Académique Documents
Professionnel Documents
Culture Documents
We are investigating the possibility and costs of streaming cer- Many Excursions
tain parts of the Congress onto the web, thus creating a virtu- Of course there will be many excursions and trips during
al on-line congress for those who are unable to come to NZ. the congress that the members in Christchurch are
Thanks to the support of Harlan Cockburn, Congress TV will preparing for you all to experience and enjoy. These
again be a major feature, allowing events to be shared at might include watching the whales or dolphins in
congress and around the world. Kaikoura, visiting the Thermal Reserve in Hamner Springs
and others.
Most importantly, Ibu Rahayu has confirmed her hope to
come to congress in New Zealand. Any talks she gives will be
•
As Christchurch is a modest sized city, the impact of our
filmed and become available as soon as possible. congress on our home city will be considerable. Our con-
gress is exceptional because of its length. Most confer-
•
From Arif Matthee (you guessed it right, I am looking after
Subud Property. the financial side AND I am a keen tramper)
“
been evolving for
several years, and
Subud, including in respect to peo-
This position has ple who are interested in Subud and
our attitudes to some of the above.
•
for their efforts and successes.
Garrett, Maya, Samuel, and Julia In October, three of our Australian National Helpers came
to visit us in Perth. They spent the night of Saturday 11th
New International Helper at Hilltop, our SICA project, a small conference and
retreat centre 60 kms from downtown Perth, in the rolling
Welcome to Dahlan Simpson! dahlan7@optusnet.com.au, hills and pastoral country of Western Australia.
new Area 1 International Helper. (Mason Cook has resigned
– and so we wish him well and thank him for his dedication The rest of the time they spent staying with various mem-
and service.) Dahlan lives in Sydney with his wife Mardiah bers of the Perth group, and seeing the city and its
and their 2 children. He writes… beaches, as well as attending latihans at the hall in town
.
I owe my life to Subud and the latihan. Thank you Bapak! I On the Saturday, thirty members came for latihan and test-
remember when just 6 years old wondering (worrying, actu- ing in the dome throughout the day, and were joined by a
ally) when I would know about God and heaven. What has gaggle of children in the evening for a barbeque on the big
become a flood of laughter and joyful tears in Subud, terrace, many people staying overnight. cont on p4 >
SUBUDVOICE JAN 09 PAGE 3
Hilltop has also been busy recently funds to be sent. As well we are making vigorous effects
“
Self-sustaining
communities
will be the
with a spiritual, a church, a family
or school group visiting every
weekend in September and
October. This has been quite a
strain for Salamah and me, as we
to source the balance of the $1 million.
pattern of the
“ the Subud Sunshine Coast group in - As previously advised we have acquired an option over
Queensland, has just arrived in a near-production coal area in East Kal and are in discus-
future Perth to take over as our new sion with potential partners/off-takers (companies that
Manager! contract to purchase the coal).
She plans to expand the business to include more busi- - Close to securing a deal on a producing mine, for which
ness groups, especially mid-week, and also to work with we would seek funding from Macquarie Bank.
Salim Ismail (one of the four medical doctors in our group)
to set up a natural health clinic for weekend, or week-long This will be my last note to this listserver as it is evident and
retreats. Salim has a large and successful alternative understandable that many people don't want their mail
health clinic in Perth, and his staff will, we hope, be able boxes filled with discussion on KGC. Therefore, any of you
to manage and run these retreats for their clients. that wish to receive updates from the Subud team work-
ing in the project, please advise me by return email and I
This will give Salamah more time to do her lectures and will also include you on our press release email list.
workshops on Bapak’s ideas, presenting her book “The
Pattern of the World” with its holistic cosmology, and me Suggestions for an Advisory Board of Subud members won't
more time to follow up on our original plans to develop a work in the context of a public company, but we acknowl-
Subud community of 7 or 8 houses in a cluster around the edge that some vehicle for communication, feedback,
conference centre. suggestions, support etc to the Subud team in the project
might have validity. Therefore I suggest that those of you
I also want to market the third and final edition of my with a specific interest in the matter form yourselves into a
memoir, “Reminiscences of Bapak”. I have added 40 discussion group outside of this listserver to develop your
pages of text since the first edition, and 16 since the sec- ideas, and let's see where we go from there.
ond edition was published.
