Copy supplied by Aliman Sears - Belgium
Good Morning, my dear brothers and sisters.
Before I begin, I would just like to say a few words to you all. I'd like to let you know that yesterday I went somewhere else, to a nearby town called Pereira. I had been asked by a member from Armenia to visit a woman helper, who was said to be the founder of Subud Armenia, who is now suffering from illness and is in the hospital.
I had the opportunity to go then, even though it took three hours. This member had the feeling of being very disappointed (at not being able to attend the Congress), but her heart was very proud that the Congress was actually progressing well here in Amanecer. This member was being looked after for her heart, as she had suffered a heart attack. So with this I would like to ask you, brothers and sisters, to give her your support and to pray that her health may be quickly restored.
This morning I would like to offer some clarifications about the latihan. My words about the latihan will not contain anything new, because everything here is already in Bapak's talks and in Bapak's advice which he left for us all.
The intention of this advice from me is so that we all may remember again or so that I remind you that the latihan is the entire foundation of the latihan kejiwaan of Subud. So in all our efforts, in all our work, we mustn't leave the latihan behind. On the contrary, those things too, should be brought into line with the circumstances and be accompanied by thoughts which are filled with wisdom.
As I have said before, the way of the latihan in Subud never changes. If there is any difference, it is only according to the situation and the need of the latihan at the time.
So, for example, there are some stories to do with the times at the beginning of Subud, how it was, where Bapak was already carrying out his task of opening up Subud to people who wished to worship God by means of the latihan kejiwaan.
As we know, Bapak received Subud, the latihan kejiwaan, when our country was under the colonial domination of another country. At that time, everything which arose from the native people was treated with distrust, so in that situation it was not possible for Bapak to put Subud into practice in an open way.
So, for example, during that time, Bapak didn't encourage members to shout, for example, as you, brothers and sisters do. So it all was done in a way fitting to the needs of the situation that obtained.
This situation continued also into the Japanese times (in what is now Indonesia); we, or Subud, was not allowed to be open. the Subud members looked for a way, and so they practiced the latihan as though they were riding bicycles. There were many members from outside the city. They rode bicycles, but they said they didn't feel tired; rather they felt like they were in latihan as long as they were on those bicycles.
In fact this can be an example to those brothers and sisters whose groups are not yet legal or which still experience difficulties in being open in their countries.
I have already had the opportunity to meet with a Subud member from Cuba. I wanted to know the situation there. I imagine that their circumstances are the same as we had in our colonial times; they can't openly practice the latihan in the way of all of you brothers and sisters who are here.
The Cubans have already found their own way to do the latihan, and apparently the group has been able to grow so that now they have seventy members.
Surely the Cuban members here can meet brothers and sisters from various countries where we can practice the latihan openly. This has been a bit startling for them because they have never heard latihans so noisy as those here.
This has just been to give you an example of a latihan which is according to the needs of the situation. But as for the way the latihan is performed, it is the same - that is, for yourself to face the One and only God. Before you do your latihan, bring yourself truly before God and discover what comes from within. "From within" means from the vibrations which are already in yourself.
There are no other "methods" to hasten or impede the journey of your inners. If, for example, there were things you could do to speed things up, in which you would have to make use of something else, it would be outside the Will of God. If this were to happen, we would worry that later it would cause a conflict in your own self.
If you already are practicing the latihan in the right way, you needn't worry if your latihan won't stop, because the latihan kejiwaan has no limit. I think that here there are already those who can testify from their inner experiences that it is true that between this world and that which will come, there is no boundary.
Here I will mention something that maybe is already understood, that is to do with my proposal about testing which I believe I have already shared with the international helpers. I think there are already those who are putting this into practice, but there are also those who are still hesitant, and maybe there are those who don't want to accept it.
The intention of my proposal to do testing with all of you, in particular with those brothers and sisters who have never experienced testing with Bapak, is so that they can understand the use of the latihan, because doing something of which one doesn't understand the use can quickly lead to boredom. Those without this experience won't understand the way to utilise the latihan.
There are those of you here who have already done the latihan for years and years. Then there are those who have been in Subud for a long time, and those who may be new. The latter only know the latihan and its movements. That is already the latihan.
We can say that the latihan makes ourselves come alive, so with the latihan, we feel alive. And this life is followed by every one of our organs, starting from the outside to the inside, right inside. But perhaps you have never been aware of this as long as you have been doing the latihan.
So to know this, the only way is for you, brother and sister to be able to test, to test yourselves. So for example, 'Are my hands already alive?" "Are they already filled (with life) when I do the latihan"?
This is just a sort of control mechanism, a way to supervise our own selves "Is this head of mine already alive?" So, for example, you ask, "Where is my head?" At the time you say the words, then your head will move automatically, it will move. therefore this means that it all is already automatic.
