From the Pewarta

Bapak did not mean that you should write a book about the relationship of the physical body and the jiwa, let alone about higher matters.

What Bapak meant was that members should write about their experiences since being in Subud and following the latihan kejiwaan, for other members to read. The content of the writings will thus not depart very far from what exists in the sphere of the kejiwaan, based on the Grace of Almighty God manifested in the latihan kejiwaan of Subud, which in reality is guidance and direction from the Power of Almighty God.

If you write about things you have learned from books or from teachings, even though these teachings are generally called spiritual knowledge, and you then relate these things to what you receive in following the latihan kejiwaan of Subud, which in reality is the guidance and direction of Almighty God - this can cause your inner-feeling to feel empty or dead.

It seems necessary for Bapak to give some explanation here about the reasons for this. As you know, the latihan kejiwaan which we receive is a latihan of the jiwa, that is, the content of our whole self, which is composed of all the five senses together with the innermost heart ( hati-sanubari ) and the brain.

If we say that the jiwa is the content of our whole self, clearly it is the jiwa that takes the lead or plays the most important role in our lives. Thus, obviously, the heart and brain, or the ideas and the thoughts, however broad they may be, are still the instruments of the jiwa. So if the jiwa, which is the content of the self, is of a lowly nature ( material ), then it will not be aware that the perspicacity [ keenness of mental perception and understanding ] of the heart and the intelligence of the mind possess a character less than truly human. The proof of this is that not a few people who are well educated and who know what is right and what is wrong behavior still do things that fall short of excellence.

So we very much need to find a way that can become the means of arresting the influence of the nafsu and cause our real jiwa to be uncovered.

It is fortunate for us that, through the Mercy of Almighty God, we are able to receive His Grace, which we feel as a vibration of life within us and which subsequently manifests the energy and movements we call the latihan kejiwaan. And, at the moment when the vibration of life is present, ire feel the influence of the nafsu that dwell in our heart and thoughts come spontaneously to a standstill. That is why we say this happens through the Grace of Almighty God. For, in truth, it is difficult to put a stop to the influence of the nafsu that dwell in the heart and mind, and supposing it were possible to stop it, this would mean the death of the person concerned. So, cearly, the way to stop the influence of the nafsu and change the jiwa for the better lies through death, although usually if a person dies he really dies.

This is why Bapak explained above that we are really fortunate to be blessed by God so that, although we are unable to stop or to put aside the influence of the nafsu, we can receive His Grace. For in this situation only God can act, and it is only necessary for us to follow the latihan kejiwaan, which is a guidance and direction, with patience, trust and sincere submission.

This is how it is, so you should not mix or connect all kinds of theories with your receiving when you receive and follow the latihan kejiwaan of Subud, because if you still do that it will readily cause you to become confused. Bapak therefore hopes that, if you still wish to write, you will write about all the experiences you have had in following the latihan kejiwaan of Subud. ( Pewarta -VII/5/29 )

Coombe Springs, England - August 18, 1959
Code number of Recording: 59 CSP 8

As for your news, you can communicate it in the usual ways. And, as far as possible, Bapak hopes that you will only write about what you have experienced in the latihan, because writing about what you got through doing the latihan will encourage others to do their latihan diligently. It will also help us to get used to the difference between writing from receiving and writing from thinking, which in turn will lead us to an awareness of how to write a book that is from the atmosphere of this world, and how to write from beyond the ordinary mind.

That is also why Bapak considers it necessary to have some kind of magazine, such as the Chronicle; and, if possible, other kinds of publications. All of these should serve to bring people closer together and to facilitate the exchange of experiences and opinions between members in different parts of the world.

