Ibu Rahayu's Talk To Members

Rocky Gap, Maryland USA

Talk Ref: 99 CBE 3

Provisional Translation by Raymond Lee

Brothers and sisters whom I respect, good afternoon. What we heard just now and absorbed within ourselves was part of Bapak's receiving, which he recorded in the book Susila Budi Dharma. So far, this book has been translated into many languages so that in every country people can enjoy and understand this book.

If we want to enjoy this book we will find it contains everything concerning the latihan. The reason why Bapak wrote down his receiving in Javanese is because Bapak was a Javanese.

This is what I want to say about this book which we heard a little of just now and was sung to you.

And now, brothers and sisters, I will start with my explanation of Susila Budi Dharma which we abbreviate to "SUBUD".

Susila means behaviour that is guided by Almighty God. Budi is a power, the power of God that is within each of you. And Dharma is surrender or willingness to let go, which arises because we receive God's Grace and Guidance, so then we are willing to give freely of whatever we have to help other human beings.

So the meaning of Susila Budi Dharma is that through God's own power that is present in the self of man, we are led by God in accordance with God's will to return to God in the form God created us, as human beings. So to express our gratitude for God's guidance, we are completely willing to give everything back to God. This is what we call our surrender to God.

So, as Subud members, the meaning of Susila Budi Dharma is in fact written in the being of each of us, in each member of the brotherhood of Susila Budi Dharma.

As such, as Subud members, we feel that in this life we have a duty to ourselves, towards the world and towards other people.

This is why, when Bapak set out the guidelines of Subud, Bapak set up various groups - a group for the organisation, a group for spiritual work, a group for social work, a group for culture and a group for young people. And all of these groups will be brought to life by you as Subud members who follow the latihan in which you are guided by Almighty God.

Although we have an organisation in Subud, it is unlike other organisations. The purpose of our organisation is to be the vessel, the vessel for all of you who do latihan, so that you will be sheltered, safe and guided as you follow this spiritual path.

And as for spiritual work, because it involves all human needs or our complete spiritual development (including the spread and availability of the latihan) we need those of you who have been appointed as helpers. And the helpers too are divided into helpers groups or councils so they can serve our needs at the local, regional national and international levels.

So it's clear that even though Bapak has left us, Bapak has prepared everything. All we have to do is follow Bapak's guidelines. Then whatever we do will not be at cross purposes, whether it is our duties in this world or in our individual spiritual development.

And as for our worldly needs, this of course depends, whether it is an enterprise, or in using your expertise, on your individual ability and willingness to commit to your own self, to your family, and to other people.

And in the field of social work, it is an obligation for us as God's creatures to set something aside to help others.

And with respect to SICA or culture, we are taught from within and this will give rise to something that is truly our own. At first you may not be aware of it, but it will become a reality within you and something will grow which is different and is truly yours. So that what you attain is not from imitating other people. It is truly original, it is created through your own ability.

And since Subud is made up of many countries and many races, each with their respective cultures, it will be best if this is a new culture, a culture which does not exist in this world yet. So in SICA we seek to show our talents and create opportunities for the spread of Subud.

Then through these activities or opportunities created by SICA, or the social work of SDI, it will be easy to penetrate the outside world. To penetrate the outside world means these activities will be noticed by people outside Subud; it is something they can easily grasp, because for them it is something real that they can see and experience.

This is because your latihan cannot penetrate the mind of someone who is not open to it. So it is really clear that through social work and through SICA, there are many opportunities for us to touch the feelings of the outside world.

Finally, why did Bapak set up Subud Youth? Clearly this has its place, too. It is because we don't want Subud to simply disappear, but, as God wills, we will pass on this latihan to people who need it.

It is clear from this that Subud Youth is not a separate organisation. In the spiritual there are no barriers between old and young. What the young receive, the old receive too, and the old, although they are old, can receive what the young experience.

This is why the youth should not feel they are in a group separate from the other members, but they must follow the source of Subud and understand what this flame or beacon which comes from Subud is.

In this way your direction will not depart from the direction Bapak set out. Subud has come from the Power of God through Bapak. When Bapak received Subud, it was not just for Bapak, but for all people who need this latihan.

So, with respect to our spiritual unity, whether we are old or young or half old or half young, we only have one goal, that is to worship God through the latihan so that our soul is guided. Even though this is a long process, if you go through it you will get the proof that because God created you as a human being, you should possess a human soul.

And the way to make this happen is that we must do latihan two or three times a week. Don't get the idea that you will get what you hope for just like that. Even though you pray, if you yourself don't make an effort to become clean, or to prepare yourself, it cannot possibly happen.

This is because we know that human beings living in this world are accompanied by other forces which are also created by God. God's purpose in doing this is that these forces will help you in your life in this world and you will be able to form yourself as a person that is strong enough to live here.

So don't have the attitude, "Why did God give me these forces when they just cause trouble?" Because without these forces you cannot have the form of a human being. We cannot hold meetings like this. We cannot marry and have children. All of this is made possible by God, because God wants human beings, this essence which He made and placed in this world, to be able to live and find happiness.

But these forces have their own realms, too. These low forces have their own places. There is the world of plants, the world of animals and the material world. Each force has its own realm but during your life here you use these forces for your benefit.

As such, they hope, these forces expect that through the growth of that person, they will also go to heaven and be returned to their respective realms, because they too are unhappy to be inside you. This is why they constantly try, whenever their host or master gives them the chance, to be the boss. When this happens they become what we know as our desires, or passions, as you are unable to control your being and be the boss.

So in doing latihan, we don't only make or seek progress for ourselves, but we also open the way for the forces inside us which help us in this world.

This means that when we die, we are not burdened by these forces. They can return to their worlds and we are not dragged off or entangled in these forces which have helped us all that time. So this is what happens.