Rahman Connelly’s email is rconnelly@ozemail.com.au
It now contains a section on self-sustaining communities, The KGC web site where press releases may be read is
which I believe will be the development pattern of the
future, and which, like Hilltop here, and Gunnabah over
www.kalimantan.com
•
•
in the East of Australia, are already appearing in the
Subud world. Making a Profit with KGC
Michael Rosa writes of his experience with KGC…
Kalimantan Gold This story is a call of help for Kalimantan Gold Corporation
to support Bapak’s vision for the world. I will try and make
As most of you will know, there was something of a crisis it as short as possible with out leaving any thing out.
with Kalimantan Gold Corporation in November 2008
when CEO, Rahman Connelly, announced that the com- The story begins with the Widjojo Building which I of course
pany might have to suspend operations as a Private invested in, I only ever received two dividends which I
Placement seeking US$1 million had been undersub- invested in what is now known as KGC. Some years later I
scribed because equity markets had dried up due to the invested more money giving me a few thousand shares
global financial downturn. at a higher price than they are now.
The positive in this was that many Subud members were And then I forgot about them for some years. Much later
re-inspired to support the venture and a significant when the company had by this time developed into the
amount was forthcoming into the Private Placement from name of KGC, I was informed that Widjojo had been sold
“small” Subud investors all around the world. It was like and that I would be receiving a money wire for over
the financial crisis re-awoke concern for KGC and £2000 and where would I like to invest it?
renewed the project’s connection to its roots in Subud
members. So I decided it had to go to KGC, I was told to contact
Rahman Connelly who in turn advised me at the time that
As we go to press, the most recent communication we there was no Placement available and that I should
have from Rahman Connelly about the situation is this invest in Aim or the Canadian Stock market.
message posted on the SES INTERNATIONAL listserver.
Rahman writes… I contacted my broker who got me a good deal and pur-
chased another 34.000 shares on Aim. Since that time a new
Further to my note of 15 November: placement has arrived and I believe it will be at a fair price.
- The fundraising stands at around $450,000 with some
people yet to send the funds committed. We have My investment was beginning to mount up, I then had a
extended the Placement closing date till 15 Dec for those strong feeling I should buy more, once again cont on p5 >
While doing my latihan a day later I received a strong From 2001 to 2003 I was in Jakarta Indonesia where I felt
urge to buy more. The next day the price had gone up so happy. Someone not so happy assaulted me and my reti-
I decided to give it a miss. I should also mention that my na fell off the left eye. The next almost five years I was in
two sons have a small part of this investment. My eldest and out of eye surgery in Denmark and in the end the eye
son, who is the most cautious member of our family, doctors and the Danish health system gave up on me
came to my house and during our conversation asked and told me I would have to live with the lack of vision.
me how our investment was doing. There was nothing they could do.
This was just a few days ago and I told him that we had I made a CD called “Songs from the Heart” to try to earn
cleared off all the payment for the shares and were money enough to find a place abroad where especially
£440 in profit. My son could not believe it. He said, my left eye could be repaired somewhat. It was a long
“Everything is going through the floor through the cred- and slow process till Reynold Feldman, retired professor
it crunch, and we are making profit!” He then implored from the University of Hawaii in Honolulu came along and
me to buy more. started fundraising for an operation among his friends
and among Subud members around the world.
At this stage I thought the price too high at 7p but he
insisted and I finally gave in. We purchased another Subud is a spiritual organization where people from all reli-
14.000 giving me a total over100.400. The next day the gions (and many countries) worship God together and try
price had moved up slightly I and we were more than to become better people and also to act in a socially
£800 in profit, I decided this was as far as I wanted to go. and “communitarial” responsible way. I have been in
Subud since 2000.
Last night I could not sleep. I got up and started doing an
exercise during which it came to me that some years ago Reynold Feldman’s dear wife Simone passed away in
a psychic had told me that I would invest in a gold mine September 2006, and this was the reason he decided to trav-
and indicated I would make a lot of money from this el around the world and chose his first destination as Denmark.
investment.