And Bapak doesn't want you to introduce writings about all sorts of theories into these publications, because, as he said earlier, our brain, heart and sex need to be cleansed so they are no longer filled with the atmosphere of this world, which renders them unable to receive the truth. Once you are able to be in touch with a right inner feeling, you will find that writings containing theories from various sources become boring to read, or even to look at. Besides making you feel bored, they will also give you a headache and make you restless, for such analyses have their origin in the ordinary thinking mind, heart and sex. And, if you force yourselves to read and think about them, it means that you are forcing yourselves to descend to a lower level.
. . . read the complete Talk - 59 CSP 8

Vancouver, Canada - September 21, 1963
Code Number : 63 YVR 3

In reality, a person’s worship of God does not need to be organised, nor does it need rules or by-laws, because the worship of God or realm of the soul cannot be described. It truly cannot be written down. But because we live in this world, because there are other groups and there is a government that needs to know what we are doing in our association, we need to create by-laws. This means by-laws that we can write down in a document; the rules of our association: how we associate, how we relate to each other, how we organise ourselves; and other things, including our needs. What sort of needs? Our need to do the latihan, and the place that we need to rent or provide in order to do it.

But what we receive in the latihan – because it is all from God and given by God – cannot be described or written down on paper. It is not that it is secret or that we are not allowed to write about it, but someone who has not experienced or received what is in the latihan will not believe it. So in the statutes or by-laws of our association we write only what the general public can understand and accept.
. . . read the complete Talk - 63 YVR 3

Wolfsburg, Germany - May 3, 1981
Code Number : 81 WOB 6

( Testing )

( Bapak opens and closes his hand ).

This ( the closed hand ) means that there are no nafsu; this ( the open hand ) means that the nafsu are starting up again.

Open again. Relax. Come back to un-relaxed. How can one write about or give a name to that? Bapak can only say that if this is written, without illustration, people will understand it less than ever. If before you encountered the latihan you could really have done this, you would have known all about it. When you can receive and feel this and this - this is after relaxing - you will be able to receive everything necessary for you. If, for instance, someone laughs, it is of course the mouth which laughs. When the mouth laughs or smiles, one concludes from this that it denotes the presence of a happy feeling, a feeling of contentment, a feeling of getting what one wants. Thus a happy and contented feeling, when it is received in the mouth, produces what one calls a laugh or smile, but this happy feeling cannot be received just by the mouth; it has to be received by the whole person. Bapak will test this with you.

( Testing )

Now - and this applies especially to the helpers - you may sometimes feel uncomfortable in the presence of some Subud member. This feeling may come either from yourself or from the person in front of you. That is why we ought to be able, so far as is possible, to correct our own selves. It is by no means certain that it is something wrong about the other people; sometimes it is one's own self that is wrong. So it is clear that one can know everything and witness everything and prove everything. There is nothing that is illogical or lacking in its logic.

Many people can give good advice and guidance, but at the same time not be sure of its logicality. So we are very lucky to have a basis of logic and real proof in what we receive, for as a rule spiritual matters cannot be proved in the same way as scientific matters, but why should they not be susceptible of proof if they are truly spiritual and really emanate from the One Almighty God? Of course they can be proved; spiritual matters are proved by spiritual methods and scientific matters are proved by scientific methods, so that each has its own proper place.

( Testing )

Why is Bapak able to control that? It is because Bapak is united with you, and it is not Bapak who is doing this, but the power of God. Thus when you are opening new members you do not turn to Bapak to open them. You turn to God, and then God turns to these new members. In that way there is no stain left either in yourselves or in the people being opened, or in how you write and describe things. This is something logical. Thus there is nothing that cannot be clarified by way of evidence. That is why everything needs to be experienced, and that is why Bapak always urges you to do the latihan sincerely and to persevere, so that you can really feel it.
. . . read the complete Talk - 81 WOB 6

Tokyo, Japan - July 28, 1967
Code Number : 67 TYO 9

So for a person to reach the point of understanding involves a very long journey. Yes, once we have been able to pass this point, the next journey takes us to the second house, a great house called al-bait al-muharram. Its seat is within the chest; that is, in the heart. That is its source or its abode, in the feeling, in the inner feeling. When we have moved beyond that, we come to the body of consciousness, which is the understanding. This is called the third house. It is deeper, but in reality it is the number one house, called al-bait al-ma‘mur. When you reach there, then you will be able to understand what the latihan is, and why God has given it to human beings.