It is not that we get strength from something else, no: it is brought up out of you yourselves. But don't be of the opinion that we are here in the material level and this has all happened because of our own desires. That's not the case! We can do nothing unless we are helped by the power of God.
If the condition of your self is such that it is alive, you can help brothers and sisters to do some testing, testing which is deeper. I or we all feel that, although testing like this isn't easy, difficult situations nevertheless require it.
Why is this? Because our situations here aren't all the same. There are those who can already receive, those who can receive half, those who cannot yet receive. But even so, in Subud we really need testing, even though the testing is still more or less sometimes mixed with influences, whether from the person testing or from the situation surrounding him or her.
But in case it's needed, testing constitutes the only way in Subud to approach that which is willed by God. For that reason, the practice of testing surely will expand in Subud. And now I believe that's enough about testing.
Actually we need a lot of suggestions or readiness on the part of you all in situations such as this when we are together, especially in a Congress. At such times there are issues concerning delegates, helpers, and international helpers who have the task of furthering the development of Subud.
For that reason, I hope that each of you may be able to finish your work in a harmonious way, and distance yourselves each from feelings of self pride or the feeling to strengthen your own group, and I wish that you all will work here for one thing - for Subud.
As for the international helpers, these brothers and sisters constitute a spiritual board formed originally by Bapak. At that time, of course this work was handled specifically by Bapak himself. But now Bapak is no longer here, but we still need a board which can resolve certain problems which emerge.
We all understand that these brothers and sisters, even though they are in a board which is said to be the highest spiritually, we mustn't mistakenly suppose that the brothers and sisters who are international helpers already are people who have high souls and who already, for example, must be responsible for everything - no, that's not the case.
These brothers and sisters, at this time, have been given an opportunity by God to take this duty in hand. This means of course that these people are being tested such that they must be able to bring about things which will be able to help other brothers and sisters.
With the experiences of these brothers and sisters, I believe that, in carrying out their tasks, they feel only as, or it can be said that they are helpers, helpers of God, in which all is under the guidance of God. Without this guidance, it is not possible for us to help other people or have other people ask to be helped by these brothers and sisters.
Hopefully the experiences of these brothers and sisters as spiritual counsellors, on the Kejiwaan board, will be valuable in their lives, experiences which they may not have any longer when they are back to being regular helpers.
I think this topic will continue among helpers wherever they may be; becoming a helper is indeed neither easy nor pleasant. For that reason, don't, for example, become a helper without being willing to fulfill your duties as a helper. This is, or can be called, a kind of sin - not being willing to carry out something which is your job to do.
Most importantly for helpers, in fulfilling your duties, we can't do this all by ourselves. Each of us must have an understanding of our fellow helpers, because the development of the latihan kejiwaan cannot be the same for everyone. There are those who can already receive and those who can't. So it is to be hoped, or this is as a request or a need for helpers: work together and harmoniously in performing your duties.
I say this because often, I have heard that a problem may not indeed emerge from the members, but the problem comes from the helpers' group. So we as helpers, each of us needs to already be aware that this harmony is indeed very necessary so that the helpers can gain the trust of the people among whom they perform their duties, during which time they are being closely observed by the members.
So if there is the question: Has the development of Subud become a duty of the group of helpers? Certainly this is one of the elements in the expansion and the continuation of the latihan kejiwaan.
Perhaps I'll finish by saying something about the brothers and sisters who perform the duties of the Subud organisation.
These people have their work in the organisation, where they have the responsibility to arrange everything, including the development of places where the brothers and sisters who are practicing their latihan kejiwaans can do so in a good and peaceful way. So brothers and sisters, don't unduly stress or over-emphasise the spiritual side only; look at the outer world where we don't live alone.
There are also groups or other communities which have different beliefs and different points of view which we can come to understand.
The meaning of this is that we still need to have thoughts and to use our hearts and minds which lead us in the direction of being able to be understood by people who are not doing the latihan kejiwaan.
As for our experience up to today - that the development of Subud is spreading more and more, "spreading" means that what we have already done here involves our inners from many angles.
Surely, therefore, this will give the brothers and sisters here even more work. But I have already expressed the hope that you or we can do all the work which comes or that will come as well as we possibly can.
I think we can all witness the fact that Subud has already come to flower without our doing it; it has developed by itself.
This through the generosity of the One and Only God. As for the inner, developed by itself. That is if you asked about our selves as Subud members, the answer is that our inners have also already grown.
Only God knows about that, and we submit all our inner development to the One and Only God.
But Bapak did say that, that which takes place in the inner or for later may be mirrored by our situation in this life.
Perhaps my explanations about what we need to do, whether for the continuation of the international congress here, or for later when we are back in each of our own countries, are sufficient for this morning.
On our return, we can bring as a kind of gift for our brothers and sisters who weren't able to come to this congress our news and thoughts as to what is good and what is not so good to continue doing.
Thank you very much.