( Before Bapak starts the talk, the interpreter ( John Bennett ) announces the names of the interim committee. Bapak asks for the approval of those present and reminds them that in three months a meeting should be held to choose a new committee. )

Ladies and gentlemen, Bapak gives thanks to the greatness of God, and also feels very happy that you have accepted with such sincerity this assignment from Bapak, to perform your duties as committee members in Subud, May your sincere wish to do your duty in Subud be blessed by God, so you can open the way and make regulations that are really appropriate for this city, and which do not infringe any of the laws and rules that apply in this country.

Also, Bapak asks the candidate helpers - some of whom he has now appointed as committee members - to carry out their duties as helpers. He hopes that eventually the goodness and integrity of your behavior, through practicing our spiritual worship in Subud, will become an example to society. For one of the main aims of Subud is that, besides worshipping God, we should live in harmony with others; be able to help those who need help; and guide those who need guidance. Thus the awareness of the community around us will be awakened, and people will really wish to participate in our work in Subud and truly worship the One God both inwardly and outwardly. This is Bapak's hope for you all. Now Bapak will go on to give you a brief explanation about the spiritual side of Subud and the true meaning of Subud.

Subud is an abbreviation of Susila Budhi Dharma. These words are really a symbol of the self of a human being. The first word ( Susila ) signifies someone who has humane feelings, meaning that they like to help and guide people, to give to whoever is in need -as long as it is a real need, and they really have something to give. It also signifies a person who sincerely trusts and worships God, who created them.

The second word ( Budhi ) signifies that the power of God is already within the self of a human being - not God, but the power of God. Bapak says 'not God' because God and God's power are not only within human beings or on this earth, but are within all natures and creatures that God has created.

The third word, Dharma, is the surrender of a human being, or of any of God's creatures, to the greatness of God. The real meaning of this is that God's creature acknowledges that, as a creature, it is only an instrument of the One who created it, namely, the One God.

( Subud ) is thus a symbol of a human being who is able to receive what he or she requires from God's gift. When you remember that this is what Subud means, then ( you will realize that ) actually it is hard for you, because according to the symbol you should, of course, be giving more weight to your worship of God than to anything else.

The truth is that surrendering to God, and loving God, is not something that God requires of human beings. This doesn't mean that God doesn't want human beings to praise God, but simply that God is not affected by anything - from wherever it may come. In truth, surrendering to God and loving God is really loving oneself and surrendering to one's own self. Then a person really feels they are someone who needs to be praised by their own self who needs to be watched over, and needs to be improved; who needs to be kept safe and looked after. Everything depends on your own self, if your own self is not good then nothing will go well. So your inner self is in truth a bridge, a path, a house for you.

At first sight - seen from the standpoint of the ordinary intelligence, the ordinary thinking - one would think that loving oneself is easy. But in fact it is not. Of the millions of people on this earth, perhaps there are not even a thousand who really love themselves, because loving your own individual self means that you pay attention to what is wrong and what is not wrong. People may say they love themselves, but they pursue their desire in a particular direction; for example, some object A or B they want to possess, or some place, here or there, they want to go to. So they force themselves regardless - they force their bodies to go there, or to buy that - whereas it's not at all certain that once they have bought that thing, they will like it or want to use it.

So it is clear that, generally, love of oneself is only love that comes from the desires; a love that arises because one is influenced by externals and not because it is willed from within one's own self. It proves that people don't yet know their true I. In general, what people refer to as I is not their true I.

In our latihan we are educated by the power of God, which manifests within us, to begin to know our individuality. And eventually everything we do, whatever it may be, will be done with the approval of our true 'I'. In reality then, love of God is not a love of God as something God requires of us, but a love of God that really means loving our I, so that we know our true I. And this true I is the one that can go on to the world of bliss, and is the path for us to go on our way to God.

This being so, it is necessary that in our latihan we begin to know all our companions. It is a reality of our spiritual history that when human beings come into this world they are accompanied, not only by their human soul, but also by other life forces to be companions in their life. They do not come alone, by themselves but with a wife, children and servants, whom they need to make their life here complete. So, when one day we return, we don't return alone; our wife, our children and our servants, whom we bought with us have to go. back with us too. And if we cannot take them all they will obstruct us, because naturally the wife will be angry, the children will be angry, the gardener will be angry, the cook will be angry, and all the servants will be angry.

One can say that very rarely is it possible for human beings, living on this earth, to be able to let go of the pressure of this world and return in happiness to the world where they belong. That's why, in this latihan of ours, we are trained by the power and greatness of God - which are within the self of a human being - to get to know all these companions. And the difficulty is that, besides having to get to know all our companions, we also have to be able to sort out and give back whatever we borrowed from them, whatever we obtained from them during the time when we were not yet able to govern them and did not yet know them.

As you yourselves know, what is given to human beings ( to use ) on this earth is equipment that has to be returned - and not damaged but in perfect condition. You can become aware of this. Suppose you lend something to someone. Naturally, you would expect the thing you lent to be returned in good condition, not broken, even though it has been used. But generally it isn't like that. You lend something, and ask that it be returned in good condition, but when it's given back it's all messed up.