Brothers and sisters, that is how far it is to reach understanding. Bapak does not want to belittle you, but in doing the latihan one could say that you started only yesterday, while those who have been doing the latihan for twenty or thirty years are still feeling their way.

Let us continue, so that you can get a clear picture. Bapak will not restrain those who wish to write about the meaning of the latihan. Indeed, if we compare them to little children it is as if they are enjoying a new toy. Of course, a child who has just received a toy loves it very much. If they are just enjoying it and admiring it we should not stop them; let them write. But nothing they write will give a clear description of the meaning of Subud, for they cannot possibly know that until they have passed through the various levels Bapak just described.

As proof, probably none of you have even reached the first level. You are not yet able to control how sex is. The result is that you always feel disappointed in your relationship with the opposite sex. That proves that you are not yet able to do it. When a man has reached the first house he will be able to give satisfaction to a woman – to his wife – and the same is true for a wife with her husband. Although they are two separate beings they will become one.

Therefore, regarding the question of those who wish to write: well, what can we do? If they are enjoying themselves, let us leave them to it. For if we were to prevent them it would be like stepping on something that is starting to grow, and stopping the growth. It is better to let it grow. Later on they will realise their own mistakes. If they are truly obedient, diligent in doing the latihan and have faith in the greatness of God, the time will come when they reach understanding. Then they will understand for themselves what is wrong and what is right.
. . . read the complete Talk - 67 TYO 9

Cilandak, Indonesia - August 10, 1971
Code Number : 71 TJK 7

When all these things are put into practice you will really be able to develop what you have been given by the One God.

Take the practice of medicine, for instance. A doctor's work and specialty is practicing medicine. There are, of course, days when he will find it difficult to do his work to perfection. And it is here that what God has given you will be able to help. For unless you put it to use, God will not give you anything.

As an example, take a man who lives in the jungle, a man who does not think very much, who just goes to sleep once he has got enough to eat. He wakes in the morning, he hunts for food, then he sleeps. For him that is enough. And it follows of itself that God will not give that man anything, for he asks for nothing from God.

This is why in Subud there is no ban on learning. As far as your mental capacity permits, you should actually set yourself to learn all the things needed in human life. For later on it will be through your mind that you will obtain answers from God, because your difficulties will of course give rise to a state of prihatin, and through this state will come clarity.

Take a writer, for instance. He too has times when he experiences difficulty in creating what he wishes to create in order that his writing may really be able to arouse the reader from obliviousness. And if the writer is a Subud member whose inner feeling is already affected by prihatin, he will quickly be able to receive clarification from within, from the Power of God, so that it is made easy for him to create what he wishes to create.

This has happened to Varindra Vittachi. On one occasion he was writing what he felt to be an important and necessary article, but at that moment his mind came to a full stop, so that he asked himself what he was to do. But then he was quiet, because of his prihatin, and he simply surrendered to God; and then his thoughts and ideas were awakened, as if it were a leg that moved. The movement of the legs is called walking; if the brain moves, it is called thinking. This thinking began to move, so it was easy for his hand to put down what he received.

And what he wrote did in fact please him and satisfy the readers.
. . . read the complete Talk - 71 TJK 7

Los Angeles, CA U.S.A. - July 24, 1959
Code Number : 59 LAX 5

So, if you just discuss spiritual matters, which you have not experienced yourself or received yourself, what you have is an experience of the mind, an experience of the heart and desires. It is not an experience received by the inner feeling, such as you had when you were still small and not yet influenced by this world.

And, because whatever is received by the inner feeling is from the human soul and comes from God, it can be a beginning or starting point, a guide in everything you experience. For example, if you want to do something, at that moment you will receive how it should be done, how to do it so it can be really beneficial and really satisfy your inner feeling, heart and feelings.

