 PER 3
If Subud can spread, brothers and sisters, there will be no war, for people who have received the latihan kejiwaan know and understand that it is a sin to behave like that. At the present time people go in fear of the things which they themselves have created. What need is there to create nuclear weapons, when these can destroy human life? If they are detonated, not just one or two people will die, but thousands, millions. Well, now these weapons have been made, and it is dangerous to throw them away, dangerous to keep them, dangerous to destroy them, so what is to be done? Yes; they are to be used in war. How is it, brothers and sisters, that human beings themselves have made things which now haunt them like demons of their own creation, and of which they themselves are terrified? Do you imagine that, having made such things, Russia is not afraid of them? She is just as afraid.
Yes, this is how it is; God is always All-compassionate towards mankind. He will give to them and guide them until they succeed in doing what they want. Like it is now, when human beings have been able to fly to the moon. There are even other space-craft which have been able to travel hither and thither all over the solar system, and to reach the planets. Thus human beings are now able to reach and to know about things beyond this earth, and this is through the grace of the One Almighty God. But people do not remember that it is because of God that they have achieved such progress and such a high technology. This has reached the point at which human beings are now frightened of their own creations. This is what is meant in the proverbial saying that 'the weapon devours its master'. Their own creations turn against them and punish them. So far has man gone in omitting to worship the One Almighty God, that they are punished by their own creations. Well, brothers and sisters, since this is so it will be good if you can spread the latihan kejiwaan of Subud, so that people will more or less be aware of their own sins and wrong actions which will later rebound upon themselves.
Melbourne, Australia - May 7, 1982
Code Number : 82 MEB 4
Clearly then, brothers and sisters, God has given man everything he can take, according to his capacity. However, man receives it with his passions ( nafsu ) which cannot save him, but only cause turmoil and suffering in his life. The proof can be seen in the fact that now that man has invented nuclear weapons and wants to destroy them, he is unable to do so: he is in danger whether he throws them away, keeps them, owns them or uses them.
Clearly then, all this is man's own fault. God always provides for man because God loves man, and now it is man's own fault that he is in a situation where the weapons are taking over control. Made by man, they now threaten him with destruction. That's why, brothers and sisters, what we hope for is that you will all be able to spread the latihan kejiwaan of Subud which will enable man to distinguish between good and bad, right and wrong, and to be aware of what is destructive. Knowledge is necessary for man; it is important for our lives, it enables us to cover long distances in a short time. Man has achieved this through using his intelligence. Man needs to use technology so that people will prosper in their lives in society. This helps to explain the great importance of the latihan kejiwaan of Subud, to enable people to know how far they are allowed to go and what is forbidden by God, learn to know what is permitted ( halal ) and what is proscribed ( haram ), in respect of human actions in this world.
Singapore - June 12, 1982
Code Number : 82 SIN 1
The forces from the material to the human can be considered as colonizers, because one is always invaded, always influenced by the nafsu - the various kinds of nafsu. For if there were no nafsu, man could not exist, man could not live in this world. Evidently, if you did not have clothes, did not have a house, if you did not possess anything at all in the world - no tables, no chairs, no money, nothing of anything, could you live in this world? No. And yet they also represent a strong temptation in man's life in relation to his worship of Almighty God. It is easy for man to say in his heart that he has put aside his nafsu, but truly, that is a lie. Man cannot put aside his nafsu during his life in the world because the nafsu is within his heart and mind and man cannot leave the material force, because the material force exactly matches the working of the heart and mind. So brothers and sisters, the material is really extremely important for man's life. Those who are irreligious have maintained the power of historical materialism, because without materialism, man cannot live. Thus, clearly, brothers and sisters, although the material force is the lowest, it is the force that is, for example, like the foundations of a house, without it you could not live in the world. Man would even be overpowered by a cat because a cat has claws while a man has none. But with his thinking and his mind, man's ferocity, if he gives way to it, is greater than that of an animal. One man alone with the advancement of his mind, which is now called technology, is more dangerous than a thousand tigers.
Cilandak, Indonesia - July 23, 1982
Code Number : 82 CDK 10
Heaven is that which is all-good, all-right, all-excellent, all-blissful, more than anything that can be experienced in this world. Yet, if we say "more than what exists in this world" or "there's nothing like it in this world", then how can man imagine to himself how blissful, or pleasant heaven is, since he has never experienced it? It is just a mistaken opinion of the thinking. Take, for instance, the experience of the messengers of God, such as Prophet Muhammad. He was able to relate how in heaven it's like this and like that. But that is a story of what Prophet Muhammad experienced when he was not in this world, therefore it cannot be pictured here.
Today, you can draw this same conclusion from ordinary science, from what is called "high technology". You can already sense that outside this world, outside the sphere of this earth, man's thinking is dull and cannot work. The proof is that if ( out in space ) a man leaves his vehicle and comes out, even if he can still live, yet he only floats. He isn't pulled this way or that way. Outside of this world things are very different from inside it.
