Ladies and gentlemen, tonight Bapak would like to explain about the spiritual latihan of Subud you have received. It so happens that a lot of brothers and sisters have come tonight to hear what Bapak is going to say.

This spiritual training you have received is not really a training, but a receiving from the power of God, which envelops the self of human beings both inwardly and outwardly. It is really not something new. It has existed since human beings were created on this earth.

Why is this? It is because our training is not something we do with our will; rather we are trained once our thinking mind, our desires and our heart have stopped. Then we can receive this contact that we feel within our being. This spiritual training is not something new, nor is it, as some people think, a new religion. It is a receiving from God, so that human beings should not go too far, or go on too long forgetting God's greatness, which envelops the self of human beings both inside and outside; both that which can be seen as well as what cannot be seen by the ordinary eyes.

For those of you who have heard and read the stories in the holy books - in the New Testament and the holy books of Islam and Buddhism - this is not something new and strange. It was received in times long ago when the prophets were still alive. We are told how Jesus was able to cure the sick, raise up the paralyzed man who could not walk, and bring joy to people who were suffering in their lives. It was the same with the other prophets. It was indeed God's will. The prophets received the power of God, so they were able to do things that, seen from the ordinary point of view, were miraculous.

So those of you, ladies and gentlemen, who have read and heard the Bible, will feel at home with what happens, with what you receive in the latihan. The latihan you receive is indeed nothing new, for it is truly the content towards which all the efforts of human beings, who have tried to find something like this, were directed. It is therefore a blessing and a joy for human beings - especially for all of us - that in this present age, filled with all kinds of things that can bring confusion to our hearts and minds, we are able to receive very easily the power of God that envelops the human self.

Many human beings make efforts with great difficulty, giving up their wishes and their responsibilities as human beings living on this earth, and isolating themselves in lonely places far from society. They do this so that they might receive the voice from the soul - God's power that exists within the human self that can be experienced by humans - and feel the power of God that envelops them within their being. So we obtain in this easy way that which people have so long searched for, with such difficulty.

This is not thanks to Bapak; this is not thanks to any human being; but it is indeed willed by God, because God is wise and knows how difficult it is for human beings at this time. If human beings were not given something like this, they could not possibly experience it. Hence, this spiritual training of Subud that you receive and follow is entirely a gift from God's power. It is willed by God. It is not from man's will. And because this is God's work, because this is God's power, we cannot mix our thinking minds and hearts into it.

Why can't human beings, with their intelligence, their thinking and their heart, involve themselves in this? Because God - the One God, the Most Wise - who created us, knows better, before and after it happens, how it is within the self of human beings and also how it is on this earth. As for the thinking, heart and desires, it is God's will that they be used by human beings for their life on this earth, to provide for their life on this earth; they are not needed for seeking God. For God exists by His own will. God is before all that is before, after everything that is after, outside everything that is outside and inside everything that is inside.

Therefore all human beings need to do is submit, with faith, acceptance and surrender within themselves, towards the One God. In this way, God's power that works within the self of human beings, especially within your self, will not be disturbed and will be able to work and awaken your inner feeling in the best possible way.

Of course everything goes slowly, little by little. You won't be able to receive the complete package all at once. It is like the life of plants. Plants live planmatig ( Du.: according to plan ); they grow little by little. In this way your progress and growth will not cause you any harm. God's zat ( Arab.: essence ) works within the self of human beings, improving their human soul without changing their nature, in a way that is, as they say in Dutch, natuurlo'k ( natural ). So, it doesn't do any harm. It is different when human beings try to look for God and God's power. For they force themselves to take all kinds of actions and eventually do themselves harm and impair their own health.

All this tallies with the advice given by the prophets to their followers. For they advised that human beings should really worship God with complete sincerity. They said, 'Love God more than your soul and your body.' For if human beings - you, ladies and gentlemen - love God, God will love you; but if you only half love God, God will love you in the same way.

Why is that? It is because God will not go against what is within a person. For this reason, ladies and gentlemen, your latihan is entirely individual, according to the measure of your own self, according to the strength you have to receive it, and also according to what is within the being of each one of you. For if you were to imitate others, and those others also imitate others, it would mean that you were violating what is within your own selves. It is different when you follow the latihan in accordance with what is within your self.