Bapak will give an example. Say you are working at a picture - a painting. If you can receive while you are painting - but receive, as Bapak said, when your heart and feelings are at peace - then you will be able to paint something that will be really beneficial and needed by society. And it will truly satisfy your own heart and the hearts of the people who see it, as well as the one who buys it.

It is also like that if, for instance, you are a writer who portrays human characters and describes people's behavior: this kind of person will behave like this and that kind of person will behave like that. If, when you are doing that, you have received peace in your inner feeling, you will be able to write in such a way that whoever reads your book or your writing is attracted by it. Moreover, it will seem as though what you have written really happened, and the reader will be able to describe characters who really match those described in the book. So it is clear that you will be able to describe or sum up the characters of people exemplified in your writing.

There is another example for those of you who work in an office. From the peace of your inner feeling you will be able to experience times when you find it easy to do your work. There are instances of this. There is someone - well, not just one, but many who have really received this peace in their inner feeling. Before, it would take them two weeks to a month to do a certain job and it still wouldn't be finished; they even had to take their work home and do it. But now, they don't work that way any more, because they receive and know what is necessary and what isn't; what will be productive and what will not be productive; what needs to be given priority and what does not. It's like that. Previously, the work took them two weeks or even longer because, at the time, they weren't yet able to perceive what was important and what would be productive; what needed to be done right away and what could wait. They would do everything at once and in a hurry. So not only did it take time, but most of the work was unproductive and unsatisfactory.

If you are unaware of the reality of what you have within you, not only will the work you do fail to bring you satisfaction, it will harm your physical health. This is because, for a job that could be done with just this ( gesture ), you use everything else as well. In this way most people coerce the various parts of their body and restrict their freedom.

Bapak will illustrate this. You are going to hang up a small picture. You need just one or two nails and a small hammer. That is enough to put the picture up. But because you don't know how to do this kind of work, in order to hang a small picture that requires just a couple of nails and a small hammer you bring a saw and you bring a plane; you bring a large hammer and a small hammer; you bring this and you bring that. In short, you bring along all the tools you have.

In this way you waste time, and you force parts of your body to work that are not required for the job. That's how it is with you. You want to see something; you want to see a film, for example. What needs to see it are your eyes - and your heart, too. But in watching the film they forget the responsibilities and the rights of the other parts of the body. And in the end they see a film, not just once, but every night - or even two or three times a night. So you force the other members to participate in the need of the eyes that want to see it. So, in the end, it will cause sickness and a loss of strength in the other members, because they are forced to follow something that is out of place. That's how it is. That's why in the Subud latihan you need to use all parts of your body, so that through their awakening, one by one, each of them will get to know its duty and its work. Then, eventually, they will not be able to coerce one another, but they will be able to work together harmoniously, in an orderly way, each in its own place.

The same applies to thinking about God. You will not be able to use your brain to think about God. Not because you don't want to, but because the brain, of itself, can no longer be used to think about God. For when the brain has been awakened, has been brought to life, it is completely free; it knows its duty and how far it should work. So, ( when asked ) to think about God, the brain itself- if you compare it to a conversation between people - will reply: 'Oh, I can't do that. I wouldn't be able to do it and I don't want to do it, because it's not my work and it isn't the work we should be doing.' That's if it were a person. One day you will experience something like this, if you are sincere in doing this latihan, which in truth is your worship of the One God.
. . . read the complete Talk - 59 LAX 5

Hoboken, NJ U.S.A. - July 4, 1981
Code Number : 81 NYC 5

Now, if Bapak can come back to the kejiwaan, the latihan for us is actually the source of all that we need for our life in this world. Once you are really able to receive clearly in you latihan your life will become like a stream of water that, no matter what happens, it always finds its way. It will be constantly guided by the Power of Almighty God.

