Why the World is in Unrest

Brothers and Sisters: First of all, Bapak would like to thank the chairman of the committee, who has just spoken, for her words of welcome, and Bapak also thanks all of you for coming this morning to listen to Bapak's talk. Bapak hopes that the talk he is going to give you will really give you a feeling of satisfaction; and Bapak asks you to truly feel deeply what he is going to say.

Although Bapak has frequently in the past given explanations about the use and benefit of the latihan kejiwaan, there is nothing wrong with Bapak continuing to give these explanations: because it is really important for you to understand this better - to understand the use and benefit of this latihan which looks so unusual when viewed externally.

Bapak knows that, for some of you, this latihan appears as though it has no content. But in fact the latihan is awakened by something from within. and this awakening comes not because of the planning or wish of the heart and mind, but it comes from the Power of Almighty God which is free from the influence of the heart and mind which are the place, the nest of the nafsu within us. This is why Bapak calls the latihan a gift from Almighty God - a gift truly in keeping with the progress of our time.

Brothers and sisters, God, whom we also call Allah, is Almighty. He is able to act within man beyond the understanding of man's heart and mind.

It is also said that the main disturbance or obstacle for man in worshipping Almighty God is the nafsu which originates in and has its place in the heart and mind. It is the effect of this nafsu which causes man to have almost no peace of mind at all in his life. The nafsu also has the effect that it can seem to man that he has almost no time or opportunity in his life to worship God.

This is one reason why many people who truly would like to worship God, look for the way and opportunity to achieve that state of peace in which they can indeed worship, by leaving society and by giving up the pleasures normally experienced by man.

Brothers and sisters, it is true that the nafsu is malevolent and harmful to the being of man in the sense that it scarcely allows man to have any peace or to achieve harmony with their fellow human beings. That is why so many people who wish to find the peace they need to worship God - a peace free from the influence of the nafsu - try to go to places which are isolated from society.

They do this because the nature of the nafsu is that it is never satisfied. for example, suppose a person imagines to himself that he will get a million dollars. He thinks to himself that once he has that million he will feel very, very satisfied. Yet once he get the million, very soon he begins to feel dissatisfied and he wants to have another million in order to feel finally satisfied. And so it goes on.

This is the nature of the nafsu (working in man: it never feels satisfied with anything. It is this very lack of satisfaction which encourages people to get away from human society and its needs. Some people go to live on mountain tops, some in caves, some by the seashore in isolated spots. Many of these people give up wearing nice clothes and content themselves with inadequate clothing.

Yet, even after exerting themselves to this extent, they may not in the end achieve what they set out to achieve: that is, to find what they are looking for, to find something which is free from the influence of the nafsu. And anyway, whatever happens, whatever lengths man goes to, it is impossible for him to exceed the Power of God.

This indicates to us, brothers and sisters, the incredibly good fortune which we who are in Subud have received. We have received something which is a movement of life that is free from the influence of the nafsu; and we have received it in a very simple way. This simplicity, the ease with which we receive, seems completely extraordinary. And yet it should not really be a cause for surprise since anything is possible once Almighty God wills it.

This shows us why the latihan we do cannot simply be described as "valuable" (in the way things are valuable). Because its real value is beyond anything in the realm of the wealth and luxury of the heart and mind.

When we look, brothers and sisters, at the development of the influence of the nafsu on the life of man, we see it plainly in the case of someone who happens to be very intelligent and who accustoms himself to living a life of luxury and wealth. A person like that automatically grows wealthier and wealthier. And, once he gets wealthy, the influence of the nafsu is such that it makes him lose touch with and forget about those around him who are still poor, who do not have anything.

The same holds true for those who are intelligent and grow cleverer and cleverer: the cleverer they get the less they remember those about them and the less they care. It is the same for people who achieve high positions in society: the higher they go the less they think about those who are weak and who need their protection.

Gradually, this state of affairs creates in the world an increasing imbalance in human life. and then, little by little, those who are weak, poor and underprivileged begin to understand how they are being manipulated. They become ever more aware of the enormous abyss, the great precipice that lies between them and those who are rich, powerful and clever.

This answers the question we pose to ourselves, "Why is the world always in a state of unrest?" This is why the world always experiences instability and chaos.

Such is the effect and influence of the nafsu when it rides upon and burdens the life of man.

