SRI LANKA S NEW HOUSE

Transcription

1 Personal copy; not for onward transmission for News in Brief, subscriptions to Subud Voice and links to many other Subud sites: NOVEMBER 2004 SRI LANKA S NEW HOUSE Attending the opening of Sri Lanka s new Subud House. International Helper Murray Clapham writes how Subud Sri Lanka hosted Ibu Rahayu at the opening of their magnificent new Subud house After completing, the visit to Bangalore Ibu Rahayu and party arrived in Sri Lanka on the 14th of September. Ibu's visit and the gathering were to be centred on the opening of a magnificent new Subud House. At midday on the 14th it looked like a miracle would be needed to complete the building for the scheduled opening on the evening of the 15th. Many of us watched the miracle unfold over the next 24 hours as workers laboured round the clock to have the place looking great only minutes before Ibu arrived. A colourful ceremony saw Ibu open the building in front of about 80 Subud members and 60 non-subud invitees. Speeches from the President V. Sinnadorai and then by Sharif Horthy, and entertainment highlighted by particularly attractive Sri Lankan traditional dancers and songs from Barney Wijesinghe, plus a fabulous dinner and socialising into the night completed the program. Ibu gave two talks, a testing session and a question and answer evening. I recommend that all read Ibu's talks. The men s testing session tested not only the men but also the building, when monsoon rains caused the testing session to be terminated - indicating some leakages in the building needed to be addressed. In spite of the rain and acoustic problems it is quite the most impressive Subud House I have personally have visited. Subud in Sri Lanka The Sri Lankan members have for the most part being doing latihan for many years and receive extremely well. But their problem is they are an ageing group with few young members. The primary reason for this has been the prolonged political problems that started after Subud came to Sri Lanka and which led to large-scale migration abroad by Subud members and their families. Now the members hope is that the wonderful new premises can be a catalyst and can somehow be used in ways that will help rejuvenate Subud Sri Lanka. This became apparent in seeking topics for discussion and testing in the Kejiwaan sessions. I was very moved by the willingness of many to become involved in trying to evaluate both the group s situation and their own particular roles. While helpers and committee worked on selfevaluation the members tested their own commitment to Subud and then undertook a constructive evaluation of their helpers and committee. Not the Building Alone It was clear that the building on its own is not the answer and that certain changes were also necessary within the group. They must be more outward looking; more inclusive, more willing to share the latihan, make more effort to put the latihan into practice in their daily life. Helpers need to be more caring and willing to let go of past personality problems. All this came out and as it has universal application I record it here. Ibu Rahayu s final talk reinforced some of this - particularly when she said we must be willing to share the latihan with others for this is the way we can thank God and show our gratitude for the gift he has given us. Uses for the Building Many ideas came up for the potential use of the building: enterprise, art gallery, restaurant, and meeting/function centre. It remains to be seen where the energy and expertise will come from to make any of these ideas viable and acceptable. In this context the group s relative isolation from the outside Subud world is a disadvantage that was discussed and it s important that they form links to the Wings. I noted fledgling SDI, SICA, SIHA and SES activity but no links to the relevant Wings. Obviously age and the Internet are not help so I encourage the Wings to try and engage them - particularly now they have a building, which can host Subud gatherings, zone meeting, Wing activities etc. Another issue discussed which could be relevant to the group s growth was the need in Sri Lanka and India for the translation of Subud literature into local languages. Tamil may be a starting point, as it is common in both southern India and Sri Lanka and both countries have capable Tamil members who have expressed some interest in such a project. This could possibly Continued on page 2. SUBUD VOICE - November

2 Continued from page 1. be a joint Subud India/Subud Sri Lanka effort. Singhalese is important as many of the local population do not have English and this is the biggest constituency for Subud Sri Lanka. Many exciting challenges lie ahead and I am sure Ibu Rahayu s visit will stimulate and assist us all to meet the ones we each must face. I will conclude by thanking ALL the Sri Lankans for such wonderful warm hospitality and excellent, thoughtful organization, all the foreigners for participating and enriching the occasion and a New Zealand lady helper for her support and coordination of the ladies kejiwaan program. Murray Clapham, Australia IBU IN INDIA Mary Thomson reports on Ibu Rahayu s visit to India Back home after my third visit to Subud India and the Mithra Foundation. Still feeling quite shiny even after three weeks. Each visit has been great, but this one was just marvelous. What a combination. Lovely India (nowhere quite like it), meeting up with all the friends I have made both at Mithra and the Subud Congress and to crown it the presence of Ibu Rahayu. This visit my two older daughters, Kitty and Katherine came with me, neither of whom had visited India before and both were totally captivated, and like me cannot wait to go back. We stayed at the hostel of the Theological College, no Hilton this but now very dear to me. It s set in peaceful gardens and as we drove up we were thrilled to see big blue banners welcoming Ibu Rahayu. The College was the venue for the wonderfully well-organised Congress. A huge room beautifully decorated in a mixture of indian, western and indonesian cultures. There was a completely impromptu start to proceedings with members of all the different religions attending saying a prayer from their own faith. Then Ibu was asked to walk along a path of rice to a symbolic collection of items and receive candles from the different groups. It was a bit like a harvest festival, but not, if you know what I mean. Then Ibu's first talk. We were around eighty Subud members representing Britain, Germany, Singapore, Italy, New Zealand, Malaysia, U.S.A, and of course the Subud members from India. The next day we were bussed out to Mithra, which is on the other side of Bangalore. We were there for the official foundation stone-laying ceremony of the new Mithra school building by Ibu. The new building will be named after Fahr Al Said, Virginia's late husband. Joe thanked Lawrence from SD-Germany and Virginia Al-Said who are instrumental in providing Mithra this much needed new building. Another feather in the cap of Mithra, the first application for a teacher training course was issued by Maurice Palfreyman from Britain. What a transformation. On my first visit I saw the foundation stone being laid by Lawrence Fryer and now it s a really big impressive and very attractive school, up and running. Mithra is really something for Subud to be proud of. Bella and Joe and their dedicated team of teachers have done so much more than just setting up the school, though that is inspiring enough. As we saw at the entertainment given during the ceremony, they are working alongside other schools involving them in the forward approach which Mithra represents. You have to visit to begin to understand the complexity of getting your ideas across in India, with caste, rigid tradition and extremely complex politics. I felt Ibu was touched and impressed and herself gave a generous donation. Certainly her talks, though quite short were some of the most inspiring I can remember and have sent me home feeling clear about where I am and I hope where I am going. That's what I went for. The next Congress is January 22nd. It is to be held in Chennai (Madras that was). Maurice Palfreyman is again organising a holiday combining site-seeing like Mysore and Ooty, the old hill station where the Raj went to cool off, and other delights, but also fitting in Congress which is two days in the middle. What better holiday could you have just after you have staggered through Christmas, I promise you it s a wonderful experience. See you there. Mary Thomson, Canterbury, UK LOVE AND PEACE Mansur Geiger writes about a unique approach to teaching children love and peace in Kalimantan... The Yayasan Amal Bakti Ibu foundation (YABI) established by Kalimantan s governor and his wife to promote the welfare of children in Central Kalimantan, last March organised a 5 day programme on Love and Peace for 500 children in Palangkaraya. Subud members contributed significantly to this event and to the 500 scholarships that were given to under-privileged lower school children. This event was a real success and Subud s participation was widely acknowledged. YABI has also provided 20 field trips to different locations in Kalimantan and Jakarta, 30 full scholarships for poor children to high school and technical schools, plus 4 university scholarships. Now YABI intends to hold a similar program on Love and Peace for 260 school principals, local parliament members, and religious and community leaders. We have been asked whether we would contribute once again. While raising the children s awareness of Love and Peace is through song, dance, dram, music and sports, the method for adults is focused on how to increase children s awareness about loving nature and our fellow man. The objective is to awaken moral understanding on all levels, while particularly addressing drugs and corruption issues. The Governor has announced that this subject and its material will formally become a part of the local school curriculum. In the near future we may find that we will have a much more active role and responsibility in contributing to this unique approach to education here in Central Kalimantan. Any contribution can be sent to : Yayasan Tambuhak Sinta Danamon Bank Palangkaraya Branch A.Yani No. 82 A/C : SWIFT CODE : BDINIDJA HOW TO SPREAD SUBUD #1 THE BUMPER STICKER There s an opening in Subud for you. 2 SUBUD VOICE - November 2004