A Surprising Happening
I had completely forgotten this, and I also felt strongly I While he was there the surprising thing happened that
should write an article about these incidents. one day a mail came from Hawaii of all places! An eye
surgeon responded to Reynold’s call for helping me find
The point I am trying to make is that I feel strongly through someone who could operate on my eyes.
my experience that our enterprise is ready to take off and
for a lot of people the price will be out of their reach. Dr. Mike Bennett from The Retina Institute of Hawaii,
Honolulu, wrote to me that he would do the operation for
But of course this will not apply to the people with money free if only I would wait till the Mobile Eye Clinic had been
so this could be the last chance for many members. constituted and that PROJECT VISION would be working
Rahman Connelly has asked for our support to fuel in the fall of 2008. This is now and I am here, miracle of mir-
Bapak’s vision for Kalimantan, I feel he is the right man acles, in this beautiful place called Hawaii. From one
with the team to lead our enterprise into success. So I island in the Pacific (Java) to another (Oahu).
hope we will all come up with some money to support this
enterprise. And the greatest miracle is that by now my two eyes
have been operated successfully and I can see things
•
People wishing to contact Rahman Connelly, CEO of which I have not seen in years. The first operation hap-
KGC, can do so at rconnelly@ozemail.com.au pened on September 24 and the second one ten days
later. This is the reason for this celebration of happiness
A Celebration of Restored Vision and joy and new life and new eyes.
We have carried several articles about Aisha Holm in There is only little I can give back to the people who
Subud voice. Her story has been a breakable one of saved my eyes. And at the time being that is my music.
struggle, courage and persistence following an incident
that severely damaged her vision. I apologize beforehand for mistakes I might make on the
piano because I have not really seen it for the last five years.
We also told how she produced a CD of her own music
under the most difficult conditions. Now we bring a new I am grateful and extremely happy to play for you this
and happy chapter. On November 2nd 2008 Aisha per- afternoon and to be part of this celebration. And I pray
formed a concert in Hawaii celebrating the substantial that Project Vision may have great success and help
restoration of her vision. At the concert she said… many people in Hawaii and around the world. I thank you
all for the awesome help I have received.
The music I play comes from my heart and from all the
places I have lived throughout my life. I don’t know what For the love for the sweetness and for the professional skill
to call it and it does not matter. Music is music and peo- of Michael Bennett and his whole staff. For the fundraising
ple are the same all over the world. I am Danish and took and help that Reynold Feldman gave me. And for the
a Music Conservatory education in Copenhagen love and friendship I have found in Hawaii. This is a won-
derful place on Earth. I wish the aloha spirit will spread all
•
Denmark. But I played with people from many cultures
and worked in Paris with Berber people and in Nicaragua over the world. Mahalo, Aisha
Usually we have a talk by Bapak or Ibu Rahayu in this part Answer: I am glad you asked that. It is a big question, as
of Subud Voice but we thought we would vary it for once you said. So let me take a little time answering it. I have
by publishing this very interesting talk by Varindra Vittachi five children. Four of them do the latihan. Two of them
which addresses a “problem” in Subud. Why aren’t more never go to a group. They loathe going to a group. And
young people coming in? yet they practise the latihan. And I have seen that Subud
has made them really mellow at a very young age –
The talk was given by Varindra Vittachi to young Subud mature, but not precocious.
members at a Zone 7 gathering. Varindra was the
Chairman of the World Subud Association, a job he held One of my children evolved into a groupie. He is now a
for thirty years, from l963 to l993. budding journalist. He likes congregation. In fact, at one
stage while he was at school, he wanted to become a
The gathering, hosted by Subud Montreal, was held in the Christian minister. I know of no one, no priest, no clergy-
first week of July 1992 at a convention centre just outside man, who knows the Bible better than he does. He is
Montreal, Canada. (Editor's note: Because of sound prob- inclined that way; he understands the meaning, the
lems in the tape, small portions of Varindra's talk proved value of congregation.
inaudible and have been left out of this transcription.)
Many of us are not joiners. It takes a special kind of expe-
Benefits of the Latihan rience and a kind of need, I guess, for people to want to
A young member asked Varindra what benefits are belong to a group. That is the way Subud grows. But the
brought about by doing the latihan. question you are really asking is, I think, why more young
people don't come to Subud?
In reply, Varindra said the following:
After years of doing latihan, when the latihan starts bear- One of the simplest reasons is that many Subud young
ing fruit, then you ask yourself, for example: "What has people don't come to Subud – children of Subud mem-
happened to me within the last three years? Has the lati- bers don't come to Subud. One of my five children, my
han been beneficial to me or not?" While it may take a son, he stays out. He is a very sincere young man – 37
long time for a person to be sure that the latihan has years of age.
been beneficial, you recognize that clearly something
has happened to you. He tells me things that indicate to me why he stays out. I
don't probe, but sometimes he tells me why he stays
I will give you an example of that. I used to be terrified of away from his local group. He thinks that his mother's
public speaking. Now, I don't mind talking to friends, some of them, are a bit balmy. All
“
10,000 or 20,000 people. But before that, their dogmatic talk; they are absolutely sure
before I came to Subud, I really was terrified of the dimensions of God, and that God talks
of public speaking. As a newspaper reporter,
I clearly had to do something about that. So I We have to them every day. Of course, any young
man would consider this absolute rubbish.
used to write my speech down, word for
word, and then learn it by heart. no authority, And why do two of my other children who
Then one evening, not too long after I came but we have do the latihan, why don't they go to groups?
