Ladies and gentlemen, Bapak is going to continue to give explanations about the spiritual way and everything connected with our latihan, which we have received from the Almighty.

As Bapak has already told you, this latihan of Subud is a training that is willed by God so we may put into practice and confirm for ourselves the advice of the prophets, as well as verifying the true content of theories conceived by various people.

In fact, long ago when the prophets lived, they didn't just give advice to their companions and to humanity, they also required that their advice should be put into practice. However, due to the progress of the natural world, which always confronts human beings, the actual putting into practice of this advice from the prophets gradually got less and less. In the end only the advice remained; people gave up or lost the reality that those before them had received.

To give you an example: in the history of Adam we are told that, before Adam was sent down to earth he had the nature of the seed of humanity or nur ( Arab. ), that is, light. In that state, he was neither male nor female. When Adam, the first human being, was still in the form of light, he was a complete human being, a unity of both male and female.

At that time it was the will of God that Adam - the seed of humanity - should be willing to be sent down to earth. Adam felt very sad and uneasy at this, because he knew how life on earth would be. He knew that he would have to get everything for himself, and everything would be difficult. For instance, he would feel heat, the heat of the fire; he would feel cold, the cold of water, he would feel it when he knocked himself against something hard. Whereas at that time, this seed of a human being - the light of humanity - was in a sublime state, a state of bliss that can be compared to nothing else.

Such was the state of the nur, the light of humanity, before it came down to earth. However, no matter how sublime Adam's nature was at that time, because it was the will of his Creator, the One God, he had no choice but to comply with and accept the commands he received. Thus it happened that Adam came to the earth, but not before he had asked God, 'My Lord, when I have become a human being on earth, will it be possible for me to be close to You again? For now, before I go down to the earth, not only am I close to You, but it is as if I am one with You.'

God answered him saying, 'God understands. God is wise and can bring about that which appears to be impossible. Do not worry or be sad. God will look after you when you are living on earth. The things God will create to accompany you will make it easy for you to come close again to the power of God.'

After he was sent to earth, Adam found it really unpleasant and he felt unhappy. As he had realized beforehand, human life always involves weariness, ugliness, mistakes and discomfort. God knew how Adam felt, and spoke to Adam, who received the words of God from within. 'Adam, I understand how you feel. I will create someone like you, who will come from you but will be of a different kind. Look!' Even as God spoke these words, another body was born out of Adam, which was also human. The body was the same; everything was the same, except that it was a different kind, what we now call woman.

In the story it is said that Adam and the woman were always together, always close. One day, they were standing near a tree that had a single fruit on it. In the tree there was a serpent - which is a symbol - it was always there in that tree. As the couple drew near, the serpent spoke, saying, 'O man, do you know that the fruit in this tree, the fruit you can both see, resembles the fruit that you ate in heaven? It's the same color and tastes just as good. The only difference is that the fruit you see before you was grown on the earth, not in heaven. So you ought to try eating it.' On hearing this, Adam reached out and took the fruit. Half of it he ate himself, and the other half he gave to his female companion. When they had eaten the fruit, they felt shy as they faced each other; they felt different from one another. From then on, Adam was aware that he was a man and that his companion was a woman.

This is an allegory. The truth of it is... Bapak asks your forgiveness because the explanation of these symbols is filled with things that are truly private for humans on this earth.., the serpent, also referred to as an angel, in reality symbolizes the male sex organ, which is aroused by passion, by the desire to have sexual union. The fruit symbolizes the feeling of desire in the man.

Not long after the man and the woman, Adam and Eve, came together they had a child. From then on they continued to have more and more children. Finally, the time came that God had appointed for Adam to die, and God said to him, 'Adam, now it is time for you to come back to me.'

What was Adam's reply to his Lord? 'O God, have mercy on me. Do not call me home to You so soon, because I am happy on earth now, with my wife and children close to me.' This is the reality: before human beings are created on this earth, they feel sad and they weep, but afterwards they feel sad and weep at having to go home again. So it's clear that human beings are by nature weak and difficult. That's why God always provides a way for us to become aware of the reality we experienced before we were on earth, and the reality we will encounter after.