It is this state which concerns so many thinking people, and which prods them to try to find some way to bridge this huge gap between the rich and the poor. In other words, a way to restrain the greed of the nafsu which exists in human beings.

But the fact is that the efforts of such people to bridge the gap are bound to fail because the influence of the working of the nafsu can only be restrained by the help of the Power of God. Nobody can restrain the nafsu without the help of the Power Of Almighty God. and this can only happen if man actually receives this help and receives forgiveness for his sins. Only then can the Power of God within his being exert restraint on the nafsu which rules there.

This can happen if man receives from Almighty God awareness of his jiwa, a vibration of life within his being which is free from the influence of the heart and mind.

It is this vibration of life, free from the nafsu, which has now, at this time, been sent down into the world by the Power of Almighty God.

And Bapak can prove this.

Bapak is not just saying this. Bapak has the proof. The proof is that when you received the latihan kejiwaan, you did not have to practice for it, you did not have to fulfil any complicated preconditions, or make some difficult preparation.

All that was and is required of you is to have complete faith and trust in the Power of Almighty God and to be witnessed in this by one helper who has already received the contact with this vibration of life before you.

Such is the simplicity with which you have received the vibration of life, this "something" within your being which was strange and unusual to you.

Those who are expert in spiritual matters call this vibration the khadir iham.

As this vibration developed within your being, brothers and sisters, as you began to follow it and let it act within you, it manifested in a certain movement and behaviour, and you began to experience a change in your nature, character and personality. In other words, in your whole feeling.

Whereas before you received the latihan kejiwaan you may frequently have become angry, you suddenly find that this tendency becomes less and less and you become more patient with other people. Whereas before you may have been totally unaware of the needs of people around you, you suddenly become conscious of your fellow human beings.

This vibration of life has the effect on you that, as you go on, you feel yourself more and more to be the same as the people around you.

And that is why Bapak encourages you to do enterprises.

Because enterprises are something that grow out of the latihan kejiwaan and they are created by the Power of Almighty God.

The purpose of such enterprises is that, when you succeed in making a profit, when you become rich through your enterprising, you will then know what to do with your wealth.

The purpose of enterprises is not at all to build up great fortunes for yourselves. On the contrary, the purpose is to fulfil the needs of society, the needs of those around you, those who need taking care of.

This is the reason why, in religion, there is a rule or regulation that we have to have charity. In Islam, for example, the zakat fitroh: that is, we have to give to the poor.

This relates to the purpose of our life in this world: to live as one society and to look after each other and to be truly aware of the needs of all human beings.

Doing enterprises, therefore will in no way be an obstacle for you in your worship of Almighty God in the latihan kejiwaan. On the contrary, it is through enterprises that you will become aware of your responsibilities, your duties in life: your duty to worship God and your duty to serve society and human life.

If you can put this into practice, you are truly building up something which is useful and beneficial for your descendants. You will leave them, first of all, the possibility and ability to worship Almighty God. And, at the same time, the possibility and ability to look after human life in this world.

And this is the purpose of Bapak's coming here and the reason Bapak needs to talk to you; to impart to you this real understanding of the purpose and benefit of the latihan kejiwaan of Subud.

Brothers and sisters, you may ask yourself, "if it is so that the nafsu is evil and can make people into the kind of people Bapak has described to you earlier in the talk, how is it that Almighty God has created the nafsu within our being?"

The reason is that if we did not have the nafsu the world could not exist. Almighty God has put us in the world in order that we arrange, organise and improve it.

The way we have to do this is the ordinary way; by working, by making things, by building and organising things in the normal way that human beings do, living in such a world. To do this we need the nafsu. The nafsu is the tool which enables us to work, build, think and improve the state and situation of the world.

So no matter what we may say about the nafsu and its effects, the fact is that it is an excellent and essential tool for man's life.

The one thing that is imperative in dealing with the nafsu, however, is that we do have to know how to use it, what to use it for. If we use the nafsu in the right way - and are not influenced by it - then it is possible for us to form a society in which we are people who are aware of our fellow beings. Those who are rich become aware and gain a feeling of compassion for those who are poor. Those who are intelligent will feel the needs of those who are ignorant. and the strong will understand the needs of the weak.