3 Hussein Dickie, World Congress Co-ordinator writes from Vienna... As you already know the decision was made by the WSC in June to move the venue for the World Congress to Innsbruck in Austria. The dates are set for 21st July - 4th August ISC has appointed me (Hussein Dickie) to act as an extended arm in coordinating the organisation and I have started recruiting a congress organising team (COT). WORLD CONGRESS The Team consists of 9 members who have committed to manage the main areas of the organisation, while engaging more members for further support in specific tasks. So far this includes members from Austria, France, Germany, Portugal and the UK. Needless to say, that this is just a beginning and many more volunteers will be required to make it a great congress. Hussein Dickie, World Congress Co-ordinator. organised by Harry Norman and attended by about 50 UK members at Glansevin, Wales. I did the computer stuff. What we found was that there was no problem in getting people at the Spokane congress to help collect post and circulate info (we had prospective reports all over the place). There were also many members around the world who wanted to be part of the action so moving info and posting it on a site was OK. The excitement got a bit bubbly as the thing got set up. CONGRESS MEETING Gregory Marston writes about the meeting in Innsbruck regarding Congress preparations... I just returned from Innsbruck where the Congress Organizing Team met for four days in October. In my many years in Subud I have never been at a meeting with such harmony and flow. The Inn River flows through the congress site. And to flow seems to be an emerging theme. An amazing amount of work was done and attention given to the coming event. A first draft agenda was created. Much attention was given to input from members around the world who share their vision through the online survey. The team will have the congress registration form up online in a few days as they work out the bugs. I saw it and it is wonderful and very informative. Hubert Talib (Indonesia/Austria) won the competition for a Logo whereby the 25 participants worldwide were involved in the selection process in time for our first milestone to design the website and a sophisticated database which should facilitate the whole registration process. We are working very hard to launch the website by the 1st October 2004 ( Translated into six languages, the website will provide all relevant information including the fees, registration form, and details addressing the questions you may have in the course of your registration. Also, there will be volunteer forms and other useful information regarding venue, timing, transportation, etc. Of course the organising team will be introduced so that everybody knows who to address for specific issues. We hope to see many of you in Innsbruck soon! MORE ON VIRTUAL CONGRESS I noticed in the October Subud Voice that a Virtual Congress has been proposed for Innsbruck In 1997 Subud Britain ran a Virtual World Congress in the UK. This was However we did have a major problem in that there were very good facilities available at the congress which would enable us to process and distribute the information and there was nobody at the front end who could improve the situation. Another difficulty we had was that there seemed to be some personal agendas being worked out at Congress which affected the whole distribution of the news agenda. So from our experience, if you can properly fund, provide the equipment and organise good communications in Austria you will have no problem finding people to do good quality work off site. It is highly likely that it would be best for the international communication group at Congress to be a completely separate and dedicated team with their own allocated equipment. A policy on the content or a way to manage it should also be agreed in advance so that it will be easier to control or not go out of control when everything is under way. Please forward to whoever will be responsible for the communications at Innsbruck Thanks. Raymond Harding-Cox, UK ray@raymondo.demon.co.uk The congress site is beautiful and has wonderful spaces including a modern college campus across the street with many well equipped classrooms full of AV equipment. The University is on holiday so it will be ours. The city officials are being very cooperative. It will very open to the community as was the Spokane World Congress. A number of young members were at the meeting and joined in actively which was excellent. I have felt a great synergy there. The COT (Congress Organizing Team) will have a "Participant Form" up online for those who wish to offer their talent in the many cultural events planned or give a workshop. It will be found at the Congress site: soon. QUOTE OF THE MONTH What I have gained from my forty years in Subud is that I can now regard my total lack of success with perfect equanimity. SUBUD VOICE - November

4 2ND GLOBAL ENTERPRISE MEETING The 2nd Global Enterprise Meeting took place from September 2nd to 7th in a beautiful venue in a fabulous natural setting by the banks of Lake Asveja (Dubingiai), about 50 km north of Vilnius, Lithuania The venue was situated in the Asveja regional park in this - one of the most sophisticated pool-hollow cross-sections in Lithuania, characterised by steep lakeside banks. Lake Asveja has several islands, picturesque ramifications, high-forested banks and stretches for 22 kilometres. On an inner level we were able to feel a deep connection with each other and we felt an awakening of interest in working together on projects. To some it showed for the first time the meaning of actually being active in Subud. We realized how the latihan can help us to work together in ventures which link and bind us, to become involved with something greater than ourselves. On an outer level we decided to create a new website which will reflect this wish for working together, for easily connecting with Subud brothers and sisters. The website will act as a means of connecting all people in Subud who want to be active in some way; enterprises in the wide sense, cultural, social and health practitioners, as well as those who want to register their interest in working with or contacting others. We trust this website will be the right tool to create a network of Subud entrepreneurs and Subud members who are or want to be active in Subud. All attendees felt the responsibility for this project, and all will take part - some by giving support in a moral or spiritual way, some by praying; some will give financial support, some will create the content, take care of the communication, or make the actual site on the internet. The next meeting is being planned for North America early in 2005! - watch this space for details. To read the full report and others from individual attendees, please go to From the organisers: Michael Heaslip, Margo van Maris and Hadrian Michell AND MORE FROM MICHAEL We were 29 participants from 10 countries, Austria, Britain, Germany, Ireland, Holland, Latvia, Lithuania, Norway, Poland and Russia, at Dubingiai. This is a pleasant (almost empty) conference facility with comfortable accommodation set on the side of a lake in silent forest north of Vilnius, the capital of Lithuania. Nearly everyone arrived on the Thursday evening (a few had arrived from Germany a couple of days earlier), and most of those who came on the Friday missed latihan but not the start of the meeting. We agreed to accept that there were no facilitators and that all participants shared the responsibility for the agenda and the success and outcome of our days together. We then spent the day introducing ourselves and sharing our reasons for being there. The members of the Vilnius group had arranged a buffet supper with a couple of musicians to entertain us, and more of them joined us for this super meal and the subsequent dancing. Saturday saw us off, after an early breakfast, on a bus with a lovely and well-informed guide, to tour Vilnius, and learn much of the history of Lithuania. We lunched with more of the local group members and then went to their latihan rooms for latihans, tea and chat. We learnt of the history and some of the enterprises of the Vilnius brothers and sisters and then all went off in a large party to supper in a traditional Lithuanian restaurant. It turned out to be a feast with more musicians and a great ambience. It wasn t all hard work at the Enterprise Meeting. By now we had all made good friends and this helped as we worked quietly and intensively through Sunday and Monday. We were sharing and understanding more of the desirability of having a balance of the strengths of women and men in all our activities. We learned more of the balance of the male and female forces within us and of the existence of the child. This by way of more sharing and testing together. One test about working on one s own or in groups allowed me to understand that my own friends and colleagues probably could not remember what I had done on my own last year, that together with my wife we had made a home and children which many would remember and value for 50 or more years, and that a large group of men and women had cleared the land around us and made it fertile many years ago and so created a benefit that had lasted for centuries. We agreed that we needed a global web site, home page, where enterprisers of all sorts could find and learn about each other. This should include facilities for people seeking, or being sought for, work or training, and should extend to any sphere of activity of the members of our Subud association. A team to start this emerged and a very good start was made on Monday and through Tuesday (after most of the participants had left for home) Before going the whole group had agreed a comprehensive content and list of the requirements needed on this site. Twin brothers from Norway agreed to create the site as soon as the content and format had become a workable specification. 4 SUBUD VOICE - November 2004

