Ibu Rahayu's Marseille Talk

Talk Ref: 99 MRS 1

Provisional Translation by Raymond Lee

Brothers and sisters whom I respect. First of all I want to thank Ibu Astuti Gunadi and her family for hosting us here so that we are able to meet and hold this gathering and I can give you an explanation about this spiritual path of Subud.

And I would also like to thank all of you for coming here tonight.

Brothers and sisters, I will start at the beginning with the existence of the essence of God which envelops the universe. When this essence of God, or the power of the Almighty manifests in a nature or all the different natures, then those natures come to life. For this reason, when it comes to us, human beings, the part of us that is alive is this essence or the human soul, which is why we call the latihan "training of the soul".

And a nature that is alive is something that moves, which works. In the terminology of Islam we call this "Asma", which means work or action.

So in this spiritual process, it is not enough for us just to do latihan, it is not enough just to train our soul (in latihan), but we have to involve it in everything we do in this world, in order that we will discover something which will be a proof for each one of us in leading our lives.

The one who must find this truth is your own self. How do you find this truth from your own self? By feeling this latihan, which you have been following, at every moment, so that your life will be guided and directed.

Because this contact which you have received and felt is a gift from God which was first experienced by Bapak and which Bapak channeled to each of you. And not just to you, but to every Subud member who has experienced what Bapak received. That is this contact through which you receive a grace, your being is touched by God's Power.

And Bapak did not only give us this latihan of movement, but Bapak also gave us complete information about the latihan - what this latihan is, what its purpose is, and what the true meaning of this latihan is.

All of this is explained in Bapak's talks as well as in Bapak's book called 'Susila Budhi Dharma". Even though this just seems to be a tune that is sung, in reality it contains everything about the latihan.

So what Bapak has left us is not without value. It constitutes the framework and the direction for Subud. Without a framework or direction, there will be chaos among us in Subud.

Why? It's because every person as they worship God has their own widely differing experience. But all of us know that each of us is still developing along this spiritual path. If we just put our own selves first or believe that our view is right, then there will no unity in Subud, in our relationships with each other, or in our worship.

The spiritual path is not something that has limits or is confined to the spiritual. Aside from the spiritual, it involves every aspect of human life as well as every aspect of the life of our soul, both in this world and the next.

If we review again the fact that before a person is born and then after they are born and grow and mature, their lives are tied to all the things that make a human being and enable that person to live in this world.

So as our soul grows, perhaps without our being aware of it, it first uses what it obtains from the parents which give birth to it, then the person is born and must live in this world, so then they obtain what they need for their lives. And indeed, this is as God wills through providing the companions which enable us to live in this world, the forces below humans which we call the low forces - material, vegetable, animal, as well as human.

We do not need to distance ourselves or torture ourselves to avoid these companions, because God is All Just and these forces below the human level will not disturb a person as long as the person does not give those forces the chance to control that person.

Just by doing latihan you are granted the chance to accustom yourself to submit to, or to put your faith in God, in order that whatever blocks your life, or covers your soul will be cleared away by God Himself.

Because the core or purpose of this latihan is first to purify your being, then to awaken and develop your soul and finally to prepare yourself.

What we call purification is something most of you have experienced, albeit in different ways. And you may not even realise that what you have experienced is a purification within yourself.

This is because purification is not just limited to the physical body, it can take the form of, or manifest as a trial in life which can require great patience and acceptance from you.

As for the growth and development of the soul, this also takes time and unlimited patience - because your soul is not just something that does not function. It too should be able to see, to hear, to walk, to smell and so on.

This is why you always make movements in your latihan and sometimes you just make the same movements over and over. But if you pay attention, you will notice that over time these movements go deeper so that you don't just feel a physical movement, which in fact you can make intentionally, but everything within you comes to life and moves.

Brothers and sisters, you know what is meant by low forces. The low forces enable you to live in this world, for example, they become your flesh, they become your blood, they become your hair and so on. As for the material, this provides your home, your work, and so on. As such, we realise that in truth these low forces serve you.

So, in repayment for what you use or consume in this world by the will of God, if you are purified, your companion forces are purified, too. If you progress spiritually, these companion forces, or these low forces benefit too and become "good" forces. Then later when you have to leave this world you are not burdened by these forces because they are able to and do return to their true homes.

And with regard to preparation, what is it that you need to prepare? You need to prepare as many abilities and as many places, which you make available for God to give you something.

Because if you have not prepared yourself, how can God follow you or give you something if you are not ready? Suppose God wants to give you something but you don't know how to accept it, say, with your hand. If your hand is not alive yet and God puts something in your hand you will not understand how to accept it.

So it's clear that it is not God who is at fault, but you are. You don't have the place to receive what God gives you. This is why if you are in despair and blame God, it is in fact out of place. Perhaps God has already given what you need but you are not ready to receive it.

This is why the most important thing for our spiritual growth is to do latihan. Because it is the latihan which will develop you and teach you. This is why we say the latihan is a training as indeed it is a training, an education from God.