My daughter, who is of the younger set in
to Subud, I was putting on my necktie
preparatory to making a speech, the most a great
“ Subud, was in really bad trouble with her first
husband. He used to bash her around, you
important speech I had yet made in my life –
I was giving the Prize Day speech at my col- responsibility know, really maul her; she was in really des-
perate trouble. She didn't tell me this.
lege. I had been expelled from that college,
but events over the years had turned me into Instead, she went to the group helpers who
a Distinguished Old Boy of the college. gave her this stuff, you know – you must submit to your
husband. That kind of stuff. As a result, she walked out
Just before entering the hall, my wife said, "You haven't and never came back [to the group]. She does the lati-
prepared your speech, have you?" han [on her own]. "God gave the latihan to me," she said.
"I do the latihan [rest inaudible]."
"No, I haven't, have I!"
These are the reasons why lots of people do not come to
When the time came to make the speech, I made the Subud. We can't generalize: many helpers are very good.
best speech in my life because the great burden of want-
ing to be good, wanting to stand first, had fallen off my Subud is not a Hierarchy
shoulders. I no longer cared if people liked what I said or I would really like to see all of us who call ourselves helpers
not; I didn't have to be admired. That's a fantastic to remember, to realize that Subud, as Bapak saw it, is not
release, you know – never getting stage fright, or any- a hierarchy, meaning a vertical hierarchy, with
thing like that. That was the first actual proof I had that the International Helpers, followed by National Helpers, then
latihan had benefited me. That Kind of Stuff Regional Helpers, and finally group helpers. It is not at all
Is there any other question you would like to put forward? like that.
Question: I would like to ask Varindra about the ways he Rather it is a matter of scale; it is a horizontal cont on p7 >
Now, for instance, I am a journalist. When I was a very I replied, "I know you are an atheist, and that you are sure
young journalist, I talked often about the freedom of the of your position as an atheist, but I am not sure about any-
press, about my right – the freedom of a journalist. It was thing, I always question everything. I thought that was the
only after a while that I realized I also have obligations. I scientific attitude, not to be sure but to question."
have the responsibilities accrued to being a journalist,
and that unless I carry out those responsibilities, I have no He saw the logic of that because I was talking at the level
right to that freedom. of his logic. So he asked me if I would speak to his class at
Ithaca, which I did, and he was very surprised to find that
If there is a helper who does not appear to be carrying many of his students were asking questions just like you
out his responsibilities, he will be in a lot of trouble [the audience] are; that they are now more open to the
because he is claiming an authority that he may actually possibility of another kind of world, another kind of reality,
have spoiled. In Subud we really should have no occa- than my generation, which claimed to know the answers
sions like that. to everything. And look at the mess we have made of our
world by these absolute certitudes of ours.
We can talk about it, we can test about it, we have ways
to resolve problems between members and helpers and The Nature of Forces
between helpers and helpers without resorting to all kinds Once Bapak told me that when the universe was first cre-
of [inaudible]. There are ways to do these things in a way ated, there was nothing except emptiness. You don't
that does not hurt anybody. Why should we hurt people? know what this emptiness is, he said, because you have
never experienced it. He said that in this emptiness there
Man of Straw was no light because there was no darkness.
Question: You were talking about your son, that his intelli-
gence made him skeptical about Subud. You asked how There was this emptiness and God. He said that you will
have we changed. I think it was that the era in which never be able to understand how there can be nothing –
most of our parents joined Subud was a lot freer, and that and something.
there has been a lot more logic in today's generation. I
mean the more human beings figure out the answers to God created the light and designed it as a vibration. This
mysteries, the harder it is to believe in God. is the primary vibration that we receive in the cont on p8 >
I N N E R
•
"Do you like?' Bapak queried.
"Do you drink a lot?" Bapak asked. “THE ARROW THAT PIERCED MY
I said, "Sure". HEART...”