5 CUBA HURRICANE Julia Hurd Zone 7 s representative - received several messages from Cuba, after the recent hurricane. Here are extracts Manzanillo: You asked how did we fare after the last hurricane. For us it was not so bad as for other families in Manzanillo. We do have a hole in the roof, so that when it rains my bed gets all wet. You know how small our houses are, so moving the bed is not possible. I was lucky that I obtained a piece of plastic which I put over the bed like a camping tent, so the rain goes to the ground instead of the mattress. No one has money to fix their houses and it is impossible to find construction materials. We have filed a petition with the government to get help to fix the roof, but it could be months if not years till our turn comes. We all wish we could afford to help people from Haiti. It is so horrible what they are having to endure. So we just thank God that our situation is so much better. From Habana: The rain was unbelievable, the streets turned into little rivers during the hurricane. The worst part now is that we have apagones [electrical blackouts] almost daily, sometimes for 14 hours, so that if we have any food in the refrigerator it goes bad. know how things were for us after the hurricane. From Camaguey: We are without electricity or water most of the time, and the back wall in our patio/latihan hall fell down. But none of this matters, because Pablo, my son just got back from Haiti and we are ecstatic! (Pablo is a medical doctor). He was sent there for two years to help the people in Haiti who suffer a lot worse than we do. By pure luck his departure came between the few days between the two hurricanes. He is so glad to be home!! He was telling us that even after all his years as a medical doctor he had never seen such carnage as was caused by the military coup [by guess who?] against Aristide. The amount of young people killed or badly injured during those days was overwhelming in the little hospital where he worked. I can tell that he is very affected by the war experience there, so I am glad he does not have to be there during this more recent catastrophe. I hope he will heal in the month that they have given him for vacation before he has to go back to work as a surgeon here. From Kamil Ojeda to Julia Hurd, September 15, 2004 SAO PAOLO CENTRE MSF supports new centre in Sao Paolo: From Dorothea Gillim, MSF Trustee At the Gathering of the Americas in Brazil in August 2003, the members of Subud Sao Paolo made an impassioned plea as they presented their housing application to the Muhammad Subuh Foundation (MSF). The group, once large, now consists of about 25 members who have been doing latihan in makeshift quarters since Most of the women today are doing latihan in scattered groups because it is unsafe for them to travel at night. In the last two years, Sao Paolo members began to feel from their latihan the necessity of having their own house. The fact that the group has been so transient has had an effect on some members latihan. Members hoped that having a solid place, a kejiwaan headquarters, would help solidify and deepen members latihan. In addition, the group believed a house would not only ensure the future of Subud in Sao Paolo but would also provide a place for current projects and enterprises, as well as a library. Finally, it felt a house in Sao Paolo would be important for the development of Subud in Brazil, since Sao Paolo is the largest and most central city to other Brazil centers. Currently, there are only 80 to 100 members in this vast country and it has not been growing for the last 10 years. Food is also much more expensive than before, but I cannot complain because my mother has told me I can come to her house if I get hungry here, where I live alone. I used all the pretty candles that you sent me last Christmas. It is so cheery to get a little light rather than to be alone in the dark. Most people go down to the street and chat with neighbours, but I am so tired after work, that I don t feel like going down three storeys of stairs with a chair, so I stay home and sing to myself. Because I live on the third floor, also I hardly get any water since the motor that brings the water to my floor broke down from the electricity going on and off. I have to go down the stairs to the street to get water in a plastic pail to wash, cook and take a shower. I do not want you to think I am just complaining, but you did say you wanted to (extracts) The huge area of influence of Ivan covered more than 200 km around its centre with strong winds and heavy rain. Even in Havana City it was raining continually for two days... The authorities worked hard to prevent the loss of human lives. As far as I know, there were no "casualties". 100% of the population in the areas of most danger had been evacuated to safer places inland. As for the Cuban economy, the effects will be felt mostly in the tobacco plantations. The western part of Pinar del Rio is particularly famous all over the world for producing the tobacco leaves which are used in the manufacture of Havanos. The Subud people are OK. We will go on working in preparation for our National Congress. NOTE: In September $1000 in humanitarian aid was sent by Subud USA to Subud Cuba, and more may have come in since. In December of 2003, MSF approved a grant of US$15,000 and a loan of US$15,000 to help the Sao Paolo group buy their own Subud House. The grant and loan, along with contributions from the members of Subud Sao Paolo, enabled the group to avoid taking out a mortgage -- which at 26% are some of the world s highest. Thanks to the efforts of many dedicated members, Subud Sao Paolo was able to locate a house in a safe and accessible location and recently filed contracts proclaiming their ownership. Sam Trosman, the Chair of Subud Sao Paolo, made this comment in his letter of thanks to MSF: Funnily enough, some old members are coming back already as if the house worked as an iman. We will make Subud Sao Paulo a great organization, not only to receive the latihan but to give something back to society. Congratulations, Subud Sao Paolo! SUBUD VOICE - November

6 THE LAW OF LIFE Ibu Rahayu s First Talk to Members, Auckland, New Zealand, April 26, 2004 Recording 04 AKL 1: Final translation by Raymond Lee Brothers and sisters whom I respect and love, before I begin my explanations about the latihan, I want to thank you for your invitation to visit New Zealand. I was supposed to visit last year, but due to unforeseen events, I had to postpone my visit until now. So I give thanks to Almighty God, that my intention to visit you can be realised, even though this time too I was not certain that I could make the trip due to an outbreak of bird flu in Indonesia. Fortunately, it was not too serious and I was able to travel here without any problem. Brothers and sisters, many of you have travelled here with me from Christchurch, so I hope this explanation, even though I may repeat myself, will help to increase your understanding as you follow and experience the latihan. Brother and sisters, when we do latihan, as when we do anything, we have to understand the purpose and aim of what we do so that it will not be for nothing, and so that we will do it diligently with conviction and acceptance. That s necessary because this latihan is training for life. This training for life can be called a philosophy of life, because what we receive in latihan cannot be analysed with our mind, but we must sincerely follow it, put it into practice, and practice it with a feeling of acceptance that is truly from our own self, if we are to become what God wants us to become. Why do we have to do latihan? Why, if we have been opened, is it obligatory for us do latihan. The reason is that if someone is opened, but they only do latihan once or twice, then clearly they won t understand, and they won t feel the benefit of the latihan. You need to do latihan on a regular basis so that your soul will awaken and, apart from coming to life, it will start to grow or shape itself. As the soul takes form, you will go through a long process that involves various types of cleaning or purification. And while no-one forces you to go through purification, it is a process that you will definitely experience. Sometimes we are not aware of it, and at other times our purification is very hard to bear - it all depends on our individual circumstances. As such, brothers and sisters, this process of purification can start suddenly, and it can also stop by itself. And this process doesn't just affect our physical body, it 6 SUBUD VOICE - November 2004 goes deeper and trains our feelings, our ability to accept things, and even our ability to surrender. So purification is also a test that is given to us by the Power of God. Why Do We Have to Go Through Purification? Why do we have to go through purification? It is so that we can sense and experience, and then overcome all the things that we have to pass through as we get to know the low forces that we have inside us. And we don't just become familiar with them; we also learn how to separate our true self from, or organise, these forces inside us. And it is only by experiencing God s Power in the latihan that you will be given the understanding you need to know how to engage with, how to separate from, and even how to control these forces you have inside you. That s why you can only go through this purification by doing latihan. This means that we don t need to isolate ourselves from these low forces. As long as we live in this world, we still need to use them, we need their help. And if I explain to you what these forces are they are the material forces, the vegetable forces, the animal forces, and also the human forces. Even though these low forces are below the human force, even the human force is still cloaked by desires. So, through this training that we get every time we go to latihan, we get to know the forces I just mentioned. And the purpose of all this is to prepare yourself. To prepare yourself means that every part of your being will be alive. To be alive means that part of you is infused by your soul. Take for instance, your eyes, your eyes will be brought to life by your soul. And so, in turn, each part of your body and all of your senses will be infused by the soul. The nature of the soul is to grow and spread. It will spread and fill every part of your being. And, if it needs to, the soul can exceed or go beyond what you can see, it can go beyond your physical body. The proof is that, if it is necessary, your soul may expand to the point where you can see your own body. This is proof, brothers and sisters, that your soul is not something small. Of course, it starts small, but it will develop and envelop your whole being. So even during this preparation you will go through different processes, and these processes go on in latihan. For instance, you say things or make noises, but because you are still being prepared - even though many of you can make noises - you can't understand what they mean, or what kind of sounds they are. The same goes for your movements. Because you are still being prepared, you make movements, but you don t know why. What causes these movements? They happen because your soul touched that part of your body. And movements don t just occur in your physical body, they also take place in your senses. Sometimes you can hear things, but you don t know yet the meaning of what you heard. All this goes on during the process of preparation. Don t Blame God This is why I say that during this preparation your receiving is not a true receiving from God yet. It is true that it is a receiving that comes from God via your soul that you then receive from your soul, but the receiving is still mixed up with all the other things you have inside you. That's why you may wonder, Why did I receive something from God, but it didn t turn out, it wasn t what happened later on? That s because your receiving was affected by your state that is still influenced by your desires. So don t blame God, you are the one who is not ready yet. When you progress further in the latihan, you will experience the process of understanding. When you have understanding, without anyone explaining it to you, you will understand things for yourself. This springs from your own understanding - an understanding that does not come from thinking about something, on the contrary, it is an understanding that has filled your mind. That's why, once you have this understanding, you will feel that you have developed. For example, whereas before you didn't understand something, now you can feel it, now you can understand it. This happened because your soul has grown - it did not come about by studying, or by reading Bapak s talks. No. We don t read Bapak s talks to become clever or smart. Many of you misunderstand this, so you read Bapak s talks every day, because you want to develop a high soul quickly. Well, you can t read Bapak's talks in the same way you read a textbook, as when you study normally. Even though it may seem the same, if your understanding has Continued on page 11.