This is something that Bapak has often explained and tested with you. No matter what it is that happens to be our talent, it can be guided by what we receive in the latihan kejiwaan.

Looked at from your personal point of view, it is as if everything becomes easy. To outside people it looks as though you are producing something extraordinary. But from your point of view it is as if everything you do, becomes easy and spontaneous.

Bapak says this applies to everybody no matter what type of work you are doing. Supposing you are a film star. You will be able to be guided in your acting so that for a change you will be able to act in a way that what you are portraying is truly in accordance with the jiwa of the person that you are portraying. So that when people look at it, it's so real that they believe they are watching reality not a film, not a representation of reality. Because to be absolutely frank with you, if you watch nowadays the films that are made, it is a little bit like watching a story of a thousand years ago but all the actors are wearing Rolex watches. You watch it but you cannot believe it. You know it's just make believe because what they are portraying is not how things really were in those days. A thousand years ago they didn't have Rolex watches and they didn't have care. So if you are portraying what happened a thousand years ago you have to, for example, go from A to B in an old rickety carriage. It shouldn't be a carriage that moves smoothly but, one that goes creak, creak, creak along the road.

So this is an illustration that when you are guided from within, if you happen to be a film star, you will suddenly be able to portray characters as if you were really them.

And if you are a writer writing fiction, you will be able to write a story which when people read it, it is really as if they were reading something that really happened. They will really enjoy it. It will really be something fascinating for them.

Now, needless to say if you are able to do that you are able to earn a lot of money. I mean a film star like that will be able to get the top salary. Or if you are a writer you will be able, your books will sell a lot of copies. So then from your income you will be able to give some to Subud.

That is what is meant by enterprise, Subud enterprise.

And then Subud will have the possibility of doing its own charitable enterprises with its own money.

That is what we really need to do. Because, frankly, what Bapak just told you earlier that it is good to approach this foundation and that foundation and obtain funds from them to do charitable activities in Subud, well, that is not charity. That is being a channel.
. . . read the complete Talk - 81 NYC 5

Planegg, Germany - December 9, 1959
Code Number : 59 PLG 1

It is the nature of human beings that the human heart prefers good luck to bad luck, gain to loss. That is clear. So it is certain that people will not be interested in anything that is of no benefit to them. That is why Subud should become an example; because this Subud worship is a way of worshipping God that is not detrimental to human beings, but brings them benefits, both in this world and in the life after death.

That is why Bapak encourages those of you on the committee to set an example to society, by showing that when people join Subud it does not diminish their ability but instead develops it, because they receive guidance from within that they cannot obtain by themselves. And all of you will be able to verify this. For example, if you are a writer, it will make your writing easier, because what you are going to write will be there in front of your eyes. Previously, you would work on something for months or even years, and it wouldn’t be finished; now you can finish it in a month or two. So this does not cloud or trouble the brain; on the contrary, it opens curtains that are in the way .
. . . read the complete Talk - 59 PLG 1

Edinburgh, Scotland - May 27, 1972
Code Number : 72 EDI 2

God is also All-just and All-wise. Suppose you do something unsuited to your natural talents, yet by the guidance and direction of the One Almighty God, what is unsuitable can be changed, so that our worship of the One Almighty God is not shut off by material things. Bapak takes someone who is working in an office as an example; someone who is writing letters is not cut off from the worship of the One Almighty God. Thus when you are writing in an office, you write in the ordinary way. But nevertheless you feel very much as if your actions are - yes, not so much as if they are being directed but as if there was something moving you, something like that.

This does not extend only this far, meaning only as far as the head. If you are really being purified all the time and are always obedient to the One Almighty God, not only your head, but your hearts and minds as well will be guided, so that in this way you can be united into one whole.

