Concerning External Relationships

Coombe Springs - 13 August 1959

This section is concerned with the presentation of Subud to the world and with our attitude towards religious organisations, such as the Roman Catholic Church, and also towards the Governments of our countries and the Press.

This morning we read Bapak's statement prepared in Singapore, and also the preamble to Bapak's own book. We feel that the statement is very good for those who are interested in coming to Subud but that it would be dangerous f issued publicly as a statement of what Subud stands for; and we feel that it is necessary to distinguish between the reality of Subud, which is beyond thought, and any explanations which will reach the mind and could be used as objections against it. Especially we feel that there is a danger that Subud may be condemned by the Roman Catholic Church if is publicly stated that Subud has come directly from God to man. On the other hand, the reality of the Subud experience has al- ready been felt by many Catholics, who have been convinced that it in no way conflicts with their own faith.

Secondly, Bapak is asked if a statement about Subud can be prepared which can be given to Governments and other official bodies, to make it clear that Subud is not political.

Thirdly, Bapak is asked whether he considers that press publicity should be encouraged as a means of helping the spread of Subud, or whether every effort should be made to avoid references to Subud in the press.

Fourthly, some Subud members ask whether Bapak recommends the continued practice of religious observances, and especially the practice of confession before the receiving of the Christian sacraments. The last question is whether Subud should penetrate into the various organisations working for human welfare, such as the Churches, the United Nations Educational and Social Organisation (UNESCO), and also various private foundations for purposes of human good.

If we are affected by the attitude of other people, it is inevitable that we shall always find ourselves in a state of anxiety, for human nature is such that man is very easily swayed by honour and position and other worldly matters. This feature in him gives rise to a feeling of anxiety, and he sees other people's actions toward him for the improvement of his inner condition as a threat to his position and standing in the world. For though these may not be based on any reality, they have still brought him satisfaction and the respect of ordinary people.

If we attempt to sow the seed of Subud as this is ordinarily done in the world - that is, by means of our thoughts and desires - not only will our efforts to penetrate into human society be obstructed, but they will be fraught with danger. Opposition and hindrances will stand in our way, so that instead of making progress we shall find ourselves stranded among conflicts and enmities. Attempts to act in this way will bring us into competition with our fellow men.

The nature of man is such that although he may recognise and be aware of his own faults, and of the shortcomings of his outward behaviour, yet it is impossible for him to admit these deficiencies to others and to give up that which by now he has come to enjoy.

This, as Bapak has said before, is why it depends upon the Will of God alone whether the truth of Subud will make progress and spread in the world or not, since Subud comes by the Will of God and is beyond the knowledge, the expectation and the power of man. This means that it is the Will of God that works within the being of man; and if it is God Himself who works in Subud, it is His Power that will remove every kind of barrier which hinders its development. It is God Who will awaken the inner feelings and the inmost hearts of men, so that whether humanity is willing or not, it must surely acknowledge that the Will of God which is in Subud makes this a real path whereby men can come to the true worship of God.

How God in His Almighty Power will work, this man cannot understand. He can only speculate as to what God will bring to pass, for the working of God is beyond the measure of man. For example, history shows us that the hearts and minds of men cannot be brought to faith in God by any forcible action of their fellow men, who, of course, also use hearts and minds to achieve this aim. But God can compel men to believe in Him, for His Power is able to manifest in such ways that mankind cannot but experience it. This happened, for instance, in the days of the prophet Noah. When men had lost faith in God, and no longer believed that He was their Creator, Noah wept and cried aloud to God: "How can this be, oh my God? Men will not believe that God exists and that all things are in His hand." God answered Noah, saying: "Do not grieve, Noah; have no doubt in your heart. God is Mighty."

Soon afterwards, the world was overwhelmed by a great catastrophe, which came by the Power of God and submerged the face of the earth beneath the waters of the ocean. In this way men were obliged to acknowledge the Power of God, whether they liked it not, and only then did they begin to recognise that the teaching of Noah to man- kind had indeed come from God.