7 November 2004 Editor Ilaina Lennard IBU RAHAYU ANSWERS SOME QUESTIONS AT THE WSC MEETINGS IN RUNGAN SARI As there is not sufficient space for the whole of this talk, INNER VOICE has made a selection, and shortened the questions below. About enterprise failures: a question from Rachman Connelly Ibu, my question is whether you see some reason from a kejiwaan perspective, as to why, 33 years after Bapak commenced this initiative on enterprise, that really it doesn t seem to have happened in any substantial manner throughout the world? Thank you. Ibu Rahayu: Do you mean enterprises in Subud? Question continued: No, I am just talking about Bapak s initiative to motivate members to start enterprises for their own personal development, and also so that some of those proceeds could be committed to the objectives of Subud. Whether those are two people enterprises or 100 people enterprises, it seems that there has been a lack of success in that area, and I am interested in - not so much the business reasons because I can analyse that for myself but are there any reasons from a kejiwaan point of view, or from the way we approach them having done the latihan, which is maybe not appropriate..? Ibu Rahayu: With regard to the enterprises that Bapak constantly advised us to do, so that we would start enterprises in Subud, and that many members tried to do, the question is, why did those enterprises fail? Why didn t they turn out as we hoped? If we look at this, or feel about it, from the spiritual viewpoint, the reason is that we are not able to run enterprises yet with the inner quality that God requires of us. Why is that? We can say that for most of us in Subud, we are still in the process of developing our self, and as we go through this growth, we are frequently affected by our own self-interest, or the self-interest of one group or another. The result is that we are not sufficiently aware of the feelings of others. This is one reason, one of the temptations we face. But our human weaknesses aren t limited to self- interest - sometimes we are not strong enough, or we don't have enough faith, when we face difficulties. This is because we don't fully understand what we are doing. When I say that we don't understand what we are doing, I mean we are not able to do the work in the right way - instead of doing the work, often our work is doing us. It s upside down; it s like Bapak used to say: You are not eating the food, the food is eating you. As such, we still fall short when we try to do enterprises, because ability to do enterprise is linked to the development of the soul. But, if you then ask, Why do people who are not in Subud succeed in enterprises, but Subud members find it hard? The answer is that as a Subud member you have said that whatever you do should accord with God's Will. You said that so that whatever the consequences of running an enterprise may be, you won't be affected and have to bear those consequences. But people who are not in Subud don't understand this. They simply follow the wishes of their heart and mind, and they give no thought to the price to be paid by doing so. This is why, brothers and sisters, Bapak recommended that when you do an enterprise, you should use your mind. Don t use your soul. That s because if you use your soul, you will face many problems that are closely connected to the soul. I can't explain all of these to you here, because human beings face all kinds of temptations. However, you still need to feel - even though you run an enterprise using your mind - you still need to keep that feeling Rungan Sari, Tengkiling, Kalimantan. 13th June 2004, Recording 04 TKL 4 Final Translation by Raymond Lee that you have in latihan. In this way, your business activities will be based on the normal evaluations that non-subud people can accept. That s necessary because you have to deal with people who are not in Subud. You need to do this because you can t even agree when you deal with Subud members, let alone when you deal with people who are not in Subud. So, even when one Subud member works with another, many problems arise - in fact, you have more problems. This is because each one feels they know best. This is all I can say to you about enterprises. In the realm of the soul there is no such thing as enterprise. So the difficulty lies in the relationship between enterprises and the growth of the soul. But, once someone has the capacity to do enterprise - by capacity, I mean that they are ready, that they are ready as a human being with the inner quality needed for enterprise - that person will find that many things come easily. They find they have good relationships with people who have the same way of thinking and same objectives. They find they are helped in everything they do, and that whatever comes to them proves to be beneficial. We haven't reached that level yet. We are not ready to do that in Subud yet. Well, we don't know why, only God knows why. I too am concerned and saddened, I too want to see enterprises succeed, and I wonder why they don t succeed, and why they can t help with the development of Subud yet. But when it comes to those members who work by themselves and become successful, that s because they work at Continued on page 8. INNER VOICE - November

8 About enterprises, cloning, Kalimantan, giving names, Ibu's task Continued from page 7. something that is in line with their path, so it is easier for them to comply with their inner needs, but when it comes to working together, that is still hard for us to do. Question continued: So now, what is the way forward generally for Subud members to be able to bring this about, and therefore assist in carrying out Bapak s mission? Ibu Rahayu: Yes, Bapak recommended that you start enterprises so that you will learn to have courage and that you will try to apply what you receive in the latihan. Indeed, that was Bapak's advice, because if you just look at your latihan, when it comes to your soul, you have no idea about the state of your soul or how far it has progressed. However, if you can put your latihan into practice and the enterprise that you start is successful, that's a sign that you are able to fulfil what your inner self needs, and you can put it into practice in the outer world. That's what Bapak wanted to see. Now, as for why we have not been successful so far, it's because we are not ready yet, or perhaps we are not able to practice what we receive from the latihan, we can't apply it in the world yet. About Cloning In modern day technology there is this thing called cloning where human beings can, or might be soon duplicated in a laboratory. Is this still valid, that these beings will carry human souls? Ibu Rahayu: If the embryo is alive, it means that the essence of God (life) manifests there, but as for whether or not the soul is human that is in God s Hands. So, in this matter human beings act like a doctor who works to cure something, but as for whether those efforts succeed or not, that is in God s Hands. Human beings may try, but only God determines the outcome. When it comes to giving life, it is God that gives life. Mankind cannot give life. So, even in the case where human beings make life, it cannot happen unless God assists. Only God can give life; human beings cannot give life. Question continued: From a spiritual point of view Ibu, what is your view of these practices? Ibu Rahayu: Well, I am not God, and only God knows the answer to that question. It is what we call a secret of life. If human beings were to become like God, then God would no longer give life to human beings. All life comes from God. If there are forms of life made by humankind now, it is miraculous. But only God knows whether it is right or wrong. If you ask me, I don't dare answer that question. I leave that to God. That's my answer, and if you ask me whether this is right or wrong, I am not able to answer you. About Kalimantan Question: Ibu Rahayu, during the kejiwaan gathering here, we did quite a lot of testing about Kalimantan. What was our contribution, into developing Kalimantan? But we also tested what the effect of the development of Kalimantan was - first of all here in Rungan Sari - and then as the development grew, what was the effect on the world? And one test we did was: if we failed in carrying out Bapak s mission, what was the effect? And to the people at this gathering, the effect of failure was so great that we wanted to ask Ibu collectively - is it something that should be the concern of all Subud members Ibu Rahayu: Well, with regard to our efforts in Kalimantan, our efforts here - will we succeed in these noble efforts? If you ask me, all I can do is leave that to God. When we say Subud, that means we surrender in whatever we do. We work at what we can, but as for whether we will succeed, or achieve what we hope for, we leave that to God. In Islam, we call this asma or effort. We work, but we leave the outcome - the afal - to Almighty God. We do so because we rely on the essence of God, the essence that guides us to work. So, whether our efforts will succeed or not, is not something we can determine. We leave that to Almighty God. But as for how we work, that comes back to the earlier question about enterprises. How do we work? What's the quality of our work? Is it of the quality needed to achieve our aims? This is why, when we do this work, we shouldn t make promises or talk of things that have not happened yet. There is nothing wrong for us to try, but you must work within your capacity and in the hope that God will guide you in what you do. Is that clear? Do you understand? Naming our children Question: I wonder if you could - because it would be too great a burden for you to name all these children - if you could give us a recommendation in terms of testing, or anything else that we could use. Ibu Rahayu: When I give a Subud name, of course I don't just choose names just any way. First I test which name fits, or is close to, the true nature of the person who will receive the name. And indeed, long before he left us, Bapak asked me to take over Bapak s work of giving names. It was difficult for me to begin with, because each time I had to give a name, I had to test about that person, and that was an unpleasant experience. But with time I grew accustomed to doing it and I found that as soon as I asked, it was as if someone gave me the answer inside me. That s how I do it. Now, I have given some thought to what will happen when I'm no longer here. The question is: Do we still need Subud names? Many of you have done latihan for a long time and in fact you are ready to give names to your own children. The way to do this - the easiest way to do it - is before you give a name, you should first test the first letter or initial that's needed for the name. After you find the right initial, select a number of names beginning with that letter, and then test which name best fits your child. That's what you should do if you want to try to give names to your own children. For the younger members who are married and have children, there is nothing wrong if you want to try this. Some of you already have. If you are uncertain, you can still write to me to ask whether the name you have chosen is right, and whether I agree with the name you have given your child. Ibu Rahayu s task Question: Konstantin Vostriko from Russia - he s asking what helped Ibu Rahayu for her to be able to keep her pure intention to go towards God for Subud? Ibu Rahayu: This is not something I asked for, but it goes to show that anything can happen at any time in Subud, if it is God's Will. If you ask me why I can do this task - to be with all of you - naturally this is not something that one can strive for, or that a person can bring about. I myself had no idea at the time, I had no expectation, I never dreamed, that one day I would have to meet Subud members all over the world. Continued on page 9. 8 INNER VOICE - November 2004