It is clear that away from all this, man cannot live, except if he takes with him the necessary equipment from here. For example, some air so that he can breathe. But in that case he is no longer outside, he is still inside his own machine.
What people in general imagine - that later in heaven it will be perfectly delightful, that every morning they will be served delicious food ( provided by God Who runs an enormous restaurant to serve food to all the people there ) - that is all just fantasy, just the mind picturing that that's how it will be. But it isn't.
To be clear: that which can live "over there" is whatever is like what is "over there". So, if man can go from here to there then ( what can go ) is his jiwa - not this, his physical being.
Cilandak, Indonesia - March 17, 1983
Code Number : 83 CDK 3
Thus you have to be able to seek a balance and consider why, when you have to die, are you not trusting God and why are you not sincere in your submission to God? What we should pray for to God is a good death, a normal death; even what can be called a perfect death. Well, this comes because of trust and submission. Bapak is often asked why he still seems to stay so young in spite of being more than eighty years old. People ask what medicine he uses and what regime he follows, but he does nothing like that. I answer spontaneously; "Nothing". What do I do then? I surrender. Bapak may die now, at this moment, he may die tomorrow, he may die some other year; whenever it may be, he is ready. The duration of my life I surrender to the One Almighty God as to how long it is necessary for me to live here in this world.
This is the way we increase the strength of our inner selves, brothers and sisters. We become calm and resolute, and we are not confused or worried by all the things which are happening at present in this world, where nowadays people are once again talking about nuclear bombs and the possibility of war and whether it is possible that this world will undergo much devastation in many places.
If you think about all that, brothers and sisters, there is no end to troubled feelings; never any end.
Well, these people who worry are people who lack faith and who do not believe in the One Almighty God. All things are determined by God, only human beings do not understand that, because they understand things only with their minds and their hearts, which are limited in scope. The people engaged in high technology have experience of this for themselves, as when, for instance, they are flying out there beyond the earth's atmosphere, where empty space begins. Floating between the planets is not the same as floating in water, for human beings can no longer breath out there and so their minds and hearts can no longer be used, and yet God created all this, and if God created it of course God can work there.
Hamburg, Germany - September 17, 1983
Code Number : 83 HAM 1
Thus it is clear, brothers and sisters, that the power of God envelops, the whole universe, and it is a great good fortune for you, and a blessing from the One Almighty God, that in this present century, in this period of transition, when everything is in chaos and confusion, that the One Almighty God has complied with the nature of human beings to enable them to create things which one would ordinarily only meet with in fairy stories.
Thus before ever there were any kinds of flying machines, human beings had already been able to receive the idea of something which could fly, and before ever they were able to descend into the depths of the ocean, they already had stories about it. So too before human beings had been able to invent weapons such as what are now called atom bombs or nuclear devices, people had already been able to dream of such things. One could go on adding still more such instances. In the old days people also dreamed that human beings could really be purified by God, and that those who were really purified could be buried on the moon when they died. That was just a story.
But all those things which were told in the stories of long ago have now taken concrete form and human beings can experience them. Human beings can create these extremely powerful weapons, and they really can fly out into space, and they really can dive deep into the oceans, and they really can fly to the moon.
God’s Power gives mental skills like that to beings, so that human beings are able to create things which one could never imagine could be invented, but human beings are not God, brothers and sisters; they are creatures amongst all the other creatures who exist in the universe, and they are still always liable to attack by the nafsu, and these nafsu dwell in their hearts and minds. That is why when these human beings discover a high technology, giving them strange and powerful skills, they are unable to escape from the pressures of the nafsu which are present in their minds and hearts. So of course they are used by the nafsu, and the way the nafsu use human beings is so that they cannot help putting their own interest or the interests of their own group first. Nowadays, for instance, people can really feel, and you yourselves can really feel, how it is that human beings have created those weapons that are called atomic or nuclear bombs. They have these very powerful weapons, which they are used will destroy not just a few people but can even annihilate the whole world, and why? Because of nafsu.
It is thus clear, brothers and sisters, that God has love and compassion for human beings, but human beings cannot really make proper use of these gifts of God so as to preserve their life in this world and make the world itself as complete and as good as it should be. This is how people are, brothers and sisters, and that is why all of us pray that the One Almighty God will continue to protect human beings in this world, and to remind them whenever they forget God's gifts to them through which they are enabled to create all these extraordinary things.
Cilandak, Indonesia June 28, 1984
Last Ramadhan Talk
Code Number : 84 CDK 8
In the latihan of Subud there is no dogma and no teaching, no beginning and no end. The latihan is actually life; and the nature of that life is something you will only become truly aware of when you die.
When you face your last moment, are about to breathe your last breath, it will be this life that you will be aware of. This is the life that will be real for you at that moment. At that moment, you will know who it is who will receive your life, in other words, your jiwa. The other things, the other equipment you have used, is for life here in this world: Bapak is referring to your physical body and its framework built from the four elements of material, vegetable, animal and human forces.