Rozak Tatebe continues his memoirs of spiritual experience...
He said, "Good Scotch whiskey also given by God. But
you must be sure that you are drinking the Scotch, and There are events in people’s lives that even though rare,
that the Scotch is not drinking you." It was then I realized, can radically transform a person’s destiny in an instant.
My God, it's not just a case of the Scotch just drinking me The event I am about to relate to you now was one of
– it is pickling me. those. It was indeed a once-in-a-lifetime experience in
that it literally changed my life’s direction from that
This nafsu you were asking about. We are supposed to be moment on.
human; we are supposed to be in charge of these forces.
But, actually, the whole thing is up-ended. So it is a case That morning was a normal summer’s day for me. I had
of having to turn it around. That is what the latihan is sup- gone to the office as usual and started my work. At ten
posed to do. It's rather like the receptionist in your office o’clock, I finished the first lot of work and paused to smoke
taking all the calls and giving all the answers to your a cigarette.
clients. It's absurd."
It was just when I was about to start on my next task that, com-
When Women Come Into Subud… pletely without warning, the right side of my chest was pierced
Question: "Is it true that a woman has to ask a man to be by an arrow from the spiritual world that came straight towards
in Subud. Why?" me. It penetrated my heart, exited from the left side of my
chest, and then disappeared into empty space.
You assume my answer to the question is going to be
"Yes". Well, now, let me tell you that in Indonesia the It was over in an instant. I felt a sharp pain in my heart and
woman's role is very much one of obedience to the man. at the same time, the wound poured not blood, but a liq-
The man runs the show, he makes the decisions. I believe uid that was filled with a sweetness that permeated my
that this situation also exists in parts of modern Europe. entire body. My consciousness was filled with a sudden,
instinctive understanding. This too lasted only an instant but
The men there make the decisions, even at home, while in this case it revealed to me the eternal purpose of my soul.
most of the work is done by the women. Over there,
women who came to Subud without their husband's per- I am not in the habit of keeping a diary. But because the
mission – why the men took a strong stand, even taking revelation that had filled my consciousness was so unex-
the matter to court on the grounds that Subud was pected, I wrote it down in English in a memo. (The reason
seducing people away from the normal order. I wrote it in English is because the content seemed so far
removed from reality that I did not want anyone who
That was how it came about that women had to ask their came across it to understand it.) It was in the form of a
husband's permission in order to join Subud. But we don't prose poem that expressed the shock and emotion that I
need to do this any longer. had experienced. It went something like this:
There is no reason to do that stuff any longer. I am telling Finally I understand! From the very beginning, my soul has
you guys, insist that you be put on the Canadian and U.S. been continually searching for its supreme goal.
delegations to Congress. [Applause from the audience.]
We want Subud to expand. Your voice must be heard. This supreme goal will remain unchanged whether it is in this
You just cannot protest, throw bombs and the like! I chal- world or the next. For as long as God allows my existence to
lenge you. Please be on the next delegation. continue, this goal will remain unchanged until the end of time.
You know, at previous Congresses young members were Now, it is revealed to me: I am to become the lowly – lowli-
given a big house far away from the centre of things, a est – servant of God.
wonderful ghetto… [inaudible].
Until then, the thought of aspiring to be God’s servant had
We intend to publish the remainder of this talk in the next never entered my head. To my mind, the cont on p10>
Later, I found out that St. Theresa of Avila in the 16th centu- I had not been able to attend and so had forgotten all about
ry had described being pierced in the heart by an invisible it. But it was interesting to me that on the evening of the 8th
arrow and of entering a state of ecstasy; but I was not July, Bapak had given his first talk. I had received this experi-
aware of this at that time. It is not my intention to compare ence some time in the middle of his talk – despite the fact
my experience with hers’ but only to show that such an that he was thousands of miles away.
experience has a reality to it.
Of course, this could be dismissed as coincidence, but the
I was overwhelmed for a while. But then the pain in my experience had come to me like a bolt from the blue and
chest began to ease leaving only a feeling of bliss. This the fact that it happened at the same time as the World
lasted all day and on the following morning it still reverber- Congress suggested there was some significance in this.
ated faintly within me.