9 About 'turning the other cheek' - Bapak explains.. your exercise, it may happen that one lady is here and another over there, and this one laughs and the other one laughs, too... That is why, in his life, Jesus gave the example: If your right cheek is struck, offer your left. If your right hand is struck, offer your left hand. The real meaning of turn the other cheek is that someone who really has a human soul should be willing to give in. Being willing to give in does not mean losing. It means being more aware, more intelligent than the person who beats you. Jesus words are not meant to be taken literally. We have to look for the real meaning. The real meaning is: Human beings should behave in such a way that they show evidence in practice of feelings that are alive. In actuality, if someone really were struck on the right cheek and then offered his left, the striker might not hit them again because he would feel that a person who really does offer the other cheek is someone who is without sin, someone who really submits to God. Turning the other cheek is not dissimilar to the reason why, in Islam, people fast in Ramadhan and then give alms. They do this so they can get used to feeling how it is for someone else ~ someone who is really poor; how it is for someone who has to go without things. Fasting and alms-giving should remind people: Those of you who have the means should give to those who have nothing. It is necessary for you to feel how life is for people who have nothing. The meaning of this advice is that human beings should fast not merely to fast, but should put the content of the fast into daily practice. In the course of your spiritual training, you may experience that, when you are with someone, suddenly, without asking anything of them or knowing anything about their situation, tears start flowing spontaneously from your eyes. Or, in If this one weeps, the other one weeps too. This is evidence that the feeling intended in the Muslim fasting, and the feeling intended in Jesus advice to turn the other cheek, are a reality, are actually put into practice, in this Subud training of ours. "Share your blessings and your wellbeing with those who have none, so you may attain lasting happiness, said Jesus and other Messengers. Truly, though you yourself may be rich and live in luxury, yet if there are people living in want on either side of you, it is dangerous, because these poor people are always waiting for the chance to take from you your steadily accumulating wealth. But it is another matter if you always give to the poor who are around you: then your well-being will last and continue decades, even centuries. Extract from THE LIGHT OF CHRIST, available from CANOPY. For more details tel/fax (62) or canopy@dnet.net.id Questions & Answers Continued from page 8. Bapak never gave us lessons us being Bapak's children - to become people who could guide you. So, if I can do so, it has come about by God's Will. You can say that I have been taught and tested by the Power of God. And of course, the way God taught me, the way God teaches us, is not the same way a teacher teaches his or her pupils. When it happened, it was as if I was summoned. To be summoned means you have to leave this world. Well, this sounds like a fairy tale, but it is a tale that is true, so while I was there, it was as if I was given many explanations and I also saw people doing latihan. That's why I know that we don't just do latihan in this world; we do latihan in the next world too. I was tested there, and when you are tested there, it is not like being tested here. When I test with you here, you can pretend to receive and I won t know the difference. Over there, I had to witness many experiences, and one time there was a voice - well, of course, it wasn't God's voice, because we cannot give any kind of form to God - and it turned out that I met Bapak there. But it wasn't Bapak like Bapak was in this world. All this took place in just one night. But after that night, after I had returned to earth, I still had to go through many experiences lasting 100 days. I know they lasted for 100 days, because that was when Bapak's wife, Ibu Siti Sumari, died. Then Bapak s voice told me that I would be called on to accompany Bapak after Ibu Siti Sumari died. After I returned to earth, I had experiences of one kind or another every night, and I did not sleep for 100 days. The experiences I had were similar to this experience here - I could guide you, I could be close to you. In other words, I could be close to Subud members. Of course, there were many experiences that I can't tell you about. The reason for that is that in Subud this kind of knowledge - even though you may find out for yourself later on - is a secret of life; it is the reality of human existence. So after this experience - well, Bapak was still here and I could ask Bapak about my experiences - Bapak only said, Yes, that's what it's like. It is God's Will. After that, I always travelled with Bapak on his journeys overseas, and I often had to leave my husband behind. I had to leave him alone at home. But before I left, Bapak told my husband that I would have to travel with Bapak in his work outside the country and my husband would have to accept the situation if I left him on his own. This was a sort of announcement, and I often had to leave my husband behind - sometimes for a month, or two, or three - but he could accept it, because he knew that the work I was doing was not ordinary work. That is how it began, and after that it grew in me by itself. I have never told you to listen to me talk, to hear me speak, or asked you to trust me. How has this happened? It has happened because God has arranged a meeting in our feelings, as a result you trust me and you feel close to me. That is God's Will, not my will. I will only talk to you or speak to you if you ask me to. Well, that's a brief history of why people say I am close to God. But I am not - we are all close to God. That's the story. INNER VOICE - November

10 Never harbour hurt, said Ibu.. Paula Blacking continues the memories of her visit to Cilandak in 1964 (Part 5) Latihan with Bapak One day Bapak said I was to do latihan with him, Ibu and M bakju, also Alfatha, the lady from Sri Lanka, in his bedroom. Bapak will supervise your latihan, he said. M bakju was there, receiving deep, deep, deep, at Bapak s feet. After the latihan, Bapak tested us: Where is God? Gurdjieff? And other body movements. Why Gurdjieff? I wondered later because I had never been interested in him, but of course at that time I knew plenty of people who were, or had been. Perhaps it was to cleanse me of the contact? Whatever, it was very low. Pointing to his heart, he said, Much better, and Ibu added, Her feeling. Around this time, in a latihan, I was stamping and cleaning my arms one of the usual movements that occur in the Latihan. Ibu came to me and said: That s right, clean your body, your mind, your feelings. Afterwards she said I was cleaning my passions. My heart and soul were good and wanted to worship God, but the desires didn t want it. One day, one of the guests and I had an intense meeting with her. She had a lot to say and said it rather sternly. She said that we must never criticize others and that we must never harbour hurt. That if we were hurt by others, we must go on being kind to them, and help them. That eventually we would be strong and see the hurt, but be unaffected by it. By allowing ourselves to be hurt, we were allowing the lower forces to work. A lot of what she said that day probably was meant for me and my difficult home circumstances. So she also said that if one s husband was difficult, one should remain quiet and do the latihan whilst preparing his food. That it was necessary to go out at night with one s husband if he so wished it, but that really from 6 pm onwards belonged to God. The day belonged to the world. That it was good to do charitable works. By helping others, you purify yourself. That by working for Bapak, you ask his blessing. Then she said again: You think it is pleasant here. You don t know how happy we would be in Heaven. You Bapak's wife Ibu Siti Sumari Thanks to SAI for this photo don t know the peace (pointing to her chest) that one has. One cannot be touched. She also said that when you feel the latihan and you are with non-subud people, it is a protection. And that a glass full of water can have nothing added; not so, a glass partially full. So we need to be protected. She said to ask for forgiveness constantly for we sin constantly every day. When you wake up tired, she said, it is because you go to sleep thinking about your children and money and other material things. Your mind is restless all night. You should go to sleep praying. Leaving Cilandak? The time is approaching for me to leave Cilandak. I am cleaning Bapak and Ibu s room. Ibu asks when I am leaving. Next Saturday, I reply. So soon? says Ibu. And Bapak comes in: So soon? Stay another month, he says. (In the end I stayed two more months.) Another month? I ask. But Bapak, what about my husband and my children? Won t my husband be angry? I don t think so, says Bapak. Send him a cable. But he doesn t even do the latihan, says me. Not yet, replies Bapak, who knew everything after all, because much later my husband did come to Subud! Ibu then said I was not to think about the children. They would be cared for. They were God s children and I was not to be sad. Easier said than done. I felt dreadfully worried! M bakju immediately reassured me: Think, when your baby was ill, you looked after her all you could. In the end, God still took her and is looking after her. You can no longer look after her. Trust Him. By serving Him, you purify yourself and your children. She added that Bapak had told her I needed more latihan. You must die thinking of God One day I went by betja (the tri-cycle) and bus to visit M bakju. I felt so safe in Indonesia. Much, much more safe than in my own country. M bakju was glad I had come this way. It was necessary, she said, to see how the poor lived. A little while after that, Bapak again supervised the latihan in his office, with two other visitors who had arrived from America. It was a latihan full of movement for me and when it was over, I again wept. Bapak said: That s good, and M bakju added that I was crying with inner happiness because I was getting clean. I could not sleep at all that night. M bakju explained that that happened when our bodies were alive. Although I have given the impression that M bakju was always at my side, comforting me, giving me strength, nonetheless, sometimes she kept to herself and as it were, avoided me. Fortunately I respected this and didn t let it worry me that she kept to herself. Then one day she explained why. You see, Paula, I am busy with my praying, so I don t speak to you. It is also to make you strong. Later, she again spoke to me about teaching me before she dies. I may be dead before you come again. I must have looked startled because she went on to say, Yes, I may be. I have been preparing for my death a long time already. And she went on to say, You must always have God in mind. If you die thinking of (I have written stone in my diary), you will die in a material state. You must die thinking of God. She says that whenever her mind is empty, and she is idle, she exercises, praying: Allah, Allah, to fill her mind with God rather than nonsense. She comforted me by saying: When I m dead, I cannot help you, but perhaps my soul will. I am sure I have been conscious of her in my latihan from time to time over the years. 10 INNER VOICE - November 2004