The framework of the lower life forces is a structure that has been erected for the use of your life in this world; and the four elements of the structure are the causes and sources of what we call nafsu.
Thus, if you are a human being with a physical body, then you have nafsu. A lot of people may say, "Don't have nafsu, don't live with the nafsu, reduce it, put it aside." But, brothers and sisters, that is simply impossible as long as you have a physical body. And as long as you live with the body in this world you will have nafsu, like it or not.
Bapak is going to say it again to make it absolutely clear: A human being who lives in this world has two hopes, two objectives, two aspirations:
One is to become truly aware of life after death and make into a reality, the other is to expand his knowledge of this world.
The second aspiration m the expansion of the understanding of the workings of the world - is what we called "technology". Technology is a gift of Almighty God.
It is not just that God does not abhor technology, that God does not feel offended by technology, that God does not blame you for having technology. No, on the contrary, it is that God wills man to possess technology.
Technology is man's birthright in this world, his rightful accompaniment or possession for living on earth.
Thus, if you happen to come across something or some way or approach to life in this world which holds that you must not live well, must not enjoy yourself, must pay no attention to life here, must not become rich, must not make use of all that exists in the world - if you are confronted with something like that, it is wrong, absolutely wrong. It cannot be so.
Brothers and sisters, Almighty God provided the world for man. God also provided for man the tools for him to live in this world. Why then should man turn away from what God has given him?
For he is, in fact, the insan kamil, the perfect man. He is equipped with the entire framework, the hierarchy of life-instruments or forces; and these exist within him to make his life in this world complete.
If someone, then, chooses the other way - to turn away from the world, to go off and mediate in the jungle or in a cave, to put aside all contact with society - then that person is putting aside his being as a real human being, as insan kamil.
In the end, what will such a person become? The person who sets the world aside in that way, will eventually become one who is invisible, who does not live on earth with a physical body, but exists in what is called the astral plane - a plane which is still in this world. There are many people like that. They continue after death to live in this world in that plane. And you can still see them - not with the ordinary eyes with which we observe objects around us - for these people are "invisible".
Cilandak, Indonesia - July 2, 1984
Code Number : 84 CDK 9
So Bapak sees a very strong link in the future between Indonesia and Japan. This will happen. Bapak didn't say it would happen via Subud, but it will happen because of Subud. Because Subud is very inter-nationalistic in its outlook, Subud can be accepted by everybody. All the religions and the different concepts and different ideas can accept Subud because Subud is in the middle - in the middle of all the religions and so on. Because for Subud there is only one God and one race, that is the human race. Later; when this becomes a reality, religion and national cultures will become localized. What Bapak means is that while each country will develop its national culture yet they will, understand each other. There will be an exchange. There will be a mutual understanding of cultures and religions. Only then will the world begin to become prosperous and well organized. There will be true welfare. The beginning of the welfare of human beings will start at that point. There will be a lot of intermarriage: Japanese will marry Indonesians, Indonesians will marry English people, Europeans will marry Asians and so on. And there will begin to become a feeling between people, between people of different nationalities, that we are all the human race. They will be able to feel their needs as human beings rather than as people of this or that nationality.
But now it is still different. Each group still looks for its own glory, its own benefit at the expense of the others. But the change which Bapak speaks about, when this happens, communism will shrivel, will retreat by itself; not because it is overcome, or because it is vanquished, or because it is defeated in battle, but spontaneously because the aims of communism will be achieved in a better way. The aim of communism is that everybody should be equal and everybody should enjoy equally the resources of the world, but the communists are not able to give autonomy to each country. They do not give autonomy, whereas under the situation Bapak describes, each country has its autonomy.
For example in Russia. Russia would like that there is only one language throughout their area, but that is impossible. It is beginning already now that the communists are beginning to become bored with their own propaganda, because they are always having to say that black is white and this is that. They are beginning to get tired of it.
Bapak also sees a strong connection between Japan and England. Bapak doesn't know why but it is related to the fact, it seems, that English has become the language of modern technology. It seems that it is easy to use English for new inventions, new discoveries. English is a good language for innovation and that is why it will become popular in Japan.
Actually the world can only come right if it is organized by the material and kejiwaan together. Later this will come from the East: the technology from Japan and the spiritual from Indonesia. Bapak hopes that these changes will come about not through war, but in a peaceful way and Bapak hopes that Russia will withdraw, will shrink spontaneously because of what is going on inside, not through war, rather through an internal process. Bapak says that Russia's power started only about 75 years ago or less. It will not last more than 100 years. So the process will take about 25 years. Whether it happens through war or not Bapak doesn't know. Bapak says of course Bapak is only a human being. Bapak cannot predict. What will really happen depends on God. If we can avoid war it will be very good. Bapak hopes so.
Russia would like for the process to happen through war. The feeling of Russia is that you cannot improve the world unless you destroy it first; in other words, through war.
But, for us, our way is different. We would like it to happen through the progress of the mind, through diplomacy, through negotiations with the Russians, and the West.
Amen. Bapak Muhammad-Subuh Sumohadiwidjojo