Also, while it is possible that without being aware of it This is because Rozak was a former chairman of ISC,
someone is used by God as an instrument for His purpose, and later an International Helper, and has written very
to be a servant of God should be different from such clearly about Subud itself, in a way that is easy for
cases. First, God Himself had to acknowledge me as such those not in Subud to understand.
and then if He did so, I had to be in such a state that I
could correctly receive His will and instruction. It is a book to give your friends, as well as to read for
yourself, because whilst he begins his life with consider-
Looking back now, I can see that I had absolutely no idea able doubts as to the existence of God, he still – like so
at the time just how nigh impossible a task this was. To many of us – had a very strong wish to find a way to
become a servant of God is the highest goal a human make contact with the Supreme Being.
being can pursue. While of course, I did not think that its
achievement was an easy task, I was secretly hoping for When he eventually finds Subud, he is then gradually
the next sign from God. But instead I had to wait a long, convinced from his own experience, that this Almighty
long time. Thirty years later, I finally had an experience Being really does exist.
related to this goal, which I will elaborate on later.
For those of you who have not until now read about his
Pertinent to the experience was the fact that the memo I experiences, you are in for a treat. In my opinion, this is
had written had not simply stated that my goal was to one of the best personal stories about life in Subud that
become a servant of God, but that I had to become the has yet been written. – Ilaina Lennard
lowliest servant of God – and this word ‘lowly’ was repeat-
ed in order to stress that to become the lowliest servant of The book will be available from SPI or AMAZON. For
God would be my supreme goal. those of you with access to the Internet, just type
www.amazon.com and give the title or author name.
I understood just how small I was before God and simulta- The book costs $14.00. Otherwise you can order from
neously, was painfully aware that no matter how much SPI @ sterling £10.00 plus p&p.
time passed, I would remain this microscopic existence for
all eternity. To order, e-mail spi@subudbooks.co.uk or pay by UK
bank cheque or credit card to: SPI, Loudwater Farm,
This was a valuable realisation as it helped me to sup- Loudwater Lane, Rickmansworth, Herts. WD3 4HG, UK.
press any arrogance in my life. I also discovered that the
feeling of utter humility – as though one is nothing – is
Tel +44 (0)1727 762210
•
PAGE 10 JAN 09 SUBUDVOICE
Contrariwise, the third thing I like about Subud is that you
What I Like About Subud can, if you feel so inclined, pick’n’mix from all of the
above (and more) cultural idiosyncrasies and make up
Marcus Bolt, UK, writes… your own belief system (but please, try not to foist yours
onto me – I have my own). And the fourth thing I like is
‘Throw yourself wholeheartedly into any spiritual group that, although there is tacit pressure to embrace a corporate
that appeals to you, whether you believe in it or not, and doctrine (fundamentalists are everywhere), no one can
hope that in your case a miracle may occur...” actually stop you doing the latihan, or even expel you, if
(Carl Jung in a letter of advice to Rowland H.) you don’t toe the party line.
Intuitively, I did exactly that forty years ago, and a miracle The fifth thing I like about Subud is that members of all reli-
did occur – I am now sane. gions, as well as agnostics and atheists, can and do latihan
together without ripping each other’s heads off. This also
During my forty years' Subud membership, I have often goes for all races, all ages, all sexual orientations, rich and
been exasperated by the belief systems and poor, clever and stupid. (And, as a bonus, I
“A
attitudes of many members, as well as being like the fact that men and women don’t do it
frustrated – even hurt – by the organisation’s together – inter-gender relationships are
actions, almost to the point of handing in my difficult enough, thanks.)
membership card. But I have never ever once
considered stopping practising the latihan. In The sixth thing I like about Subud is its social
fact, I plan to be doing it on my deathbed –
come what may.
miracle life. At any gathering of any size that I have
attended over the last forty years, the
And that’s the first and the main thing I like did occur absence of heavy alcohol consumption
means there’s far less aggression and sexual
about Subud – the latihan and its process. predation than at, say, my local golf club’s
•
encountered earlier in the day.
This article first appeared on www.subudvision.org
For the last five minutes, I stood thoughtless at the centre
of a huge inner space, grateful to be sentient and alive.
Then I sat down feeling refreshed and satisfied, had a
Celebrating the Mastery
chat with my co-exerciser and went home. Whatever it is,
wherever it comes from, however the latihan works, “I’ll
of Paint
have what she’s having.” ‘Restorative Dragons’, works by Riduan Tomkins at SoFA
Gallery, Arts Centre, reviewed by Jamie Hanton.