This is just to give you a little raw material. There are other strange things that you will experience, and it is not necessary for Bapak to describe these at present, or you might get too ambitious and go after things too hard and hope for things too much, and then not be able to achieve them. To some extent Subud members have already also had these experiences. As an example, Bapak will describe something that Varindra Vittachi experienced. He is an author, a journalist, a writer, but on one occasion, it was as if he had lost his inspiration and could not think of anything at all to say. At the same time, it was very necessary for him to write something, for otherwise he could not earn any money. Then he stopped and put it all away from him, became quiet and did latihan. Suddenly it was as if his mind was opened, opened out wide. Then got up, took his pen and wrote and he wrote a great deal He admits that when he had written it, what he received when he was quiet like that was more than what he could have done by thinking, and it was also more to the point, in that what he foretold actually happened.

So there are some among you who are already to some extent able to receive. Thus it is clear that the enterprises which Bapak proposes for all the members are very necessary for all of you.
. . . read the complete Talk - 72 EDI 2

Sydney, Australia - May 11, 1982
Code Number : 82 SYD 2

What you need for this world is not the kejiwaan. What you need for this world is your heart and mind. It is absolutely not right to ask God for money with the latihan kejiwaan. That is not what the latihan kejiwaan is for. The latihan kejiwaan is for your life in the next world. If you want money, you have to find it with your heart and mind.

Brothers and sisters, the kejiwaan is something that goes on by itself. It is entirely the work of God. It is not something that you can organize or contribute to. This is God's service, God's work, for man. The kejiwaan is actually carried out by God. All we can do in terms of the kejiwaan is to surrender everything to God, to open ourselves to God, and to submit ourselves completely to his Will.

We cannot use that for this world. For this world we have our heart and mind. And that is what we have to use, and that is the roll of the heart and the mind and the faculties we have been given by Almighty God.

For example, supposing God has given you the skill or the talent to be a writer. Then your mind will be filled with an understanding of how to write, of what to write, of what it is that you can write that will bring you benefits, that will earn you money, or a livelihood. Bapak himself has experienced this. Bapak has written many books in the past. And when Bapak wrote them he didn't use his mind at all, he didn't think at all. It just came, the content. He received the content.

And where does this content come from? From Almighty God.

So this is the benefit of the latihan kejiwaan for our life in this world.
. . . read the complete Talk - 82 SYD 2

New York, NY U.S.A. - May 9, 1959
Code Number : 59 NYC 4

Each of you needs to clean out that which is within your own self. Just suppose, for example, that within you there is a carpenter, then the way of working within will be planning wood; within another there is a blacksmith and he hammers iron; within another there is a writer and he writes. Bapak can't say to someone, 'You must write!' when he doesn't know how to write, all he knows is how to plane wood.
. . . read the complete Talk - 59 NYC 4

Eindhoven, Netherlands - October 11, 1957
Code Number : 57 EIN 2

Clearly, if we worship God and face God, we become people who really work according to our respective lines of work. Some do this, some do that; one may be a comedian and become a millionaire; another may be a boxer and become a millionaire; another may be a conjurer and become a millionaire; another may be a writer and become a millionaire. Clearly, there is not only one way to happiness; it doesn't depend only on the cleverness of the brain. The skill of the real self will arise. Where does it arise from? God will awaken it and give it to a person if he or she is sincere and truly obedient and submissive to God.
. . . read the complete Talk - 57 EIN 2

Cilandak, Indonesia - August 16, 1971
Code Number : 71 TJK 13

Thus God alone can change the jiwa from low to high, from bad to good. And what can we do? Just surrender to the One God with patience, trust and sincerity. That is the only way.

You will certainly ask: 'Then what is the use of my feelings and thoughts, my heart and brain? Even though I live like a man, will I not later be like a material object, not being allowed to think this or think that?'

Your heart and brain must be given work they can do, worldly work. You have to carry on the work of this world with your heart and your feelings, your brain and your thinking. This is obligatory for you. So don't use heart and mind to change the jiwa. If you try to do that, you will strengthen the heart and mind and be the toy of that jiwa. You may then experience a crisis, because it is out of place to think about the jiwa.