11 IBU S TALK Continued from page 6. not been filled by something you have experienced, you cannot understand the talk. But if you do understand what Bapak wrote, that means your soul has reached the stage that it can receive what Bapak experienced. It's as if we corroborate our own experiences with Bapak's experiences. So don't misunderstand why you need to read Bapak s talks. Once you reach this stage of understanding, you will experience, or you will have an inner awareness. Once you have this awareness, you feel that your life is Subud. When a person has reached that point, they never want to leave Subud, because Subud and their life are one. So, people who are still able to, or still want to, or who readily leave Subud, leave because they don't have this understanding about Subud. Even so, we cannot force them to stay, because that s as far as they have developed. Your True Self Will Emerge But, for those of you who continue to surrender yourself to the process of this latihan, after you have awareness, your true self will emerge; your true individuality. This means that what you are is truly yours. It has not come from your parents. You are you. You are a creature that is complete in every way. It is not easy to tempt you, you are not easily affected by your desires. Your true self is strong and it can occupy every part of you. If you have your individuality, it means that if the time is right, you are able to reach the level of the rohani. You are someone who has the rohani life force. You are able to free yourself from all your desires if you need to, and if God requires it. So, brothers and sisters, to free yourself from your desires is not something that we can do. All we can do is prepare ourselves; you prepare yourself through how you behave and act in daily life. If you prepare yourself, you will be led from one process to the next until you reach the objective of Subud. The objective of Subud is that, while we are in this world now that we have the latihan and we can receive the contact from the Power of God we should use this contact in the best possible way. We cannot say how far, or in what way, we will develop. We leave that to Almighty God. But, the probability is that by the time we come to die, and our heart and mind can no longer live, or function anymore, our soul will know where to go. It will know where we have to go. That s why we need to do latihan while we live in this world. Returning As A Human Being But what for? Well, God created you as a human being, so God expects you to return to God as a human being. To do so, you must return in a complete form, as a complete human being. Why do I say complete? Because, as we know, while we live in this world, we are assisted by the low forces that God intends should serve us. But, if we don t know how to look after them properly, they will rule us. But, if we can rule our own being, then all these forces will return to their own homes. So, when we do latihan, these low forces also come to life, and when we die, they too will know where they have to go. In that way we won t burden them, and they won t burden us. We won t feel that we are indebted to them, and they will have served us willingly, because they have reached their heaven, thanks to us, the person whose life has helped them. In this way, we can say that we return to God complete. As for what happens then, or how long our soul will live for, that will depend on Almighty God. But according to the understanding of the soul, the soul will never die. It will live forever. If you have not experienced this yet, just treat it as a story. But in fact, it is what Bapak's talks are about, and it is also what I am re-awakening in you by giving you this explanation. It is what Bapak received and Bapak worked to pass this on to all of us. So, if you can experience this too, it is what Bapak received about Subud and it is what you practice in your latihan. Bapak wrote down his experiences in the book, Susila Budhi Dharma. What Bapak described there was not a story for Bapak; he actually experienced it. And now that you are in Subud, the hope is that, even if you don't receive as much as Bapak did, you will follow this path in the way that Bapak received. It was Bapak who received this, so even though our receiving will be different, as it will depend on our own nature it is right that we follow what Bapak received. Bapak received Subud and all the explanations about Subud that are in Bapak's books, over a period of a thousand days days of continual receiving. Indeed, Bapak didn't sleep at all, because this was by God s Will, and if Bapak tried to sleep, it was as if he was not allowed to. So, this explanation is an addition to my talk just now that what Bapak received is not fiction. You can receive it and witness it for yourself. And Bapak wanted others to witness it too, even if only to a small extent, so that human beings can truly be aware that Subud is a receiving from God and not something received from some other power as other parties may claim because they have not experienced the latihan yet. So, brothers and sister, Subud is not difficult, but neither is it easy to put into practice and attain. Why? It s because the latihan envelops every part of life, everything you do. This means that, whatever you have to do, everything you need is already within your own self. What s more, God knows about everything that you do, everything that you feel, every action you make, every day. How? Because, as I've explained before, within you is the life force of God, the ruh ilofi. In other religions this is called the Holy Spirit - this is a spirit that comes from God. The Law Of Life The role of the ruh ilofi is to be the Law of Life. The Law of Life records every action human beings make, as well as every interaction a human being has with, or their relationship with, the other forces inside them. It is all recorded. So, if we are dishonest or lie, it is as though we are dishonest to our self, we lie to our self. There is something inside you that records everything that is untrue. So nothing you do can be hidden from God. So, brothers and sisters, that s why I said it is difficult to become a Subud person. It is easy join Subud, you just surrender and then you will feel this life, you will feel that something takes over inside you. But, thereafter, you must recognise that you have this life within you, and you cannot insulate that life from your actions and behaviour in this world. Brothers and sisters, this is the end of my explanations for this evening. I hope what I have told you will not burden you, or worry you, but that you will just receive it in a relaxed way and you will surrender everything to Almighty God. As human beings, all we can do is make efforts in the way that God intends. Well, it seems that we need to return to earth now. Because, in the realm of the soul, when we explain something that's very high, we feel that we are no longer in this world. And, what I explain to you is not something I think out beforehand, I don t plan what I will say to you. So talks aren t always long ones, they can be short, and it feels that it is enough, maybe that s what God Wills. SUBUD VOICE - November

12 MARCUS AND THE ANCESTORS Marcus Bolt has started a publishing company in the UK called VIA BOOKS. The aim is to publish books of general interest which have a spiritual theme or content. The first book was Marcus s autobiography Saving Grace which was published several years ago. Recently the company has published two new novels, Monkey Trap by Marcus himself and The Halcyon Way by HT Cockburn. Marcus s novel tells the story of a hero trying to make meaning of his life against the background of a variety of conflict and difficulties including an evil spiritual organisation which wants to dominate the world. HT s book chronicles the misadventures of an English family on holiday in Greece but there is also a science fiction twist to the mix. Shortly after Saving Grace came out, I talked to Marcus about his life. He was at that time caretaker at Loudwater Farm and the walls of the building were decorated with many of his quirky paintings. They had a three-dimensional quality, usually being made of different layers of painted wood fixed to a board to create imaginative, sometimes comical, images. Marcus told me My background was working class. My mother was lower middle class and my father was very much an East End Cockney boy. They met during the war and married. My father was drafted into the Merchant Navy, became very ill, and was invalided out. They lived in a very small flat in London all through the blitz. I was conceived and born there. My father got a job as a postman. His aim was always to get out of London and they managed to get a transfer to a new town where we lived in a council house and I was sent to the local grammar school. Unfortunately the early garden cities in England were literally designed to have the factories and the workers houses on one side and the managers houses on the other side. This was to do with the southeast prevailing winds, so that the smoke from the factories didn t get blown onto the executives houses. This was real 30s planning. So because I lived on the east side and had to cross the railway line. I had to run this gauntlet past the local secondary modern. In those days in England you took this 11 plus exam and if you passed you went to a grammar school and if you failed you went to the secondary modern. If you went to the grammar school you wore a uniform. I remember cycling from our council estate, past this school to get over the railway bridge to the grammar school I was just attacked, names called and things thrown, and at the grammar school you encountered the most intolerable snobbery and class abuse. One of Marcus s quirky paintings. So I was copping from both sides. I was getting beaten up and bullied form both sides. Quite a few writers have written about this. It was like a social experiment - working class people get educated. Their own class think they re stuck up and the other class don t want to accept them. There was a lost generation without roots. It may be one of the reasons I was so ready to join something like Subud. You get snobbery and class in Subud but it gave me roots and sense of belonging I didn t get when I was growing up. It was noticeable moving into another class. HS: There are some interesting stories in your book about the influence of ancestors. You mention that for several generations your family was involved in wood and this carries on now into the painting you are doing. That came alive for me when I was writing the book. On my father s side a long line of carpenters. They ran a successful carpentry shop in the East End. It seemed to skip a generation. My brother became a carpenter and I use wood in my work. I work on wooden panels, I do relief work in wood, and I screw on, or nail on, or glue on wood. My three-dimensional art - I don t know how it started - I d always done a little painting, small pieces, I never had a studio. When I decided to be a painter - inspired by a pop art show I saw - for some reason I decided to give it this sculptural aspect. Who knows, maybe I didn t have any materials at the time. That became the direction I went in. I remember thinking the first few pieces I did had this African art quality and when I started reading more about this African art - it was such a powerful drive. You see it in Picasso s work. My work is a sort of cross between sculpture and painting. Maybe I find a funny shaped piece of wood and I lay things down and move them around and something looks good so I nail it down, add some colour, and something begins to emerge from that. The usual thing is people paint what they see but in my case I see what I m doing. In the beginning I have no idea where I m going. There s usually a point where what s happening reminds me of an image, an archetypal image a dancer, a night-club hostess, a vase of flowers, Jesus Christ and I start to pursue that. It s very satisfying for me. It s analogous to the dream process. The inner wants to tell you something and it takes these scraps and shards of information and makes them into a story. That s what I enjoy with my work. I don t know what I m going to paint. Then I do the christening side, think up titles for them. I ve done a lot of authority figures. Kings, princes, princesses, generals which is interesting. Harris Smart, Editor, Subud Voice The Halcyon Way by HT Cockburn, ISBN Monkey Trap by Marcus Bolt, ISBN Order through or through your local bookshop using the ISBN system. 12 SUBUD VOICE - November 2004