Apart from more creative, the latihan process has made
me, over time, more open-minded, more compassionate Dragons are not often referred to as restorative; in fact, in
– even a little wiser – and definitely saner. Of course, a the vast majority of European cultures and mythologies,
cynic may say all that’s merely the side effects of growing dragons were seen as nefarious monsters with violent ten-
up. But I’m not so sure when I think back to the place of dencies and were ultimately regarded as enemies of
drug-induced anxiety-depression I started from. humankind. In Western art history, too, dragons are given
a bad rap.
The second thing I like about Subud is how simple it is
to do the latihan. You don't have to prepare for it However, skip continents and an entirely different por-
before you join, or pass any exams after. In fact, the trayal abounds. Asian cultures venerate the dragon as
latihan process doesn’t depend on anything, be that a benevolent and wise beast, more likely to lead
belonging to a group, becoming a helper, or reading humans to enlightenment and wellbeing than unleash
Bapak's talks; neither do you need to study Indonesian, fiery destruction.
have a religion, change your name, get circumcised,
visit Bapak's grave, do charity work, run an enterprise, The dragons in Riduan Tomkins’ recent paintings are definite-
or worry about your ancestors, for the latihan to work. ly Eastern in nature and represent the significant meeting
All you have to do is practise it regularly, follow where point between Western artistic tradition and the ethereal In
it leads and, en route, ‘do unto others as you would be his work. Tomkins employs painterly abstraction and meas-
done by’. ured space to convey deep visual harmony. cont on p12>
A year later Tomkins arrived in New Zealand to take up Please go to the website and click the button at
the position of senior lecturer in painting at the University the bottom of the home page "Become a Friend of
of Canterbury, a term that lasted 10 years. Loudwater Farm." Please pass this on.
Cloud of Unknowing is a particular joy: Tomkins uses During the next two days I was involved in kejiwaan ses-
translucent layers of colour to spin and almost gossamer sions with other people who were uncertain about their
weave across the surface of the paitning as rays of light direction in life. Without boasting, they felt that they had
break behind a central cloud. the talent to go in any of several directions. My answer
was that they should SMOCK, which gave them the
This piece and the exhibition, allude to how we often wrong- courage to try it for themselves.
ly and hastily dismiss that which we cannot understand.
Restorative Dragons celebrates both a mastery of paint by You too can SMOCK!
an exceptional artists and the willingness to believe in the
uplifting space between knowledge and faith.
•
I wanted to pass on this website to give people BB4 5DG UK – Tel: +44 (0) 1706 396455 – Fax: +44 (0) 161
the opportunity to show their support (inwardly or 662 7268 – Mob: +44 (0) 07963 224617
And then one day he took a pen and made a list of all his past Those closest to Rachmat were in no doubt that he was a
loves, and started to realise, deeply and profoundly, just what genius. The closest friends of “Captain Midnight” from early
an effect they had had on him: “I could feel them all in me, days in Subud were Evan and Rohiid Gamblin and Michael
like presences ..I could feel how sex had loaded their feelings Widdicombe in his self-proclaimed fraternity known as the
into me, how full my being was with their energies.’ “Venerable Degenerates”.
With this understanding came a turning point. He writes: ‘in my After a few years in Ottawa and the Subud World Congress in
soul, in my guts, in my mind and my heart, in my toenails and Indonesia in August 1971, Vancouver, Australia and then
in the lobes of my ears this truth: sex harms me if I abuse it.’ He Jakarta, Rachmat became a Muslim in Jakarta in 1974.
gives many vivid examples from others who wrote to him, con-
firming his own realisation through their personal experiences. There followed a move to Vancouver in 1975, Australia in
September 76 where he changed his name by legal deed to
For those who have read Susila Budhi Dharma, Emmanuel’s Rachmat Keith Fisher. In the late 70's he worked for the
book will be no revelation; quite simply, he is just putting some Australian and New Zealand Association for the
of the truths that Bapak received into a teenagers’ idiom, Advancement of Science (ANZAAS) in Sydney, running their
together with many graphic, real life stories from others. But this huge annual conferences for them.
is where the book is so valuable. Many parents will have won-
dered how in today’s world, they can explain to their children Rachmat married Mieke Sudarsono in Jakarta on 27th August
or grandchildren, the truths about sex that they have 1980. They moved to Jogja and back again to Jakarta in
absorbed and tried to follow, through SBD. January 1982, when Ami Rachmi Martini was a couple of
weeks old, and lived outside Wisma Subud. In 1985 they
There is almost no mention of Subud in ‘Loving’, and none at returned to Wisma Subud, and Richard Evan Roosdy Fisher was
all as to what Bapak actually received about sexual relation- born on 7th October.
ships, but nevertheless Susila Budhi Dharma’s powerful and
amazing message is all there. The chapter on Abortion, and Salamah Pope remembers getting to know Rachmat properly
the one on Celibacy are particularly moving and helpful. about 1996, when he and his family moved down to Perth, to
acclimatize/acculturate the children.