For ourselves who have a human soul, we train ourselves to possess what God gave to us in the beginning, so we are close to God and there is no separation between us and God. Then when we speak, for example, when you say "God" or "Allah" or you worship God or you pray, it will reach God, because there is no barrier between you and God. Often what becomes the barrier is your own thoughts, but what travels to God cannot pass through the mind. It passes through your feelings - the inner feeling which is alive within you.

So if you are truly alive, you can feel what God gives you. But if your inner feeling isn't alive yet, how can you feel it. Even if God gives something to you, you don't know how to receive it, whether God gives it to you through your hand, or your nature, or your mouth. So it's not God's fault, you are the one who is not ready or not able to receive what God gives to you.

This is why we need to do latihan. In Subud we call this a training, because it is indeed a training, but a training which is led by the power of God that is in each of you. So don't think that if you follow Bapak's guidelines you are not guided by God. It is not Bapak that guides you - God does. Bapak on his own, without the power of God, could not possibly make something as big as Subud is now. So Bapak, as an individual, followed and received the latihan. Bapak did that himself. But it was the power of God that graced Bapak so that Bapak opened people, and they in turn opened others until Subud spread to many countries.

We can say that this was not the work of man. Impossible. If Subud was some kind of study, perhaps - but this is something that comes from the inner of one person and contacts the inner of another. That's impossible.

How this happened cannot be understood by the mind. This is why people outside Subud cannot understand Subud, what and how Subud works and what the purpose of Subud is. This cannot be comprehended by someone outside Subud, because what we receive in Subud is beyond human thought. We cannot deal with this spiritual way if we still approach it with the mind.

So it is not your fault if you find it difficult to interest people outside Subud to join Subud. Sometimes when we try to explain to people outside Subud we experience something in our head, and we are unable to express anything or talk about Subud. Even though we give simple explanations we cannot get through. This is because the person trying to understand Subud can only experience it with their mind, but they cannot feel it with their inner feeling.

This is why they can only accept something that we do in Subud that is real. Take the earlier example of our social work. As this social work is real, it can be felt by other people. So too with the other (wings), such as Subud Youth.

So, as Subud Youth, do something that leads in a positive direction which can become an example for young people. These days many young people are searching for something to base their life on, that will give them peace in their life. Often these young people may be adult in terms of years but they are not mature enough to face life in the world. But with this training from within even though they are immature, they are still young, they are taught and guided by this essence that you encountered at your opening. So let what grows there grow in the right way. Don't neglect it and allow it to be covered by all kinds of things which have to be cleaned away later on. Don't let it be covered up again by something that will halt your own development.

This is an example of the type of activity I mentioned earlier, in our daily life, because as human beings, we don't just do latihan, but we live in the world.

But make sure that what you do is guided by the feeling we have when we do latihan. Then your path will bring you happiness, not just in this world, but it is also your provision for when you no longer live in this world.

Then if you live a life of peace and calm, your development in Subud will be an example for people who don't do latihan. So because you have the latihan, become someone who is in harmony, so that each of you are in a state of harmony. What I mean by harmony is that you are not in conflict inside yourself. You are not suffering depression, you are not filled with anger and greed. In other words, we can manage our own self. Then when we are in a state of harmony it becomes simple to create an atmosphere of harmony around us.

But while there are still those of you who have discord in your being, it is easy to be in conflict. And often this conflict is not just inside you, but it breaks out and affects other situations such as the harmony in your family, the harmony in society or the harmony between the helpers.

Because we know that a state of disharmony among the helpers starts with disharmony between one or two people until it creates an atmosphere of disharmony among everyone.

This is a bad example for the helpers to set, because lack of harmony between helpers will create doubts, not only among the members, but also for people who want to join Subud.

These days, many members have written books about Subud which explain how they found truth and how someone can hope to find peace in Subud. Naturally, this creates a lot of interest from people whose lives are in confusion and want to join Subud. But after they realise that in Subud life there is no harmony, there is no understanding, there is no love between one another, they become hesitant to join Subud and commit themselves to Subud.

So life in Subud really needs proof of what you receive from the latihan that what you do in the latihan truly has a benefit for your life.

If what you do in latihan does not reflect in your life, it means that your latihan has not brought any benefit to your life. Of course, a benefit in your life must come through effort and surrender, meaning that God will not give someone something unless they make an effort, and they surrender their condition to receive what's best for them.

So, if you are wrong, say that you are wrong, and ask that your mistake will be forgiven, and don't repeat the same mistake again. If you know you are wrong but don't want to acknowledge your own mistakes, how can God forgive you?

All this shows that there is a connection between your latihan and your daily life. Because by doing latihan everything within you comes to life until the ability to correct yourselves is within each of you.

It can be said that if someone does not know they are wrong, God can forgive them. But if you do something that is wrong and you go on doing it, it is a big mistake.

So, brothers and sisters, this is my explanation about this spiritual path. If I go on explaining the spiritual there will be no end and there will always be something else. Particularly when we talk about our human existence which is always connected to our individual development.

So I feel what I have said this time is enough because what I have said here is a reminder, to show you that in Subud there is still much for you to do and to experience. And that with your (personal) intention, what you hope for is in God's hands, and your own, through your own efforts.

So I would like to close this meeting but there is a request to sing from Bapak's book Susila Budi Dharma and that I sing a few verses about the latihan which are written in Susila Budi Dharma. But I request a few moments because my voice is almost gone, and as I am not a professional singer of Javanese songs, please excuse any mistakes and excuse me if it doesn't sound good. I want Pak Widarbo to help me. Neither of us are singers, but I need a companion. And I ask Luqman McKingley to translate what we sing into English.