Ladies and gentlemen, tonight Bapak wishes to continue with further explanations concerning the spiritual way that all of you have received. As you know, and as you have received and felt, the movements you experience do not yet appear to be so strong; nevertheless what you have received are movements proceeding from the Great Life. In reality what you have received is the awakening of the human soul ( jiwa ), which has long been submerged, covered or blocked by low, subhuman forces, and also by the passions and the thinking, which are always obstacles within the self of man.
In actual fact all beings or creatures, especially human beings, already possess this. In other words it has existed within the self of man from the moment he was created until now. So this is nothing new, but is man's birthright, so that he can find the true path, and can work and act in accordance with the will of the Creator, that is, the One God. Bapak is only a forerunner in order to open you all, so that you can find once again the way to act in your lives as God ordained that man should do. Therefore this spiritual exercise is not a matter of religion or anything else, but is simply man's worship of the One God in a way willed for man by God.
By means of this way, human beings, and in particular all of you who can already receive, can worship God in a way that is normal, a way that is usual for you in your life in this world. If, for instance, you work in an office, or any other kind of employment, none of you in your work should forget to worship the One God.
As has been said in the holy books, both those of Christianity as well as those of Islam and other religions, God's power, or God, always accompanies his creatures, especially human beings. To accompany means that with His power God always precedes whatever his creatures, or human beings, may intend to do. For instance, before man even formulates a wish in his mind, or thinks of anything, or in whatever else man may wish to do, all is anticipated and is already known by the One God. Therefore, since all of you have been able to receive the gift of God or the awakening of the soul within you, eventually - whatever occupation each one of you may be following - you will never abandon or forget your worship of God.
It is certain that in any steps a person may take, if while undertaking them he always knows and is always receptive as to Who guides his life, he will always act in accordance with the will of God, meaning that he will act in the best way possible, a way that will cause no damage and which will bring no misfortune upon himself.
Let us say, for example, that one of you is employed as a cashier. While performing the duties of a cashier, although you are counting the money coming in and going out of the safe, if in every visible movement of yours, as well as within your heart, you never cease to be encompassed by God's greatness and power, whatever you do will never bring misfortune and will never harm you in life. Equally, suppose that one of you is a judge, and you have to give a verdict in trials of people who commit offences -if you are already able to receive what we call this latihan, in judging a case you will not use your ordinary thinking, but will always receive guidance from within in deciding on the right sentence to be given. The same applies to teachers. If you are a school teacher, while giving lessons to the children who are your pupils, you will also receive guidance from within, enabling you to guide the pupils in a way appropriate to their souls ( jiwa ).
The same thing applies to a harmonious home life between husband and wife. Each one can come to know and understand the habits, the wishes and aims of the other. In this way life in the home will become blessed and happy, because both of them understand each other, and they become conscious of the mistakes that either of them may have committed towards the other. Indeed, this should be sought for, and should be known within the human marriage partnership. For the absence of mutual understanding and mutual knowledge can easily cause the marriage to fall apart. That is why, in all religions, it is stressed and advised that the bonds of marriage should be lasting and harmonious, until both partners grow old.
In short, as what you are receiving gains in perfection, you will become able to work without neglecting your worship of God. This agrees with what Bapak said and explained on a previous occasion, concerning the nature of God, namely that God is before everything and after everything, and knows all things before and after they happen. And God does not reside or stay in a specific place, but God's dominion extends everywhere. Therefore you can worship God in whatever way is willed by God for you, and you will come to know the power of God, which always envelops His whole creation, in this world and in the hereafter.
Indeed, it is willed by God that His creation of human beings on this earth should not be in vain or by chance. It is indeed required that man should be able to receive and carry out the commands of the One God. Where these commands can be received is not far from us, indeed is none other than within one's own self. Because of this it is said in religion, 'God is within you, only you do not know it yet, because you are always blocked, tempted and obstructed by your passions and your thinking.'