‘Loving’ would not be appropriate for all cultures, as its style
and idiom is primarily for American teenagers, but it could still They lived in a small apartment in Subiaco, a nice, busy, hum-
be a milestone for young people in any other country with a ming, central suburb of Perth, with several excellent book-
Western culture. shops. His children went to Perth Modern (the tops of the Govt.
schools in Perth) although it was a time when Rachmat found
Emmanuel shows great humanity, honesty and courage as he it difficult to find a job.
shares his own past, and in doing so, he becomes both confi-
dant and friend. He never preaches. but as you make your Many know that Rachmat, deeply committed to the latihan,
own journey, you feel he’s right there beside you, all the time. was an absolutely dedicated father and husband with a great
WORLD LATIHAN
• love, acceptance and appreciation of all people.
To find the corresponding time in your part of the world go to Rachmat was also extremely humble, yet with an astonishing,
www.timeanddate.com/worldclock breath-taking grasp of knowledge systems, theoretical tenets
cont on p14>
“ “
and philosophies which wound through
several disciplines in great depth – physics, another decade. She nearly became a film
“The saying of the Buddha, ‘With our thoughts we make the In later years, Michele saw the content and immediacy of Ibu
world’ is a literal truth.” Rahayu’s words as something that she could help distribute to many
members. She kept up this self-less act of typing translations and
“Of all the predators dangerous to man, I like women emailing them to about 800 people globally for several years. Many
best.” of us are grateful to her for this thoughtful service.
“Before you criticize anyone, walk a mile in their shoes...That You know, Michele once had a near death experience, during a car
way, when you start to criticize them, you've got a mile head- accident as a young woman. She found it to be most beautiful and
start – and you've got their shoes!” wondrous. At the time she felt she ‘had’ to come back for her
beloved parents – to whom she was always dedicated and dutiful.
Written by friends of Rachmat’s from Subud Ottawa and But she would have loved to stay.
Salamah Pope. A fuller account of Rachmat’s life can be
obtained from Rasunah Marsden. Email: rasunah@shaw.ca Well now, with God’s Grace & Guidance, Michele can go on to this
wondrous place, and start her new life in God’s hands.
All of us in Subud, including myself, feel a great loss now that Michele
Helena Casbolt writes… von Royk Lewinski has left us forever. Michele was a lady of fine char-
acter and an example to us all, because she carried out her duties
On October 31, 2008, at about in this life with a sense of acceptance, love, and faith in the great-
4pm, Michele von Royk-Lewinski ness of Almighty God.
passed away in Sydney, peace-
fully, after a long illness. I set out below some words for Michele, whom I was close to as we
often worked for Subud together.
Michele led an extraordinary life.
She was born in Germany in 1928, Dear Michelle, I still recall and feel the close relationship we enjoyed
an only child. She was a for fifty years, especially when we worked and worshipped together
Baroness, a title she rarely used. as we travelled with Bapak when Bapak spread Subud to people
Her young life was severely dis- who needed it all over the world..
rupted by the Second World War
when she and her family had to To accept life’s trials in Subud is never easy, but thanks to your strong
flee the advancing Russians. sense of self and nobility, you faced them with surrender and
Michele von Royk-Lewinski They eventually settled in more acceptance.
modest circumstances in Munich.
And now, after being born and living your life in this world, the time
Michele had many talents & interests - past and present. She was a has come when you have been called to go back to God. To
gifted violinist as a young woman, studying to become a concert accompany you on your journey, we send our prayers so that your
professional - until derailed by an automobile accident. journey will be filled with light and guidance from Almighty God.
She was an actress, on the stage for 4 years in Germany and a voice- And we sincerely pray that your soul will receive cont on p15>
Amen.
I’d like to recall with you some of the major events in Istimah’s
long and rich life which we are here today to commemorate.
•
ny him and Ibu on his fourth around-the-world jour-
ney. It took three months and included visits to over Amen
•
holiday gifts, housewarmings, birth-
registered marks of the World Subud Association.
Alicia Moss, UK. Tel. (44) (0)208 954 1919 days and so on.