13 ONE FAMILY IN SUBUD In her recent Christchurch talk, Ibu Rahayu reminds us that Subud is a family. And now here is the story of one family in Subud which reminds us of the importance of nurturing our young members. The article comes from Arifah Sulac in France Since the beginning of Subud, as a helper I have wished to lighten the burden of mothers struggling with their children by taking care of at least one of their children especially if the child was disturbing the mother. Unfortunately my house was not equipped for that and later on I left Paris and went abroad. Now that our Subud Brotherhood has reached the third generation of members, I thought of writing the story of one family I know. This could be the preamble to many more families stories. I would like to know of others and to share their joys and sorrow. Loving the beautiful family I m going to write about, and knowing many other Subud families with children, I thought how important it is for our Subud youth to meet at congresses and youth camps. Since not all young people can afford to attend congresses, often held in far-away countries, the idea came to me of families inviting children to stay with them, and sending their own children to families in other places. I remember reading the same idea in a Subud Journal some years ago. More families would surely like that experience of their children sharing visits or holidays and all of them would feel more one at heart. I am convinced this would deepen love and understanding between the young people when they become adults as well as being beneficial for Subud as a whole. This experience does not exclude helping financially our youth to attend world congresses. The Family I met Diane (Dahliani) in Paris, 1977, when I came back from Cilandak. Not long after, I heard she was getting married. Some years later I met the young couple and their newborn baby boy, Matthieu. Diane seemed to be a very active person, joyful and light, always smiling and ready to help. She could participate in discussions with an acute sense of love and justice, stressing that she was only working for God and I believed in her sincerity because she did not have any pride. Soon she got involved in all kind of group activities in and out of Subud and also became the mother of Susan and Rosemary. Jean- Marc her husband, a chemical engineer, was not in Subud. After the birth of their fourth child (Frederic) Jean- Marc s German Company asked him to move to Germany. They first spent two years in the North-East of France. Their fifth and last child (Alain) was born there. They go to live in Germany In Germany their children went to school and learnt German. That was a very special and interesting period for both parents and children on account of the differences between French and German cultures and natures. Fortunately they never had any financial problems and they settled in a big house that was an important asset for their new life. The experience with the German teachers and students was different for each child but they quickly became used to living in their new surroundings and got on well with everybody, trying to make the best of it. They had good results at school and were well integrated after their first year. It was amazing to see the children accepting so easily those changes and adapting themselves to the whole situation. How to be a good mother and a good wife in all circumstances? The burden of their new way of life, including learning German language, traditions and relations rested on Diane s shoulders, since her husband had new responsibilities at work. It was a rather difficult time where she had to get to know about things before the children did in order to help and guide them. At the same time she had to be attentive to her husband s efforts to adapt to his new environment and work. The latihan helped her to keep balance and peace at home as well as harmony with the neighbours and new friends. She had to be aware of everything about her children at every moment, and to keep serene. It was a sort of intensive course on, How to be a good mother and a good wife in all circumstances. In case of a crisis she would do a latihan and talk to someone. Her husband was too busy with his own work and thus she became used to talking to God. That was a great relief: she felt He was listening to her. Fortunately, the children did not have difficulty in learning the German language. At the same time she found out that the German people had a good understanding of her situation and they did not mind much about her family shortcomings. As the children were growing up fast, she had to watch and care for them individually. The latihan as well as the German helpers gave her kind attention. Later on, when she came back to France, those very active years in Germany, that experience, has proved to be priceless. Good inner changes had occurred She could see the inner changes in herself as well as in her children and she could compare their attitude towards life now with what it had been before going to Germany. She became witness to the strength they all had gained and deeply thanked God Almighty for that gift. She also was grateful to the Subud brothers and sisters in Continued on page 14. SUBUD VOICE - November

14 ONE SUBUD FAMILY Continued from page 13. Germany who had been kind to her all the way. She appreciated their helpful attitude and brought back to France good memories of those rich years. She became really aware of the progresses her children had made in Germany. For instance, she could compare her children with other children facing work, studies, suffering or difficulties. Her s were definitely stronger and more capable of overcoming and mastering hard times while being more sensitive. Also they could feel more sharply what was right or wrong and decide firmly what was best to do. They were starting to stand on their own feet. How to turn an experience into a family enterprise At the same time it was shown to her the difference between the people who worship God and those who don t. Then a deep feeling of love arose inside, especially for the young people struggling in life while oblivious of the wonderful link between them and their Creator, their Loving Father. That link was definitely missing in many people. She could not stand that situation any more. She decided to be active among youth and children in the suburbs of Paris. She met their teachers and leaders and also went to church, teaching the Bible to youth groups. She kept very active with voluntary work in many youth fields, always keeping her own children informed of her activities and, according to their capacity, getting them acquainted or involved in what she was doing. Progressively that became a real Subud family enterprise: Finances Father Director & Secretary Mother - Staff the Children. The whole family being tested finds understanding and strength When I was still in Paris I had noticed that Diana, now Dahliani, had a beautiful quality (she is beautiful too). She never complains about her private and family life problems. She always takes the light side of things and when it becomes too difficult, prays to God or calls a helper. 14 SUBUD VOICE - November 2004 She is devoted to the latihan, and being a helper herself, she is attentive to the members. She knows their problems, cares for them and tries to lighten their burdens. Those qualities were tested at home for more than a year when her husband was sick. He got diabetes and was really in bad shape. He had to stay home but was not an easy patient. Diane explained to her children about their father s condition and asked for their understanding, compassion and prayers. One day the kids went to his bedroom and asked him to get moving as he was making everybody else suffer. God knows how, but sure enough, he soon got better and slowly things went back to normal again. This is a moving experience of children s love for their father and also compassion for their mother. What is their attitude towards Subud? After Matthieu, the next to be opened could be Susan or maybe Frederic. Only God knows. Frederic has loved Bapak for a long time and now he also loves Ibu Rahayu. One day he told his mother I want to see and talk to Ibu. As Ibu Rahayu was going to visit Vienna, Dahliani asked me to accompany her to Austria and help her with Frederic (while she would be doing latihan). They met with Ibu Rahayu and he talked to her. He came back very happy. An interesting thing is that they are not concerned about their father not being in Subud. It s true that their father has a very good attitude towards Subud and even reminds his wife about latihan time. He often accompanies her to Subud meetings where he meets his friends in Subud (his words) or gives a helping hand when the group needs it. Latif and I have noticed how right his feelings about Subud members are. That s why we should really be aware of our behaviour among non-subud people, and never look down on them. He knows a lot about Subud and only God knows about his inner situation concerning being opened. Love is powerful As a pioneer, I thank God for the coming of this surprising international young generation. My plea to my fellow helpers is to be careful and not to hurt the young ones, not to discriminate about rich/poor or nice/naughty, but to be kind and patient and attend to them after their opening. Go and visit them, inquire about them, about their work, their life, their difficulties, just like parents do with love accompanying them until they are adults. My experience is that they appreciate it and in return they love and respect us and the latihan of course. As our wellknown and sweet pioneer-helper brother Richard Millès would say: Love is MIRACLES! Melinda tells how she dealt with the lower forces.. I'd like to share an experience I had this year about dealing with the "lower forces". Our national helpers in the USA bravely decided to hold a series of helper meetings in this country...for active, inactive, candidate, retired -ANY helpers. First one was the SouthWest area of the Rocky Mt region, South, and southern California. I work at the Subud USA national office, and it was my job, apparently, to get the place where the meetings would happen. It was hard to get the date set, and hard to get the right venue, but it happened. After finding a great hotel in Phoenix for the event, myself and a few others set out to get people to come to the event! Right away, what we heard was people saying they couldn't afford to come.. Other "excuses" came up as well, but this was the predominant thing we were hearing. Well, I got mad. (This was God given!) I got a big zap of energy that said: We should not allow the material forces to be a negative influence on our helper meetings! We should get the material forces to serve us! And so I started to fundraise: I just told people how I felt about this, and sent out ONE letter, and the money started coming in... and we started throwing money at people to get them to come! We paid people's airfare, hotel rooms, meals, registration, gas Long time helpers couldn't BELIEVE what was happening to them! What? Subud is actually paying for me to go?" Such astonishment, and gratitude. Some people had a hard time taking it and we had to talk them into it. I got high every day on the fun of giving away other people's money for such a good cause! Lucky me! We raised almost $4,000 assistance fund for that first helper meeting. And spent it all. The meeting was an incredible success. Over 100 helpers were there. $500 of the profit from that meeting went to start the assistance fund for the second meeting. The next meeting was for northern California, Oregon, Washington, Idaho, Alaska, etc. Same thing happened. Very hard to set a date, really hard to find the right place, and then we had to raise money to get people there. $6200 was raised for the assistance fund. $5600 was given away. The leftover went towards the next meeting. So, this went on and we again had over 100 helpers attend the meeting. It was Continued on page 15.