So, God wills that human beings should be able to return all their companions, without exception, in good and perfect condition. That's why, in the latihan, it's as if everything that is in us - that is, all our parts - are beginning to be restored to life. And through being alive, all that is wrong can be improved; eventually everything becomes whole again, the way it originally was.

Usually, people's eyes have been damaged by all they have seen; people's hearing has been damaged by what they have heard; their nose, which smells this, that and the other, has become damaged by what they have smelled; it is the same with their mouth and their other organs. So of course people will no longer be able to truly see as they could in the beginning, because their seeing has been damaged.

The same is true of the brain. The brain of human beings has been so spoiled by the influence of this world that they are no longer able to receive understanding from God, as they once did when their brain was still whole.

It is the same - Bapak is telling this as it really is - with our deeper organ, namely the at-Baitu'l-Muqaddas ( Arab.: the sacred house ), the place where passion resides. It too has been damaged by passion, by a kind of enjoyment that comes from the influence of this world. So we are unable to feel the true bliss that originates from God, as we once received it when our state was still whole.

It is the same with our remembrance of our life and of God, which is in our inner heart. The remembrance in our inner heart has been damaged by the influence of this world, where we are always remembering this, remembering that; remembering this, remembering that; remembering this shop, remembering that shop. So we are no longer able to remember our own selves, or remember our way to God, or remember the greatness of God as we once did when we were still whole.

Also, our wisdom, our awareness - the meaning of awareness is true understanding - has been spoiled by the influence of this world, which we constantly use our brain to think about. So we really have lost a great deal through the influences in this world, and as a result of our negligence, our forgetting to worship God.

That's why Bapak says not to be in a hurry to think about God. Don't be in a hurry to wonder what God is like, and where God is, because the faculties we need for knowing where God and God's Power are, have been damaged. We have to repair them first. That's why in this latihan of ours we are beginning to be repaired, so that one day we can see, understand and feel the true situation.

It's as if you wish to write beautifully, but your pencil or your pen is broken, the nib is twisted and won't write. So your wish remains just a wish, and cannot possibly be fulfilled. This is why Bapak hopes all of you will do your latihan diligently, because this latihan is something that is willed by God so we can receive the well-being of all our parts. And through this restoration of all our companions, we will easily be able to know what is necessary for us.

In truth, this latihan of ours is a purification and a making complete. Once you have achieved that, of course you don't need to think about what life after death is like. You don't need to ask about it, it's already there within you - it's already in here ( gesture ). It's as if, for example, you have a first-rate pen or pencil, made by Parker, and when you think 'New York', it writes 'New York.' 'Oh, great! It has written "New York" all by itself. ( Laughter ) That is different from just wishing and wishing, but your pen is no good. So, when you want to write 'New York' nothing happens, because you don't have a pen - it's broken.

Thus, you will be the one who experiences everything that happens to you in the latihan, and the evidence it provides will be in your own being. And when finally you come to the end, when God wills that you return to the blissful world and you die, the ones who do the packing for you will be your servants - not the master. No! Your servants will pack everything, you can just relax. Everything else will be taken care of. Just like when you say, 'I have to go back to England soon!'

That's how it will be when you have obtained what is necessary for your soul - for yourself. Your state will then resemble the Subud symbol, which is the symbol of our being when we worship God. So Subud is not a religion, a name that has to be planted in your mind. No. It is simply a symbol of the human self.

It is the same with other symbols, like the symbol of the cross. It is not intended that the cross should be planted in the heart and mind of human beings. It is supposed to be a symbol, signifying that beyond and above this world there is a power - the power of God. As Jesus explained, this world is the first realm; not the number one realm, but the first realm. The second realm, which is really the greatest realm, is the realm of God.

And in Islam there is the symbol of the letter alif. The letter alif should be written starting from above, not from below - from above and then back up. So if we just write the letter alif of Islam like this, and then let go, that's wrong. It should go back up like this. It means: life is from God and returns to God.

Subud is like that too. Subud is not just something from the mind, but a symbol of a human being who really possesses the nature of those three words. That is: humane behavior; remembering, understanding and being aware that within the human self there is the most great life force that always guides us; and surrendering to God and truly acknowledging that we are God's creation, as is the whole universe.

The history of the prophets always had this kind of symbol. At the time when no religion had yet appeared, and there were as yet no rules in human society, and it was still what is called the age of paganism - that was the time of Adam. Adam is the symbol of a child who is still under the authority of its parents. That's why, in the stories, Adam was always counseled and reminded by God, and Adam was always accompanied by the power of God. It can be said that wherever Adam was, God was his shepherd; like a little child who is always under the supervision of their parents - always watched closely and looked after by them. For this reason, in the age of Adam there was no religion yet; there where no rules yet, because the rules were still in the hand of God.

But usually, children who are constantly spoiled by their parents do not, in the long run, become clever people, or wise and just; rather they become people who are not at all good, whose behavior is far from perfect. And, sure enough, in the time of Adam, human beings looked on stones, trees - anything - as things to believe in and to put their faith in.