And so also it is with Subud. If Subud is the work of God in the being of man, then He in His Power will accomplish this work, and it is only for us of Subud to follow after Him. That is all that is required of us; to follow the guidance we have received from God in our own inward being. Because God is omniscient, He knows the present situation of mankind; He knows that man in general will not relinquish honours and position, the enjoyment of his desires, his heart and his thoughts, and God also knows that all this is the result of domination by the lower forces of man. These lower forces dominant within him have the effect of strengthening his desire for honour, for the praise and admiration of his fellow men, even though his basic condition is not as it should be. It is impossible for such a man to admit his faults, since this would be tantamount to suicide for the lower forces, and they will not consent to kill themselves. This is quite obvious.

Many obstacles, therefore, will inevitably arise if Subud is carried forward by the use of our thoughts: by making propaganda, by influencing people, by publishing our name in human society. It is impossible for men to acknowledge that they are wrong and Subud is right; they will not relinquish their own position and honour to Subud, even if they know this to be the right way. Follow, therefore, in the steps of God. He will lead you in the way of peace: the way which man can never find and understand alone, or, when he is on it, know how he is directed, whether it is towards the North, South, East or West. This is the Way of God, and thus it is if He so wills.

Walk and work with patience

Therefore our aim is only to follow in His footsteps, according to what we receive from within. We need to walk and work with patience, without haste and free from the interference of our desires and thoughts, but with due consideration to our receiving.

We should never seek for men to call us wise or to acknowledge Subud as first among movements for the good of mankind. Never! Say only that Subud is like other manifestations of the Power of God - even to those who know nothing of God, because it is God Who knows. That is why Bapak never claims to be a saint, a prophet or anything like that - never. Pak Subuh is only Pak Subuh. For it is God alone Who knows how Pak Subuh stands before God, and it is not possible for men to know it, so there is no need to say that Pak Subuh is a man who is close to God. For the same reason Bapak wishes all of you to work for Subud in patience, not being in any hurry to influence other people; so that in this way, if God so allows, we shall be under His protection.

What is sufficient to tell the public

People in general do not yet know the Will of God, that we have received in our spiritual exercises. It is therefore sufficient to tell the public that Subud is a brotherhood based on Susila Budhi Dharma. It is based on the principles of true human behaviour, remembering that God is Almighty and that there is in ourselves, residing within our being, something that we can neither know or see; that is, the Budhi.

Dharma signifies that we should submit ourselves completely to God, for we believe in Him, and it is to Him alone that we surrender our body and soul. Thus Subud is a brotherhood of men based on the principles of true human qualities, remembering the greatness of God that is manifested within our being through our complete submission; God exists, we truly believe in Him, and He is truly Almighty.

The nature of a man who is Subud, and who has in him the qualities of Susila, Budhi and Dharma, may be found elsewhere than among ourselves; there may be many such among Christians, Moslems, Buddhists and also those of no particular faith. We cannot know all this, but it is known to God. We should therefore never make any special claims for Subud; we should say that we are trying to practise and come to the worship of God in such a way as truly corresponds to His Will. What, therefore, is required before everything is that we ourselves should be of the qualities of Susila Budhi Dharma.

We should not wish to find fault with others; we seek our own truth. For instance, Bapak seeks his own truth and does not wish to find fault with other people. But if other people wish to follow us, we accept them. We do not wish to persuade them to join us, or criticise what they have been doing -we seek only our own truth and needs. For if we find fault with others and try to correct their shortcomings, our chance of correcting ourselves is extremely slender. Again, therefore, seek the truth of your own being and do not look first at what is wrong in others. This will add to the steadiness, speed and clarity of your own receiving.

Those who go to church should continue

Those of you who regularly go to church should continue to do so, for you are already aware that in truth man's worship of God is within his own being, so that although you may be in a church you are also within yourselves, and thus the worship will be more real for you than for your fellows. But you should not speak of this to those who have not yet experienced such a way of worship; for what you tell them, although it is valid for yourself, may be misunderstood and wrongly received. We must guard against this, because the lower forces rampant in man will not consent to their own death, as Bapak said earlier; and therefore your minds may arouse antagonism, however good your intention.