Therefore, the training ( latihan ) you have received is first of all to acquaint you with your human soul, which has long been submerged and closed off by the lower forces due to the passions and thinking, which constantly exert their power. Certainly the initial acquaintance is not that strong or perfect, but in the course of time, day by day, as days grow into months or years, it will become stronger and more complete than at the outset. Before this, most probably you would never have guessed or imagined that as you walk, you are actually guided, you are already preceded by a power of life that can motivate your steps forward, or to the left, or to walk. The same is true when you look, listen or talk - you are actually preceded and guided as to the way in which you look, listen and talk. Later on, you will automatically come to receive and to know all of this, in its proper time, when you are ready to receive it.
This is the way God guides His creatures, human beings, so that in this world, as well as after death, they should constantly realize and know that their inner self was created to be an instrument of the One God. As a result they will know the further course of their life, and be able to attain a life of nobility, more glorious than life on earth, when they were in this world. For if during our life in this world we fail to come to a knowledge of our inner self and of our inner content, there is indeed little hope for us to know its reality, or to establish the direction that it will follow after we die. It is a different matter if a person already knows this while still alive in this world, so that before the time of his death he is able to understand, and able to receive: 'Where will I go, and how will I be after I die?'
Allah, or God, has not created man that he should just die, without any use or meaning. It is certain that there is a purpose for God's creation of man in this world, but we cannot know this as simply as that. Similarly, when you create some object, once completed, it will undoubtedly become for you a source of pleasure and admiration, and you will certainly hope that what you have made is useful and is used.
In his spiritual status man's position is higher than animals, higher than plants and higher than material objects, but sometimes after death even material objects can be of more use than a dead man. Old iron, which is sometimes called scrap iron, can still be sold - and Japan makes extensive use of such scrap iron - but when a man has grown old, he has no second-hand value.
Such is the fall of man's status when he has no understanding, so that his actual condition is of no more value than that of goods and material objects, or of plants or animals. But if a man really comes to know the true state of a human being, he will indeed become more valuable than any of the things Bapak has mentioned. All of you - the older you grow, the more able you will become to pass on the latihan and give guidance to young people, and many of them will seek advice from you. It will not happen that you just get increasingly absent-minded, and even become a burden for those who are still young.
Such is God's guidance through His power, which resides within man, and which only now for the first time all of you have come to know. Do not be anxious that it may vanish once Bapak is no longer here; no. Have no such fear, for this is nothing new, nor is it something that Bapak brought with him and introduced into you all, but it is truly your own original possession, which you were not yet acquainted with before Bapak's arrival here. Therefore this is not Bapak's knowledge brought by him here from Indonesia. No; this is your own knowledge, which is within every one of you. And later on, when you can already receive it clearly, it will speak to each of you in English, or in the language that you know and understand.
As it is truly said, God will bestow his guidance upon man, and will not turn away from the man who is ready and willing to receive it. It will never be incompatible with a man's inner content, or with what he already has. For those of you, however, who are as yet unable to truly feel and know within your inner feeling - even though you may be able to do so a little - Bapak advises you and hopes that in this latihan you will expect nothing and think of nothing, but that you will only surrender and be patient, and accept whatever may occur, and whatever you feel within you. Because if you have expectations, desires and thoughts, whatever is being received in this latihan will come to a stop. In order that you can receive and feel it as smoothly as possible, so that you genuinely experience the true and real movement of life in your inner feeling, Bapak hopes that you will let go of the thoughts that are constantly turning over and wanting this and that, that you will also refrain from using concentration and meditation, but that you will surrender, be patient and entrust yourself to the One God. For God is All-knowing, He knows everything that is, as well as everything that will be.
This is Bapak's explanation about the spiritual path of Subud or the latihan that all of you have received. Bapak hopes that this short explanation has brought you some measure of satisfaction. Bapak will finish at this point, but will continue another time. If possible, Bapak will give another talk next Saturday night.
Translated by Sjafrudin