God alone can change your jiwa. This is called hakekat ( truth, reality, direct receiving from God ). So the hakekat is from God, the shari'at and tarikat ( ways of following the rules of religion ) are from us.

Bapak has therefore established two structures for our Spiritual Brotherhood of Subud, one of the kejiwaan and one of the organization. There is provision for the organizational structure because worldly matters develop for you through the jiwa. Thus in all your undertakings, such as people's ordinary work, you are always protected, accompanied and sheltered by the inner, by the jiwa.

So don't have doubts. You have to do something to ensure and safeguard your livelihood on earth. And we have now formulated this in our plans for the bank and enterprises.

Yes indeed. When we work in the normal way and have a bank, those people who prefer to retire to desolate and solitary places, in order to find something, will certainly say: 'Oh, that's Subud - obviously just worldly'. That does not matter. When they say Subud is worldly, that is indeed true. Subud is worldly because we live here. If we live in the world and do nothing of a worldly nature, it is wrong. So far as Bapak has heard, there is no jiwa money yet. There is the coarse money people use. But the jiwa has none, because money is a material thing. Material things are the product of the material, feeling begets feeling, and jiwa leads to jiwa. The consequences of anything accord with its nature.

Hence a man who keeps learning to box will become a boxer. One who keeps learning to write will become a writer. If a man keeps learning to drive he will become a chauffeur. Those are consequences.

So let us not do anything that does not accord with our own nature. Don't have doubts or wonder whether an enterprise will hinder the growth of the jiwa. No, it will certainly not do that. As a matter of fact, an enterprise does not hinder but rather provides the way or clears the way for the growth of the jiwa.
. . . read the complete Talk - 71 TJK 13

Toyko, Japan -January 2, 1980
Code Number : 80 TYO 2 (Testing

Yes, stop. You are well educated. You ought to be a writer, but at present you only handle other writers' books. At present it is like that, so that your life can be said to be low, not high. Yes, yes; not high.

Brothers and sisters, of course not just one or two but many people are also like that. In reality, people have all been created with their respective individual gifts, only they do not know that within their inner-selves they have their characteristic patterns, their gifts, their specialties. Well, these gifts are only to be discovered by people who are good at quieting themselves; that is, by experts in the life of the spirit. In fact you have now entered upon the spiritual life, and so you should at least be able to do this. The truth of this is proved when, each time that you handle one of the books that you sell, you understand more than its author. Now you should make a start; you can still buy and sell books, but you should also write them.
. . . read the complete Talk - 80 TYO 2

Vancouver, Canada - July 17, 1981
Code Number : 81 YVR 3

Supposing you are a writer, again you will be able to have an understanding of life that you can express in your writing, that actually comes from beyond your understanding of your life that you normally have. In other words, it will be possible for you to receive more than what you really understand. You will be able to receive an understanding that goes beyond your own intelligence. Actually, it is as though you will be protected from your own knowledge and your own intelligence and given something that is more than that. An example of this is the holy books that have come down to us from the past.

So it is clear that it is from your worship of Almighty God that it is possible for all of us to truly, gradually become people who are useful in this world. And then it will be through that experience, through that experience of your life in this world, through the experience of receiving something that is really useful that you will then become convinced that God is truly real, that He really exists and that He is Almighty.

So that we can more quickly reap the fruits of our latihan, Bapak always advises us to do enterprises. Because these enterprises that Bapak is always talking to us about are something that grow out of the latihan kejiwaan. In other words, the enterprises that Bapak talks to us about are a form of work, effort, activity that we do in the world to earn our living by using what we have received in the latihan kejiwaan.