Why is it from God? Because you have been touched by the power of God and it is this power which moves your soul. So your soul is not complete, yet but develops or forms your soul to be truly your own, so that it does not belong to your parents or your ancestors, it does not belong to the low forces, but it is truly your own individual soul.

And practice a life which you have been training for, which is your true life and true path in this world. It is in your daily life that you must put into practice living in a way that accords with the content of the latihan. Doing this will develop you as someone with the qualities of Susila, Budhi, and Dharma. This is the reason why Subud is called Susila Budhi Dharma.

I think you understand the meaning of Susila Budhi Dharma. Susila means all your actions and your behavior accords with God's will. Acting according to God's will means acting in a way that is faultless in this world.

Budhi is a power that is within you, it is a force, the force of life in your own self.

And Dharma is a form of surrender out of gratitude towards Almighty God you readily give up something to meet the needs of other human beings who are God's creatures.

If they understand the purpose and direction of Subud, people outside Subud will be easily interested, because the content of Subud is a nobility in life which is sought after by many people, particularly at this time.

But what is the reason that there is so little interest from people to join Subud? Perhaps this is caused by the many faults we still have in our own selves.

This is why we must always be conscious of our selves, because Subud is more than 50 years old and most of us should realise by now what our faults are and what we have not been able to demonstrate to the world yet.

In particular we must revitalise and remind ourselves again of why Bapak formed the helpers councils and the Subud organisational structure. This is so that this spiritual brotherhood can progress as it should. Both the helpers groups and the committees have their respective duties which must be carried out collectively. This is because this spiritual path is not easy. We are still growing so none of us is perfect in performing our duties.

So what's needed is harmony in the helpers' groups. This is because what Bapak has given us is only the framework and direction. It is the job of the helpers and of course the members who will one day be helpers, to fill out this framework.

Then there will be harmony among the helpers and between the helpers and the members so we will be united in feeling, in our worship of Almighty God. In fact we only have one aim -- to worship Almighty God. Whatever happens in our own being is in our own hands and that of the power of God, because God's law is between you and God.

So with this explanation, brothers and sisters, I aim to awaken or remind you again so that you will always be diligent in your latihan. This applies even more so to the youth. I see (here) many young members who will be the next generation to continue Subud. Don't feel distant from the long time members or helpers. From the spiritual viewpoint, there is no difference between old and young. So we need to help each other and work together. The older members should guide the young, but to guide does not mean to tell them what to do, but to involve them in all activities and developments. In turn, the youth need to respect the older members, because they have indeed been in Subud longer.

Brothers and sisters, although this is not a long explanation, I hope you can understand it and I hope that you will put into practice this latihan which you have followed until now.

Questions After Talk

Question: Thank you, Ibu Rahayu for your talk; you have partly answered the question I had, but I think the use of the term "God's Will" maybe needs to be clarified. I don't feel comfortable with the way it is used. Can you clarify this?

Ibu's Answer:

When we test, what we mean by the term "God's Will" is that it is not from the will of the human heart and mind. The person concerned may not know, but when they test, they can answer. This means that there is a guide inside them, and what's within them is the essence of God that I spoke of. Well, of course, the essence of God will be right, but the problem is whether the form of the soul is complete or not. So if the result of the test is not correct, it's because the vessel to receive the answer is not 100% right or complete. So the essence of God will be right, but it's the soul that may not be right yet.

Question: What disturbs me is the use of the term "God's Will" in testing, for example, "Is it God's Will that I marry this person?" or "Is it God's Will that I work in such a field?"

Ibu's Answer:

Well, the power of God is within our being and this is why we need to become clean, so that the power of God within us is uncovered, as perhaps it is covered up by our thinking. But this power will work if the mind is not thinking.

However, when we work we must use our minds. But sometimes, because of the latihan, as we work we feel an inner protest. This means we should not continue, because the work is from our own will and not from the will of God. Even though you must work with your mind, if by using your mind you are damaging yourself, there will be an inner rebellion - this means that the work doesn't fit, if there is an inner conflict. This means that something from the mind is wrong.

But if your work goes smoothly and easily, it means that it is blessed by God and does not conflict with your inner self.

Question: I would like to know when we do testing, may we say: "Allow me, Lord, to receive." or should we say, "According to Your Will.". Is there a specific way to ask, or is it the same thing if one says, "According to Your Will," or "If you allow me..".

Ibu's Answer:

In fact, it is unnecessary. What is needed is that we put ourselves in the right place. We don't need to say anything but we empty ourselves and ask God to guide us. If we put too much in front of the test - one, two three.then in fact it will be our mind that works.

Question: I need to clarify why I'm asking - a helper told me once it was better to say: "According to God's Will", and this is why, since you are here, Ibu Rahayu, I wanted to ask you whether it is really important to say "According to God's Will" or "Allow me to receive".

Ibu's Answer:

Yes, you can, if you want to.

Sharif: Are there any questions from the young people?

Ibu: If there are no more questions then I would like to go home.