And after Adam had come together with his wife, he felt that this union was truly an open way for his worship of God. So he said that the union between husband and wife can be an open way for both of them to worship God. On the other hand, when the union between man and woman is from the passions of the heart, and not from what is symbolized by the serpent in the tree - that is, from an awakening of the inner feeling from the inner self- then the union between man and woman will degrade them from their rightful status as perfect human beings and they may sink down, even to the material world.

That is why in every religion, people are - if not forbidden -warned not to indulge ( in sexual union ) from the desire of their hearts. For doing so without the awakening of the soul, without the will of God, means obscuring one's own path. It blocks our way to the worship of God, and goes against our own path, the true path that leads to nobility as a perfect human being. It was also said in the scriptures that your heaven is at the feet of, or in the lap of, your mother, or of a woman. This is a way of saying that woman was created on earth as a means for man to enter the right gate or the right path to his individuality. So in those times women were not only respected but also treasured, because they were a way that enabled men to worship God.

Then, as human beings confronted the progress of the ages, and because human nature is weak, slowly and gradually the way men came together with their wives, with women, changed. They no longer waited for the will of God to awaken in their being, but would do it merely because of the urge of passion and desire. Consequently, instead of being the right way for man to go towards God and for his worship of God, ( sexual union with a ) woman became a kind of treacherous path that could cause him to fall to a place where he would not wish to be.

Eventually, because human life on the earth had gone wrong, God sent a messenger into the world; his name was Abraham. Abraham was represented by the color red, symbolizing that he was a man who truly obeyed and believed in the greatness of God. What this really means is that he was a man who wished to come together with woman only by God's command. As a result, Abraham eventually had children; the first was called Ishmael and the second Isaac.

( When the interpreter mentions 'Ishmael', someone in the audience says, 'Isaac'. ( Bapak interrupts: ) Ishmael and Isaac. You don't need to think about this ( Bapak laughs ). It's only an illustration.

When the boys were still small, God tested Abraham to see whether he regarded these children as his own, or as really belonging to God. So God tested him, saying, 'Abraham,, I command you, kill your son with your own hands.' How stunned Abraham felt when he received this command. He was being told to kill his child- the very fruit of his heart and inner feeling-just like that. But, because Abraham was very obedient to God and trusted God's greatness and wisdom, he said, 'God is the One I worship, and I can seek refuge only with God. For this reason, no matter what, whether it be my son or even my own soul, if God wishes, I will give it up to God.' Then he proceeded to carry out what God had commanded him to do. He took his son to the forest. When they were far from anywhere, the boy asked his father, 'Father, why did you bring me here?'

'Oh, nothing. I only brought you to have a look around.'

'Oh, but I know, father; I know you're going to kill me. Please kill me, because it's God's command.'

Then the boy lay down of his own accord, and with trembling hands Abraham struck his son's neck with his sword, as he lay before him.

God knew the sincerity of Abraham's heart and feelings. So, the being Abraham actually killed - whose throat he cut - was not his son. It was a goat lying there in front of him, but Abraham did not see that. Having cut what he thought was his son's neck, he started to run home. As he ran, he heard a voice behind him crying, 'Father, father, I'm coming too. Why did you leave me?' He looked back. It was Ishmael, who was chasing after him. He turned back.

At that moment, Abraham heard God speak within him, saying, 'Abraham, because you are really obedient and you worship and love God more than anything, I give you my blessing and my grace.' On hearing this, Abraham took his child and embraced him and wept for joy; firstly, because his son was not dead, and secondly, because he had been able to fulfill the test that God had given him. Then God said to Abraham, 'Abraham, you will receive a revelation from God in a well, in the form of water that is called ZamZam ( Arab. ) or holy water.'

That is the symbol. The reality is that for people to be able to worship God truly, they have to be able to leave behind, to extinguish, the tremendous desires rooted in their hearts. As Abraham told the people at that time:' To come into God's presence in your worship you must put yourselves completely in God's hands. This means that even if when you are on the point of death you still see images of things you would like to have or to do, you must put all those things aside and erase them from your inner feeling. Then your way is clear and only God is before you.'