This sense of concern and compassion of course awakens a response from the poor, the weak, and the ignorant. They respond by themselves becoming aware: those who are poor will become aware of what they have received from the wealthier people who have helped them; those who are ignorant will also feel their obligation to those who are intelligent. And this is the meaning of creating a society where social justice exists, This the purpose, aim and ideal pursued by people and organisations established to achieve such justice in the world.

In order to achieve the awareness (which) creates a world where there is social justice, harmony between people, the only way is to seek protection within the worship of Almighty God. The latihan kejiwaan gives us this protection; it guides us in our worship to become people with a single aim so that we feel ourselves to be one humanity, together directed toward the worship of the One Almighty God.

You yourselves are aware that when you do the latihan kejiwaan you are surrounded by people - by your brothers or your sisters - of different races, nationalities, religions, colours of skin and of differing social standing. And yet in latihan you feel as if you are completely the same, and more than that: you are able to feel other's condition and state. For example, if you happen to be doing latihan close to someone who is very sad, experiencing deep suffering, you yourself will cry because you will share in his or her suffering and pain. This is a proof for us that it is God's Will that man should help his fellow human beings. And this shows us the nature of the latihan kejiwaan which trains us and gives us the way to bring harmony to the human race.

This is not something strange, in fact, because it already exists in religion. Whether it be the mosque or the church, when you go inside, it doesn't matter whether you're a nobleman and the person next to you is a commoner, nor whether you're a pauper and the person next to you is a millionaire. Once you are in the church or mosque, you are in front of Almighty God, and you are all the same. You are all simply human beings. This is the teaching of religion.

But with us in the latihan kejiwaan, it is a situation where we actually feel the reality of this so we can actually put it into practice. As an example we can take an extreme case:

Take the case of Bapak. Bapak is someone from Java, a place very far from you. Bapak is someone you knew nothing about before. And yet you feel towards Bapak as if he were your own father. Conversely, Bapak feels as if you are his own children. This fact is even plainer when we realise that not only is Bapak from Java, but also that Bapak is someone who doesn't have anything: he isn't rich, he isn't well-educated, he doesn't have titles like Doctor or Professor in front of his name. And yet Bapak travels around the world - in order to guide you and help you, to talk to you and assist you; and Bapak has been doing this for years. Bapak has travelled around the world 21 times and covered a total distance (Bapak has heard) of 950,000 miles. You might say that Bapak has travelled the equivalent of going to the moon and back several times. This is a proof for you. In the ordinary way it would not be possible. There's no way Bapak could have travelled to that extent if it was not the Will of Almighty God.

And it is true what Bapak has received from Almighty God, Bapak has channelled to all of you. This example (of Bapak) indicates to you the importance and breadth of the latihan kejiwaan.

It is clear that the latihan kejiwaan in not created by the will of man, the influence of man nor from the heart and mind of man. It comes from the Will of God.

Now Bapak is already 80 years old. And Bapak is still travelling around the world. Only this time it's a little bit different. Bapak has streamlined it because Bapak is actually able to stop only in a few places. That's why Bapak has come here to Sao Paulo and has asked the people from Argentina, Chile, Peru and the countries roundabout to see Bapak here. Bapak also hopes that you can truly take advantage of this opportunity Bapak has given you.

What Bapak hopes is you will be able not only to see Bapak but you will be able to see each other: in this way, even though there may not be many of you , at least you will be harmonious, at least you will become aware of each other's needs. Those of you from Chile will feel and become aware of the needs and requirements of those of you who are in Sao Paulo, while those of you who come from Peru will feel and be aware of the needs of those of you who are in Argentina - and so on. In this way, little by little, we can build a society which becomes one humanity: so that we can return to the way society was, the state of mankind when it started with Adam and Eve.

All religions tell us that humanity has a single origin - was created from one source, Adam and Eve. Then, as humanity grew and spread, due to influence of the nafsu, people were no longer united, no longer felt themselves as one family.

And this is the usefulness and the benefit of what we are learning in the latihan kejiwaan: How to make one united and harmonious family of people who know how to receive and how to give to each other...(long blank on tape).

Brothers and sisters, even in countries that are economically advanced, there are still people who either have no work or do not yet know how to work. But with this way (following the latihan kejiwaan, doing enterprises and helping our fellowmen), we can really look after each other and help one another to develop our lives.

Once we have done that, of course there is nothing wrong with also employing people from outside Subud: because we should not discriminate between one person and another.