For these lower forces know very well, and understand, that Subud means the end of their power in man. Therefore, simply continue in the ordinary way, without pretending to any cleverness or wisdom. Go ahead in your usual way. It is God Who will bestow reality, and He knows that those who are in church with you will begin to feel something and say: "Why is it that when I am in church with you I feel somehow satisfied and peaceful?" Then you may tell him: "The reason is...". In this way something arises from his inmost heart, so that, without any trouble, he may come and join us. Thus it is that the way in which Subud should spread is a way of peace and quietness; it is not through the working of the mind, which would only result in conditions of disturbance and chaos.

In Subud we are in reality practising the advice given by the prophets in ages past, and this practice shows forth the truth and the reality of what they taught. As an illustration let us take the planting of a tree. If the prophets have said: "Plant an apple tree; plant a lemon tree; plant this or that tree" - all this is advice. We are now finding out in practice whether it is possible to plant an apple tree in England, and whether the tree will be fertile and bear good fruit. Thus we are experimenting.

In Subud there is nothing at all that goes against anything in religion, whether Christianity, Islam, Buddhism, or against the beliefs of those who do not follow any faith; for we practise the reality, so that we can bear witness to the truth and so that we come to the true worship of God. In Subud there is no theory-theories already exist in existing religions - but only receiving. And if people ask you what is taught in Subud the answer is: "Nothing." If they then ask why so many follow these spiritual exercises, the answer is: "The nature of Subud is receiving. No one is given any theories; as soon as he starts the latihan, he will receive. It is a receiving and the manifestation of the working of the latihan in him."

In this way many people may wish to find out about it and to receive the contact, for there may be those among them who will say: I have been theorising for a long time, yet I do not find reality in my theories. Is it true that in Subud one can find something real?"

To that the answer is: "About that I cannot say yes or no. You must try it for yourself, for all that is there is from God and is received by your own being, neither more nor less."

It is for these reasons that we should keep ourselves to the principles of Susila Budhi Dharma, for these are the qualities which men should have in order to receive commandments and gifts from Almighty God. Susila, Budhi and Dharma are the qualities of a man who is truly human. This signifies that he respects and values the being of his fellow men; he knows that there should be mutual help and true love between men; he is touched by the suffering of his neighbour; in short he realises that human life on the earth should be harmonious, so that mankind can come to the worship of God.

And that is how human life should be according to the Will of God. We should live harmoniously together. If we do not, the world is in chaos, for it contains all sorts and conditions of men. Only harmonious human existence can create peace on this earth. Harmony does not mean equality. Those who are above should know those who are below, and those below should know those above; that means that the eyes should know they are eyes and the legs should know they are legs and the legs should not try to function as eyes, and the legs should not try to function as eyes, or the eyes to function as legs. Each should be responsible for his own function and perform it in peace and happiness, and there will be harmony.

Our work for human welfare should not go beyond the limit of our strength, so that although our progress may be slow it will be steady, and we shall not meet insuperable obstacles. We have no need to follow the ordinary way of working, for we know, through what we have received from God, that it is based on desires and thoughts. If we deliberately choose to work in that way, it means that we lower our level and cause our own inner state to degenerate, thus exposing ourselves to the influence of desires, thoughts and wishes.

For if God does not will that Subud should influence the world quickly, we should not wish it to be so. This means that we should not anticipate the Will of God and that we should, so far as possible, work according to our own strength. If we can carry only a ten pound weight, then we should not try to carry a hundred; if we can carry a hundred pounds, we should not strain ourselves to carry two hundred. We should act according to the strength that is in us, while we wait to see what it is the Will of God for us to do, for God knows past and future. Before we take a step God knows it, and after the step is taken He knows it too. Thus all will go rightly for us, both inwardly and outwardly, for we follow only His Command and His Will.