And when a person can do that, he or she will be able to encounter God's revelation, which is in the well called ZamZam. In reality, this symbol for holy water is the water that can become a child within the womb of a woman. The well is found between two identical hills. This symbolizes - forgive me - the private parts of a woman flanked by her breasts on either side. That is why a woman not only needs to but must keep herself clean and pure, so that she can truly be a well that can be filled with a pure soul - the holy water that can become a good human being.

Abraham advised people that they should always protect their male and female nature, and that women need to be aware and look after themselves lest they dirty themselves and debase their level. ( But ) subsequently, as days, months, years, and tens and hundreds of years passed by, this advice, which was so beautiful, was followed by fewer and fewer people. The result was that, centuries after Abraham, humanity was in a state of chaos.

God is Most Wise and knows everything that is to come and everything that has happened. So God sent down another man for the welfare of humanity, and that was Moses. Moses was born in an age when men played around with women, behaving like animals, merely to satisfy their passions of greed and lust. Of course you must have been to see one of the many films that depict the Pharaoh reclining, with 'ting-tong-ting-tong' ( music ) and with women ( dancing ) like this to his left and right. ( Gestures. Laughter )

Moses said to Pharaoh, 'Know and be aware that God exists. You are alive because of God, not because of yourself. Be aware that God exists, and really worship God, so that you can have a true feeling of humanity, know the sorrows of others, and learn to respect others. Other people are no different from you. It hurts when someone pinches you; you feel pain if you are struck; you have a sense of shame if you are used. Then why don't you feel ashamed of using others? Why don't you feel hurt when you hurt other people?'

This was the advice of Moses to Pharaoh and his people. But they weren't able to believe it, let alone follow it. They still used force, acted from greed, and did whatever their heart and passions desired. In the end ( when Moses left ) they pursued him. But with the help of God, Moses was able to escape with all his followers by walking through the sea, which in the movie is called the Red Sea. In the story of the prophets, the color of Moses is said to be white, for purity. Thus, the man named Moses was a man who was pure, and who was able to distinguish between good and bad. This is the symbolic meaning of Moses passing through the sea and the waters parting for him. Furthermore, Moses was able to distinguish between uniting with his wife from the desires and passions and uniting with his wife through God's will.

So there had been three reminders. Starting with Adam ( human beings ) had been reminded that )sexual union with a) woman is like a way or a door that can open for man to find the right way to happiness and the worship of God. Second: Abraham through his sincerity and obedience to God, and by shunning desire and attachment to anything, was able to receive the pure spirit or water of life that can become a good human being in the womb of a woman. And the third was Moses, who really could tell apart his passion from the awakening of his human soul, so that finally he was able to receive a revelation from God on the hill called Sinai.

The Mount Sinai referred to in the story is the tip of the human nose; for we use the human nose to express love and affection. Usually, when you express love and affection for a woman or a friend, you kiss with your nose. Bapak has never seen people kiss with their ear. No, they kiss with their nose. Anyway, as time went on, the way of receiving something from God had become easier and easier, until in the end, just with the nose you could experience a revelation. But human beings didn't follow this. Gradually, because of the tremendous influence of the world upon their heart and thinking and passions, they forgot God again. They just went on indulging themselves.

God is Most Wise and knew all this, so God sent down another messenger to remind human beings, and Jesus was born. It is said that Jesus was ruh Allah, the spirit of God. Ruh is a way of saying son or beloved. Clearly, with the coming of Jesus, God brought a reminder to the hearts of human beings. That is why Jesus said, 'Love God more than you love the things of this world, so that God may reward you with love without end.' For when in your heart you really love God it means that you bring your inner feeling close to God.

But humans are not like that. They love God only when they are sick or when they are short of something. But when they have lots of money, they just go to the theatre or to the cinema and so on - it's as if God did not exist. It's as if they only love what they can see, and what is there, close to them.

In the story of Jesus, there's a symbol in how Jesus' death came about through slander perpetrated by a group of thinkers. The true meaning of this is that the heart's love for God cannot be fulfilled, and will even be dashed to pieces and disappear, if it is constantly thought about with the mind. That's why Jesus' death came about in that way. It's a symbol for us that we should not use our minds to think about the love for God in our hearts, but just surrender to God's greatness - as Jesus did when they decided to crucify him. He accepted willingly and surrendered to God.