The meaning of enterprises is actually very broad and wide.

This meaning touches the work of helpers too. There is great need for helpers, for example, to carry out their duties within the brotherhood. For Bapak still sees sometimes in Subud, members who've been doing the latihan for five years perhaps and still cannot feel anything in their latihan.

To be absolutely frank with you, this is the fault of the helpers because it means that they have not paid enough attention to such members; that they have not really exerted themselves to look after them and to make sure that they are able to feel the latihan kejiwaan quickly. Now in a way Bapak cannot always blame the helpers for this because Bapak knows that it may be that the helpers themselves are experiencing needs in their lives and that their lives are not sufficiently well taken care of. As a result, they cannot devote themselves sufficiently to the members. And this is where enterprises touch the work of helpers. This is one need for enterprises: that we can begin to really take care of our lives. so that we can begin to bring our lives to an acceptable level (of development) where we have both the time and the opportunity to carry our responsibilities within the brotherhood.

In addition, the profits from enterprises should be available to strengthen the treasury of Subud so that we are able to carry out our objectives in the field of social work. It is necessary that we start schools - schools for children who cannot afford to go to school, schools for children who may be retarded or who have problems with learning. We need as well to start clinics and hospitals - even though the state may already provide them. And also, homes for the elderly people who have no families and whose lives, therefore, are neglected.

This is one of the ways, then, that we can put into practice what we receive in the latihan kejiwaan, and teach those people who do not yet have an understanding of the purpose of life.

So, brothers and sisters, it is clearly not true that enterprises can obstruct our worship of Almighty God. On the contrary. Normally people do think that working in enterprises will reduce their possibility of worshipping God. But in our case it is the opposite. For us enterprises provide a practice, a training in the worship of God in a way uninfluenced by the material force and the other lower forces.

Bapak will tell you quite honestly that when Bapak first came to England in 1957, the people there asked themselves, "Can this man really be spiritual?" Because they could see that Bapak wore a suit and a nice tie and they were thinking that if you are spiritual, you don't need and shouldn't wear nice clothes. You should, they thought, actually wear things that are rather old and not to bother about what they look like. They also considered that, if a man is on the spiritual path, he oughtn't wear a tie because when you worship God you will suddenly think about your tie and this will be a hindrance in your worship.

Yet gradually these people in England began to understand that when we do the latihan kejiwaan we are not bothered or obstructed (in our worship) by nice clothes or neckties. Because we can receive the latihan while wearing nice things, while living in a beautiful house close to our wife and children.

Enterprises have this purpose for us: To train us not to be influenced by things. So that we are able to count money, for instance, and at the same time be able to worship God. The clinking of our money will not disturb our worship.

This illustrates how the latihan kejiwaan allows us to live our lives in the normal way and yet at the same time worship Almighty God. And this is the benefit of the latihan.

And that is also why the nature of the latihan is as it is. The latihan looks so very ordinary, perhaps even trivial, but the content is not. Though we already know how to walk, we are taught to walk again. And the same happens with all the other actions and aspects of our behaviour in everyday life. We are taught how to do them once again: but this time not through the influence of the nafsu. Little by little, then, you understand that every part of your body is enveloped by the Power of Almighty God both inwardly and outwardly.

In the olden days people used to say that it is wrong to look for God and it is just as wrong not to look for God. This means that we must not look for God with our heart and mind because that is not our job. If we look thus for God and actually find Him, then it would mean that we would become greater than God because we would know where He is.

Our worship of God is something that can only be carried out by God Himself.

Later, Bapak will test with you whether it is true that there are other beings, other than the human beings of this world, or other worlds. Bapak doesn't know whether such beings may be higher or lower in level than we are, but the ability to experience such knowledge is part of the use and benefit of the latihan kejiwaan for us: to find out about our own nature; to learn that, within our own being, there are different occupants, natures and life forces. And it is indeed important for us to become aware of these things and feel them, so that we are not constantly worried and confused as to whether something we feel is due to an influence from the satanic or from the animal or the human level.

Brothers and sisters, Bapak feels that this enough for the time being. The time has come for Bapak to end his talk to you today. Bapak will of course continue in the following days because Bapak will still be with you here for a long time, and this gives Bapak ample opportunity to tell you many more things you need to know about the latihan kejiwaan of Subud. That is all. Thank you.