Therefore, it cannot be said that this is spiritual knowledge that comes from Pak Subuh. It is spiritual knowledge from God for human beings. So you will not become like Bapak one day, you will always remain like you. Even though one day you may be able to receive everything you need, you will not depart from your own nature. You will still be you. For if you did become like Bapak it would in fact be your great loss, because you would forget your wife, your children and your friends, and above all you would forget your own self.

It is for this reason that in religion it is not allowed - because it is a mistake - to worship something that you consider to be more powerful than yourself. That is why this Subud latihan is for you to improve your self, serve your self, love your self, correct your own self, keep watch over your self; so that you become a good human being who is able to receive indications from God for your nobility in the future. Therefore, children, the one who sets out is your own self, the destination aimed for is your own self, the means of getting there is you yourself, and the one taken there is you yourself- so that you will reach God by yourself, as is willed by God for human beings.

So it is evident that what happens and what exists in this latihan will not conflict with what is stated and required in the various religions. Bapak is giving you these words of clarification, ladies and gentlemen, so that you can be more aware that the aim of Subud, the aim of this latihan you have received, is none other than your worship of the One God, so that you can bring joy to your self and your soul, both in this world and in the hereafter.

Of course, the process that goes on in this latihan - which Bapak explained is to bring joy to the self of human beings - will of itself bring with it health and cleanness of your being, because that is what human beings need. For a human being will not be able to worship God in the true way if he is not yet clean and not yet really healthy. And health does not only go as far as the body. In fact, it is very easy to bring a sick body to health - it is not so difficult, because it can still be done by human beings and human methods. But an illness that human beings cannot possibly change or cure is the sickness of the soul that is within our being. Only God is able to do that.

How can we describe the sickness of the soul that is within the self of man? ( The soul ) is the inner content within the self of human beings; the content that enables human beings to think, to feel, to do this and to do that. But it is by no means certain that this content of a human being is truly a human soul. The proof of this is that not a few clever people, who have studied to a very advanced level and who have all kinds of titles, still unwittingly, unconsciously, do things that go against and violate a code of human behavior. The reason for this is that the content of their being - that is, their soul - is not a human soul that is really able to keep its promises to God. It is filled with a low soul that is wrong. Because of their negligence, because of their stressed and disturbed behavior, within their being there is a wrong content or soul - that is, a subhuman soul.

This is mentioned in Buddhism; it's what they call reincarnation. That is to say, there are levels in the souls of human beings, and if the state of a human being is not yet really complete, he cannot possibly rise up, but is still reincarnated. So it is important that the blocks that cause us to be incarnated again should be removed, but... ( inaudible ) ...the Almighty than in this world.

Now, why is it that in Islam and Christianity there is no such thing as reincarnation? The reason is that the names Christianity and Islam signify the state of a perfect human being. But the people who follow these religions are not yet ( perfect human beings ); so while the religion really does not favor reincarnation, its followers are not always able to carry out fully what their religion requires.

And as for what is required in religion, for Christians the example, if you remember, is the story of the life of Jesus. He was not a child who was taught, nor did he go to school. Also, he was not the son of rich parents who would have been able to send him to school in various places. Why then did he become an adviser of humankind, an adviser of the world, whose advice has spread everywhere, so that millions of people believe in it? It was simply because of his obedience, his surrender, his acceptance, submission and faith in God, as a result of which he was able to receive a revelation, a gift from God within his being. It was the same with the other prophets; for example, Abraham, Moses, Muhammad and others.

It should be clear therefore, that the absolute condition for us human beings to be able to receive the true gift from God is none other than for us humans, especially you, to really surrender to the One God with acceptance, submission and faith. Especially you, children, since you have all received the awakening of the soul, the awakening of the Power that is within the self of each one of you.

So Bapak hopes that you will all be patient in receiving, so that you do not hinder the working of the Power that is within your being; and that you can continue to receive without any disruption.

This is all Bapak has to say this evening. Bapak asks you all, children, please forgive him if he has said anything out of place. Thank you.