And regarding one's relationship with one's wife - with a woman - our love should not be obstructed by the woman. Our love should be for God, accompanied by the woman as the means. That's the symbolic meaning of ( Jesus ) not having married: a man's worship of God not obstructed by a woman. ( Sexual union with ) a woman is simply the means for a man's worship of God. It doesn't mean that the man goes to heaven because of the woman. No, the woman is only the instrument, the means.

So women should not think, 'Well, in that case, I am like heaven.' No. Women are simply people - they are just the means. Bapak compares it with someone who rides in a beautiful, shiny car and feels important; then the car says, 'You would not be important or distinguished if you did not ride in me.' Well, actually the car is only the means. It makes him feel important when he rides in it, but he would be just as important if he did not ride in it.

So, human beings received the good advice that they should love God more than anything else. For, when they truly love God, God will awaken their heart so that it becomes good, clean and able to contact the power of God, which is always there within them, enveloping their being.

Then God sent another messenger. It was God's will that Muhammad should come into this world, and that he should be a man who was able to bring the heart under control. His heart was filled with purity, which meant that he could distinguish between one heart and another.

And the heart is symbolized by woman. In fact there are four hearts in all - or five if you count the one that is closest to you, at one with your self they are usually called the five senses. Bapak is only telling you this as part of the story. So he is not saying that a man should have four wives. No. It's only a symbol. A man may say that he has one wife, but, well.., men are like that.., although he says that one is enough, in fact it's not. The truth is that, apart from that one wife, he still looks at this and that ( woman ), listens to this and that ( woman ), kisses this and that ( woman ), and talks to this and that ( woman ). That is why all the openings of our body ( our senses ) have to be covered by the heart, of which the symbol is woman.

So clearly, having four wives ( is not something to be taken literally ). It does not mean that you have to have four wives. It's only a symbol. It means that you have to be able to seal off the openings that are constantly influenced by the heart. So, you are not required to marry four. No. But you are required to eliminate the domination of the passions of the heart, which are always there in our five senses.

Such was the advice of the prophets, given so that human beings might be able to fulfil the commands they brought from God. Bapak does not want to go any further in explaining these stories, because it would take up all our time. To summarize, Bapak will merely say that human beings have received a lot of advice from the prophets, and it is sufficient. It only remains for us to practice it.

Clearly, we will not be able to verify what the prophets advised if we do not practice it. So, with this spiritual training of Subud, which you have received and follow, God is giving you the reality of putting into practice the advice you have heard and have read about, as recorded in the various books of the prophets.

This being so, it is clear that at this time, in this century, it is God's will that human beings should receive ( the truth ) through actual experience. They should not just think about the advice they have been given. They should be able to verify that advice with their feelings, with their inner feeling, and with their awareness. This will confirm and strengthen their worship of God.

In the latihan you receive, you will be instructed by the various parts of your body, little by little, as you need it. For example, your own legs will teach you to walk; your hands will teach you how to wave; your sight will teach and guide you to see what you need to see, whether it is normally visible or invisible. Your own self will instruct you in everything.

Nowadays it is very difficult for people to quieten their heart and thinking, to bring them to a stop, so they can really feel what exists within themselves. It can only happen with God's help, through God's grace, sent down as Bapak was saying just now. And that's what exists in our latihan.

So, you yourselves will spontaneously be able to discover and to understand the content of the advice given by Adam, Abraham, Moses, Jesus, Muhammad, and the other prophets. For these prophets are the main symbols of the ages in which they lived and in which they brought instructions from God for humankind.

Bapak feels that he has spent enough time explaining symbols from the stories of the lives of the prophets. They are in accordance with what ( we receive ) in our Subud latihan. This spiritual training of Subud does not conflict with what the prophets advised for humanity. What we are doing is truly God's will when we really surrender everything in us to the greatness of the One Almighty God.

On another night Bapak will continue to give explanations just about the spiritual way: what you should do so that you may receive more, so that things may go more smoothly, and how you can really quieten your heart and thinking, which always influence you.

It only remains for Bapak to say thank you for coming. He hopes that these explanations have been satisfying for your heart and feelings. Thank you.