15 MIRACLES! Continued from page 14. CELEBRATING BAPAK incredibly touching to the attendees, and strongly affected everyone, as far as I can tell. The third meeting was on Oct 8. This was for the Midwest region and East Coast. Again, it was like pulling teeth at first. Hard to set a date, very hard to find the place. Each time we just mentally GAVE UP, but had to keep going anyway. Then again, face the lack of money and interest. As before a small informal team got together - mostly me, the relevant regional helpers and a few others. We employed our usual tactics, which were to keep calling people, and ing them, and offering them assistance until they decided to go. Sometimes people would test if they should go and their attitude would turn round to the positive. The third time we raised $6,700, and have spent all but $50 of it. 100 helpers have pre-registered. A Few Observations This is an amazing amount of money that we have raised around $15,000 - and spent in order to get helpers to these helper meetings! What a huge blessing! I have to tell you that one enterprise and an additional individual donated about $3000 for each of those meetings, and that was a huge relief. But individuals from all over the country donated as well for each one of them. Some of the people to whom we gave assistance could have paid their own way I believe. But they had an attitude that kept it from happening. But I saw that some of these people paid their own way to a later meeting, and in fact helped pay the way for others as well. This is an attitude change, not a financial income change. Their priorities changed. We have seen a number of signs since the meetings to tell us that there are positive repercussions to these meetings. Anyone who has accessed the new e-zine The Inner Life on our national website can see some of the results: I haven t talked here at all about what went on AT the meetings that s another story! (See The Inner Life) It s the deeper content story. I m just talking about what took place on the material level, to get the meetings to happen. I don't think there is any other use for money in Subud that is more important than facilitating the latihan. It has been like being in the middle of a miracle, and is proof that miracles take hard work as well as Grace from God. Melinda Wallis, National Secretary, USA Standing from Left to Right: George Ruxton, Jay Bakker, Subagio, Hardwin Pelham, Bill Logan, Luke Murray, Helen Ruxton, Ronald Jones, Olivia Jones, Mu'mainah Salah. (Photo: Anik Shipman) On Sunday 27 th June, Subud Adelaide South Group held a selamatan to remember Bapak s birthday. It was held at the property of a long-standing member, Jay Bakker, in the Adelaide Hills. On that Sunday, the Angels sent down a window of a fine sunny day for the occasion, in between cold and rainy days before and after. The whole place was suitably presented for the occasion with Indonesian batik table cloths, Bapak s photos, Bapak s favourite wayang leather puppets of Bima and Dewa Ruci, flower arrangements and a selection of Subud books display. Not forgetting a Javanese gamelan music continuously played in the background. At around twelve noon, twelve members, young and not so young, new and not so new, ordinary and not so ordinary, helpers and national helpers get together around a barbeque, sumptuous prawn fried rice, prawn tomato sambal, plentiful salads and a traditional Javanese dessert of kolak pisang (banana float). To wash down the food, cabernet sauvignon wine and orange juice were served on the table. The Cutting of the Cake After lunch, and given time for the food to go down the time came for the most important item of the day and that is the cutting of the birthday cake. Subagio invited everyone to come in around the table for the cutting of the Bapak s birthday cake. Before the official cutting of the cake Subagio gave an introductory few words. Here is the excerpt of what he said: Welcome everyone to the selamatan for remembering Bapak s Birthday and thank you Jay for providing us the venue for this purpose. First of all I would like to apologise to Bapak for having a cake for his birthday. I know Bapak would not have a cake for his birthday. In a true Javanese tradition Bapak would normally have a yellow rice gunungan (mountain), with side dishes and garnishes around the base of the gunungan. I know Bapak would forgive us, as Bapak is a pragmatic person. We live in Australia and not in Indonesia and we do what the Australians do. I had heard Hardwin say a couple of times If we celebrate Christmas why do not we celebrate Bapak s birthday. Hardwin s words were not lost on me. I share Hardwin s sentiment that comes from the inner feeling of love for Bapak. I was waiting to hear the same from the others, but that was not forthcoming. So last year I decided to take the initiative upon myself to organise a group SE- LAMATAN for Bapak s birthday. We successfully had in the Group our first remembering of Bapak s birthday, and now our second. We hope it will become a tradition in our group to remember Bapak s birthday. On Bapak s birthday for those who have met Bapak it is fitting to reminisce, sharing one s memories, thoughts and feelings about Bapak with fellow Subud members. My own feeling for Bapak grew from being that of a complete stranger when I met him in Cilandak some 40 years ago, to being one of intense love and gratitude. May peace be with you. Secretary of the Group, Subagio SUBUD VOICE - November

16 STOP PRESS From October 7th to 10th, the majority of the Congress Organising Team (COT) met in Innsbruck with ISC and a number of World Council members, as well as interested members from Austria, Switzerland, France, Portugal, the UK, Germany and the USA, including, to our delight, seven youths who were fully committed and ready to participate in the process. The days were intense but fruitful, carried out in an atmosphere of harmony and fun, brainstorming on the multiple aspects of the World Congress We were all extremely impressed by the work already carried out by the COT, and it was great to be able to connect faces, names and tasks. You'll all soon be getting to know them as well via the web-site: From Subud World News NOVEMBER FROM BAPAK And we have a way that can relieve people of their anxiety, their depression when they survey the state of the world today. EVENTS 4-14:Subud Ramadhan Retreat at Seven Circles in California. Please check out : Being Human workshop with Solihin and Alicia Thom in Portland, Oregon, USA. Contact: alicia@adhumanitas.com See also the Events section on the Subud World News webite: HOUSE FOR RENT IN WISMA House in Wisma Subud for rent. Four bedrooms, study, large living and dining room. Servants' quarters. US$550 per month. Available for Ramadhan, one month for $ Please contact: Halimah Brugger, hbrugger@boisestate.edu or TEACHERS NEEDED IN KALIMANTAN Young, energetic university graduate teachers in the field of science and mathematics to teach a range of students from Year 5 to 11 in Rungan Sari, Kalimantan. Two years working experience preferred. Ours is a discovery to education methodapproach. Students are exposed to a variety of subjects and experts who visit Rungan Sari. We are able to pay a modest salary, cover work permits and visa as well as housing. Benefits are a strong Subud community, a developing school, beautiful surroundings, jungle, swimming pool and sports facilities. Trip to Jakarta once every 2 months with free housing for long weekends. We would like to open to the general public end of July 2005; candidates should apply as soon as possible to start early in Application should be sent to: sisal@cbn.net.id or Geiger@palangkaraya.wasantara.net.id HOUSES FOR SALE IN RUNGAN SARI If you would like to have a nice place where you can enjoy a tranquil environment with latihan premises, leisure facilities, and a base for an enterprise, there are currently for sale in Rungan Sari, Central Kalimantan, T2 Townhouses 70sqm/ 210sqm lot/ U$ T2 Wood Cottage 83sqm/ 290sqm lot/ U$ (1U$ = IDR) Please contact: kub@palangkaraya.wasantara.net.id BAPAK S TALKS VOLUME AVAILABLE NOW PRICE (Incl p&p) UK 13 Europe 14 Other 16 ORDER NOW Pay by UK Bank cheque or Credit Card: Subud Publications International Loudwater Farm, Loudwater Lane, Rickmansworth, Herts, WD3 4HG, UK Tel: 44 (0) Fax: 44 (0) spi@subudbooks.co.uk MUSIC BY SUBUD ARTISTS Robert Millard Piano Recital Hamilton Camp Mardi s Bard Mira nda So Bravely Human Marius Kahan Tomorrow s Memories Isles Theatre Co The Isles Hamish Barker Natural Culture Malarky The Band that Plays at Night Lucas Hille Lost and Found Musica - The SICA CD The DJC Collection - 16 Track Sampler 5.00 NEW CDs: Yamba Yamba Orchestra - Rainstorm Robert Millard Piano Recital 2 (Chopin) Adrienne Thomas Speaking In Tongues Harlan Cockburn Ship Without Rudder Prices include postage anywhere. (Credit Card option on website) DJC Records, 104 Constitution Hill, Norwich, NR34 BB UK. clague@paston.co.uk WORLD LATIHANS November 7: 11:00 (CET) - 10:00 (GMT) December 4: 21: 00 (CET) - 20:00 (GMT) To find the corresponding time in your part of the world go to: SUBUD VOICE is published monthly. DEADLINE FOR NEXT ISSUE: 15 November 2004 ARTICLES & PHOTOS: Send to Harris Smart, Editor Subud Voice, preferably by to editor@subudvoice.net or 73 Clareville Rd, Uki, NSW, 2484, Australia. Tel: SUBSCRIPTIONS: Bradford Temple, PO Box 311, Dapto, NSW, 2530, Australia admin@subudvoice.net Fax: RATES WORLDWIDE per 12 : AUD$50.00 groups, AUD$60.00 mailed individually. (10% discount for pensioners over 60 years), AUD$35 OnLine. PAYMENTS: (Australian Dollars only) preferably by Credit Card - please provide your name, address, card number, card expiry date and your signature as on card and fax to the subscription fax above. International Bank Drafts and Money Orders should be made payable to SUBUD VOICE and sent to the subscription address above. ADVERTISEMENTS: 50 cents a word. Minimum charge AUD$ (Third World countries - no charge). SUBMISSIONS MAY BE EDITED: Submissions to Subud Voice may be edited for a variety of reasons including the need to shorten them or improve expression. If you do not want your submission to be edited in any way, please mark it clearly NOT TO BE EDITED. 16 SUBUD VOICE - November2004