We need at least to know what may be the obstacles in the way of what we undertake. We need to know that beforehand. There should be nothing strange to us in this, for God is at the beginning and the end of everything. If you truly stand before God only and worship Him alone, you will certainly receive indications as to conditions both before and after your actions. In truth, we are essentially different from the usual in whatever steps we take. But although this is the situation, do not give expression to it: never say "I am different from you." We ourselves feel, realise and understand that we are different from other people, but it should not be spoken about. If we are clever we must not boast of it; if we know something, we should not claim to know.

Man does not wish to admit his failings

The reason for this is, as Bapak said earher, man will not normally admit inferiority, nor will he admit stupidity, nor if he has no money, will he admit it in public. He believes that the man who admits his inferiority and his faults is on a lower level, and he may fear that on account of his acknowledged poverty and stupidity no one will wish to be his friend. That is indeed the nature of man: he does not wish to admit his failings, his stupidity and his poverty.

If you claim to be right, people will not like it

As for yourselves, if you claim to be right, people will not like it. That which is true for him - "You are wrong, not me" - is certainly the same thing as: "I may be higher than you," or: "I am probably cleverer than you." That is how men usually are.

You should therefore follow the example shown by the Divine Messengers. Jesus never made any claim to be a wise man or a great man, neither did He claim to be a favourite of God. His advice to His disciples was to worship God in purity and cleanliness of heart. Such is the advice that Jesus gave to men, and this can serve to show that only men with such qualities are able to receive indications and revelations (wahju) from God for their welfare both in this world and in the world after death.

Why should we follow this direction? It is because we do not seek benefits or profit for our lives in this world; we seek the mercy and the Love of God. These He will not bestow, nor will men receive them, unless they abide in the qualities of true human behaviour; men should abide in the qualities of Susila, Budhi and Dharma. So we are far from striving for worldly benefits, neither do we strive for fame or the respect of our fellow men. We do not seek to make a name for ourselves in life on this earth, or to be well regarded by other people, for we are not business men who need to build up goodwill and credit in the world of business. But we hope to be purified and to receive the Grace of God, which we can only receive when our hearts and inner feelings are pure.

Thus we abide in Susila, Budhi and Dharma, and thus we work according to the strength that is in us. We do not try to influence others, nor do we put ourselves on show. We walk, though slowly, but we walk safely so long as we can work and make progress.

This is known to God. It is He who opens the way for us. Subud itself already provides us with an example of how He does this. There has never been an awakening of the worship of men towards God which has stirred the world as Subud does. It is stirring in many places; in Ceylon, for instance, the stirring is so strong that some people are afraid that if Bapak goes there the Singalese will become like Bapak.

This kind of anxiety is already present, for, as has been said before, the power of the lower forces which deny God is firmly established in the being of man, so that if anything appears which threatens to bring them down, man will resist it with all his might.

This is the situation, and it is therefore not surprising that many dangers and obstacles would arise if we were to walk and work according to the direction of our minds and desires. This is truly dangerous. An example of the results can be seen in what has happened where there has been a change from the Catholic to the Protestant faith; that is only a change within the same religion, but it has resulted in the past in tragedy, with people killing one another and with the sacrifice of many lives. A more radical change would result in greater tragedy.

Therefore we should beware; we should walk slowly, but our walking should be truly in accordance with the Will of God which we receive. Let us then be content to walk slowly, so long as our progress is safe and serene. God will show us the way, as He has already shown it in this Subud, which has encircled the world within two and a half years. Bapak did not know beforehand how this would happen, for it is not in his power to measure it; that lies with God alone.

When in this way we walk aright..

When in this way we walk aright, many people will eventually come to Subud. Many brethren will come; not because they are attracted by an outward show, but because they are touched in their inner feeling by the example you give, because you have shown how to receive Grace from God and how to come into contact with the Life existing within you; so that they are inwardly touched and wish to follow what is practised in Subud.

Bapak has given this talk, with its fairly long explanations, because he does not wish to give specific answers to your questions, for he receives these words and has only to communicate them to you. And so he leaves to you the task of working out the answers and finding how to arrange our social work in a manner which will accord with what you have heard today.

Finally, as a human being, Bapak hopes you will forgive him if anything he has said is not in the right place. Thank you.