The purpose of enterprises is that whatever you are doing, whatever you are working at, is always accompanied by the I closeness of the Power of Almighty God. So that when it starts to develop, when it starts to open out and to grow, your life can reach a level or a state where you are no longer in darkness, anxiety, or confusion - where you are no longer in a state of dissatisfaction and unhappiness, but where, truly, you are beginning to experience something satisfying, something complete in your life.
. . . read the complete Talk - 81 YVR 3

London, England - August 2, 1983
Code Number : 83 LON 2

And the same goes for your hands. Supposing you can write something or you can draw something or you can paint, once your hands are alive they can also earn millions of dollars for you. Really, this is the function of the latihan - to bring the parts of your body to life so that they begin to become aware of their own talent and function and can work for you and produce something that is useful for your life. Bapak doesn’t mean by this to encourage you that you should then ask Bapak, "Oh Bapak, what is the right talent for my hands, or what is the right talent for my legs?" Because if that happens and Bapak starts telling each one of you what your right talent is, then it only makes you lazy. It means you are lazy in your latihan. You will become lazy because you depend on Bapak and no longer are attentive to what you yourself receive in your latihan. And once you are lazy even if Bapak helps you it actually won't help you in your lazy state. It will harm you: because it will be Bapak telling you something which you yourself have not yet understood. And it could be harmful for you. It is like when you give a child a knife, which is sharp and could be very valuable but because he doesn't know how to use it yet, it can harm him. You can compare it to that. It's the same if Bapak tells you things which you are not ready for, which you haven't yet learnt for yourself.

Later, when this process comes to the mind, you will be able to write things, things that are really interesting and really beneficial for human beings. And this also Bapak has experienced, because at one time Bapak wrote volumes and volumes of books, And they were all burned during the Japanese occupation, during the Revolution of Indonesia - burned by mistake, not intentionally. But this didn't upset Bapak, because of course he was the one who wrote them and if he had wanted to write them again he could easily have written them ten times over. But it seems that was not God's will for Bapak. It was not God's will that Bapak should become a writer of books. But it seems that what was God's will was that Bapak should become a spreader of this latihan kejiwaan. That is Bapak's talent and the useful work that Bapak can do in this world.

For indeed this latihan kejiwaan which Bapak has been spreading has now reached 78 countries - so Bapak is told. And really, if you think about it, this could not possibly have happened if it was not God's will. It is God's will that Bapak should not write books but instead that Bapak should travel, that he should come here and meet you. And here you all are, listening to Bapak, and to some extent you even feel that you trust Bapak, you are interested in what he is saying.
. . . read the complete Talk - 83 LON 2

Cilandak, Indonesia - February 20, 1972
Code Number : 72 TJK 3

Bapak therefore hopes that, as well as doing and receiving the latihan kejiwaan in which you only receive the way, you will make all the necessary effort to begin doing what you have it in you to do. For instance, begin to employ your skill in the field which you understand. And by doing so you will always be able to find the answer; you will always obtain guidance and direction from the Power of God.

Bapak illustrates this by comparison with someone who is building a house; an architect, for instance. Because your feelings have already begun to be directed, have already begun to receive guidance and direction from God, then, when you meet some problem or run into some difficulty in the course of putting your skills into practice, there will certainly be guidance.

It is the same if you are a doctor. If a time comes when he meets with difficulty in something he is doing, there will certainly be guidance. So too for an author, a writer of books, of stories about history. At times when he comes to a standstill and does not know how to continue there will certainly be guidance. It will be the same too if your skill lies in some other direction: a farmer will be guided in his planting, his planting and the like.

Therefore, as Bapak has said before, don't be afraid of what feels like difficult work. For the difficulties in doing that work are important and very necessary for you, because they will be experience for you.

In the old days, before there were universities, no one was as yet called an architect, engineer, doctor, master of arts, and so on. These titles did not yet exist. They are something new. How did people come to acquire such titles? Because of their experience. So don't let the difficulties in doing some job deter you; don't put it off, don't stop half way. Go ahead with it.
. . . read the complete Talk - 72 TJK 3

Amen. Bapak Muhammad-Subuh Sumohadiwidjojo

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