THE HEALING OF ILAINA MARIA EVA BARTOK

Subud member Ilaina Maria Bartok, (known to the outside world as Eva Bartok), film star of the Fifties and Sixties, died on Aug.1st of a heart attack at a hospital in London. As was apparent from the newspaper obituaries, her life and nature attracted notoriety as well as success. Perhaps she will best be remembered in Subud for the remarkable healing she experienced soon after her opening.

The following were amongst thoughts shared about her on the SICA listserver...

Extracts:

Helena Casbolt: Although I didn't know Maria, her special place in the history of Subud and her influence in bringing many people to the Latihan has made me feel close to her. I recently read John Bennett's (out of print) book "Concerning Subud" . The section describing the healing of 'Eva' was very moving to me. .. What a miracle the Latihan is! The following is an excerpt, pp 64 - 66.

The pages before explain how Eva had arrived in England on May 18th (a week before Bapak's first visit to England) and had grown considerably worse in her already serious condition. Two surgeons had urged her to have an operation without delay. She came to Bennett to help her prepare for death. The possible help that might come to her from the Latihan was explained to her by Bennett. She elected to wait (for Bapak to arrive) saying that it seemed that she had now the possibility of the spiritual awakening for which she had been waiting since her early youth, and that she would take any risk rather than lose this chance.

"When I (Bennett) was driving Pak Subuh to London from the airport I told him of Eva Bartok's situation. After waiting, as he always does when confronting serious question, for an inner indication, Pak Subuh said that she should receive the Latihan, and for this she should be moved down to Coombe Springs.

"The next day Pak Subuh sent his wife Ibu and Ismana Achmad to the Lodge at Coombe Springs where Miss Bartok was staying with Mrs. Elizabeth Howard. She was thus the first person in Europe to receive the Latihan directly from Ibu Subuh. The only visible change was a relief of certain distressing symptoms, and for a fortnight very little seemed to be happening. Her own doctor, who saw her daily, confirmed that she was in no immediate danger, but added his own advice to the recommendations of her surgeon that she should accept the operation as soon as possible. She accepted this advice, and arrangements were made for her to enter a London hospital on the evening of 10th June.

"During these nineteen days Pak Subuh did not himself once see Miss Bartok. The absence of any apparent improvement in the clinical symptoms only seemed to emphasise the reality of the inner psychic change. Everyone who saw Miss Bartok at this time was impressed by the change in her expression, and by the serenity with which she was facing the prospect of a dangerous operation.

"It is here worth remarking that several months later a distinguished prelate who asked for information about Subud affirmed that his interest had been aroused by the unmistakable spiritual transformation that was disclosed by the photographs he had seen of Miss Bartok before and after she came to Subud.

"When the hospital arrangements were reported to Pak Subuh on the morning of 10th June, he personally went down to the Lodge, and with Ibu, Ismana, Elizabeth Howard and myself, entered into the latihan standing round Miss Bartok's bed.

"This was for the two English people the first demonstration of the indescribable power of the Subud latihan. The little bedroom was charged with energy that annihilated all personal feeling and produced a state of consciousness in which all seemed to be sharing in one and the same experience as the sick woman. We felt the same physical pains, the same fears and the same weak but growing faith in the power of God. None of us could have said how long the experience lasted, but afterwards we found that it was barely forty minutes. Then with out having spoken a word Pak Subuh went away. Miss Bartok herself was in acute pain which persisted through the day.

"When Pak Subuh was consulted, he said, ‘Let her doctor give her a good sedative. It will not interfere with the exercise. Now the crisis is over, and she will not need an operation.'

"It transpired as predicted. From the morning of 11th June, Miss Bartok's condition began to improve, and within three weeks she was confident that she would have a living child. This was soon to be confirmed by an experienced obstetric surgeon, and the baby was successfully delivered in October and is already strong and thriving." On the SICA Listserver was also this comment from Istiharoh Glasgow:

It has been my experience in being present with people who have been opened in Subud who are actively dying, that the latihan is very present. It seems to work even if they have not been to a Subud Centre in years and whether or not they are surrounded by people ‘doing’ latihan.

I assume this presence of the latihan and the guidance that accompanies those who are dying is an indication of the grace and compassion of God. ..

May Ilaina continue to receive God’s guidance. May her good deeds lift her and her short comings be forgiven. May she find her place in the world beyond this one. I will remember the beauty of her smile and the unspoken understanding that existed between us.

May you have a good journey, dear sister.

A tribute from Helena Hendel:

I first met Ilaina at a party given in her honour when she came to shoot a film in Israel. In the following days I got to know two women: the star - and the simple, direct, sincere Subud sister. I remember vividly visiting her in her elegant five-star hotel room, with the first three Israeli women who wished to be opened. The star, the coquette was gone and there was the serene, dignified Subud helper, speaking very clearly, in a composed and quiet manner, radiating not with the strength of the personality but with the inner authority of the latihan. She asked one of the women to phone her husband and once again obtain explicit permission to be opened, according to Bapak's instructions.

The opening then took place and that was the beginning of Subud Israel. Over the following years we were in contact on and off. Once she rang while I was in Cilandak with severe asthma, to tell me that she was going through a similar experience on the very same day, not being able to breath and thinking she was going to die...

It was probably no accident that I found myself in London just in time for her funeral. I prayed with all my heart that she may find peace after a turbulent life, often lonely and unhappy despite the glamour and excitement.