Such was the situation when a human being was born on this earth who was, in truth, a messenger of God, a prophet: namely, the prophet Abraham. And it was Abraham who, for the first time, brought religion and rules for human beings on this earth, in order that they should believe in God more than the things they had believed in before.

However, in spite of this, human beings gradually forgot again; not all humankind believed in God and people still did wrong. So eventually a second messenger came: Moses. And it was the prophet Moses who brought enlightenment for mankind, so they might understand how God is, and how God's creatures are. Nevertheless, human beings remain human; gradually people forgot again, until eventually another messenger was born who brought a religion for human beings. That was Jesus, who gave proof that the power of God exists. The symbol of this is in what happened in the life of Jesus: he was able to cure the sick, he was able to give what normally cannot be given by a human being, so that people might believe that God and God's power do exist.

Thus, lots of religious counsel and words of advice were brought by the prophets to humankind, in order that humans might be able to understand the true purpose of religion.

Then Prophet Muhammad was born on this earth. He brought the religion called Islam, in order that human beings should know God's will for them: namely, that they should not forget to behave well in all their actions on this earth; and that in their everyday life human beings are always accompanied by the power of God as their guide and leader. For all that is obtained from God goes back to God.

That's how much advice ( has been given ) to humankind. But humans remain humans and are very easily influenced by whatever is in front of them. Bapak himself does not know what is God's will, but now a situation, a way, has come into being that requires us to put all this into practice and to make it real. But not just advice, not just the voice, because in our feelings we are already so filled to the brim with the voice and its advice that all the many theories we know about are now preventing our soul from being at peace.

So Bapak hopes you will no longer do spiritual work with your mind, because that method has been around since Abraham, Moses, Jesus and Muhammad, and has not yielded anything. So if you still do it that way, you will never get anything. Because of that, God wills that human beings should now be able to receive the reality, as well as doing what needs to be done in this world. So in the latihan we have to be able to walk arm in arm, our guide and ourselves together, the real I and the I of the desires together.

In Indonesia Bapak has heard many people say - especially Muslim scholars, people with a great deal of knowledge of the holy books - that this latihan, this Subud, is not a training for ordinary people, but only for prophets. So, it is not right to make it generally available.

To this Bapak replies, 'If this were not willed by God, Bapak would not have received it, and he would not be able to pass it on to other people so they also can receive it. But Bapak has received this, and he has passed it on to other people, and they are able to do it and receive it. This means it's God's will that it should be for humankind in general, for whoever wants it and whoever remembers God.'

This is why it is said in Islam- and this is not Bapak's terminology, it's what they say - that this Subud is the haqiqa ( Arab.: reality ) and ma'rifa ( Arab.: direct knowledge; knowledge acquired through direct experience ) of Islam. Bapak just says that this is the truth because he received it from the greatness of God, in a state of sincere surrender to God's greatness.

That's how it is - possibly in Christianity - Bapak has also heard that this Subud latihan is very close to what Jesus Christ used to do long ago. There is also a similarity with what Moses and Abraham used to do.

If we remember the similarity of what is in Subud and what the prophets had in times past, it should be clear that the Subud latihan is not a training that... Well, Bapak is not saying this about you -but the latihan should not be considered as an ordinary training, something casual, which doesn't matter if it's not used. When we do this latihan of Subud, we are in front of God's power; we stand before the One who created our life on this earth.

So it's not that we have to be afraid, but that we should be aware of and hold in awe, obey, honor and respect the greatness of God who created us. In this way we will be afraid of doing something that deviates from humane behavior, that doesn't fulfil what is symbolized by Subud. If we are like that, then, more and more as time goes on we will be able to know realities beyond the reach of the human thinking mind, heart and desires. First, 'I' - meaning each of you - will know how to walk, how to act on this earth. Second, we will also know how to follow the greatness of God that envelops all that is beyond this world.

It is said, in the stories and advice of the prophets, that human beings are not the ones who know the angels. The ones who know the angels are angels. Those who know the nymphs are also nymphs. So if someone knows heaven, it means he or she has been in heaven. Someone who hasn't been in heaven cannot possibly know heaven. So, it's not necessary to ask what heaven is like and all the rest of it, because if one still asks, it means one is not yet able to know; but if one already knows, there's no need to ask any more.

If, for example, Bapak were to ask, 'What is it like to be a rich person?' it would mean Bapak isn't rich yet. But if Bapak has already become rich, how could he not know what it's like to be rich, since he is already rich?

It's like that with the training from God's power, which is within each of you. You can really be aware of it, not because you are told - but spontaneously. It is like when someone who has studied medicine becomes a doctor: he doesn't need to know any more what it's like to be a doctor, because it's already in his whole body. It's already a part of him and envelops his being.

This is Bapak's explanation to those of you who are on the committee, and also to those of you who are candidates to becomes helpers. He will now end this talk for tonight. Perhaps Bapak will continue later, after he returns from Canada.

Please excuse Bapak. Early tomorrow morning he is going to Canada, so he takes his leave of all of you. Don't be disappointed that Bapak is going tomorrow.