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Subud (pronounced ) is an international spiritual association of people of all religions as well as people with no formal religious affiliation. Members report that through the practice of a spontaneous receiving – the ''latihan kejiwaan'' (Indonesian: "spiritual exercise") – they experience an awakening of their inner selves and a greater ability to find and fulfil their path in life. Many connect this experience directly with the divine (mostly described as God, with the most common variation being "the Great Life Force"). The Subud movement was founded in the 1920's by Muhammad Subuh Sumohadiwidjojo (1901-1987), who is called Bapak (Indonesian: "Father", or "Mister"; informal) by himself and members of Subud. The "Subuh" in Bapak's name means "dawn" and has no relation to the name Subud. Since its introduction into the west in 1947 by Husein Rofé and further spread in 1957 by John G. Bennett it has since spread to over 80 countries throughout the world, with a worldwide membership of about 13,000. The name "Subud" The name "Subud" is an acronym that stands for three Javanese words of Sanskrit derivation, Susila Budhi Dharma. What these words mean depends on whether refering to 1) the original Sanskrit root word meaning, 2) definitions in a modern Indonesian language dictionary, or 3) the explanation and definition given by the founder of Subud in his talks to members. These three meanings are somewhat different from one another. According to the founder of Subud, these words may be defined as follows: Susila means to be able to live according to the Will of God as really true human beings. Budhi indicates that in every creation, in every creature of God, there is a Divine Power which works within as well as outside oneself. Dharma means the possiblity for every creature to surrender completely to the Will of God, of whom humans are only a creation and have, therefore, inevitably to submit to the Will of their Creator. Susila Budhi Dharma (Subud) means to follow the Will of God with the help of the Divine Power that works both within us and without, by the way of surrendering oneself to the Will of Almighty God. History Bapak explained (in talks to Subud members given beginning in the 1940's) that in 1925 he was taking a late-night walk, when he had an unexpected and unusual experience. Suddenly he found himself enveloped in a brilliant light, and looked up to see what looked like the sun falling directly into his body. His whole body trembled, and he thought that he was having a heart attack. He went directly home, lay down on his bed, and prepared to die. He felt that if it was his time to die, he could not fight it, so he surrendered himself to God completely. Instead of dying, however, he was moved from within--impelled--to stand up and perform movements similar to his normal Muslim prayer routine. This seemed very strange to him, because he was not moving entirely from his own volition; rather he was compelled or guided by what he interpreted as the power of God. He experienced a kind of "inner teaching" where he was given to understand a variety of things spontaneously. Bapak claims that this same kind of experience happened to him for a few hours each night over a period of approximately 1000 days. He slept little, but was able to continue working full-time and going to school. As these experiences proceeded, Bapak gained insight into people and situations that he did not possess before. He was able to spontaneously "receive" or know things through this guidance. Around 1933, he reports that he received that if other people were physically near him while he was in a state of latihan, that this experience would begin in them also. (Today, such an initiation is usually called "the opening".) Although only a young man in his early 30's, Bapak's reputation as someone with spiritual and psychological insight spread, and many people came to him to be opened. These in turn could "open" others. This is how Subud eventually spread around Indonesia. An important moment occurred in 1957, when Bapak was invited to the home of John G. Bennett in Coombe Springs. Many UK followers of G. I. Gurdjieff were initiated into Subud at that time (including Bennett himself, though he later felt Subud to be inadequate). That same year Bapak also visited San Francisco. A religion? Main article: Subud and religion The usual understanding among Subud members is that Subud is not a religion. Though the meaning of the word "religion" is sufficiently vague to make such statements problematic, their intent is to make clear that Subud welcomes adherents of all religions (without seeking to convert them away from those religions). Subud encourages its members to practice their religions and to enrich their traditional religious understanding through direct experience of the divine. Subud then is not a religion, since it has no particular dogma of its own. That is, it believes that there is not any specific thing that a person should believe in order to be able to follow the path of the latihan kejiwaan. Rules Subud has few if any rules. However, Bapak has provided extensive guidance that may provide direction to members as their latihan deepens. A couple of important practices that might be called ‘rules’ that relate to the latihan include: men and women do not do latihan together, and non-members may not attend the latihan meetings without being "opened" (i.e., receiving the contact). Beliefs Most Subud members believe in God and believe that God is the source of their experiences in the latihan. However, it is not necessary for people who wish to join Subud to believe in God. Subud members share with each other their personal experiences of the latihan and its impact on their lives, and they do find commonalities, but the hallmark of the Subud experience is its adaptability to individuals of different cultures, races and religions. That is in essence the beliefs of Subud. Symbol The Subud symbol was envisioned by Bapak in 1959 and is registered as property of the World Subud Association. The design consists of seven concentric circles and seven spokes, which represent the seven levels of life forces as well as the great life forces that connect them. Each circle grows wider the further out from the center and each spoke narrows as it comes to the center. The space between the circles remains constant as the circles move out. The symbol is often printed in black & white when color printing is not available. When colors are used, usually the circles and spokes are gold and the background is dark blue to black. However the symbol is also sometimes shown as blue on white or white on blue. Subud organizations have trademarked this design, as well as the name "Subud," in a number of countries. Latihan Main article: Latihan The central practice of Subud is the latihan. After a period of sitting peacefully, the group is asked by a "helper" to stand and relax. The helper says, "begin" and one is then to surrender to God, not making use of one’s mind, heart or desires. Someone not in Subud might be tempted to describe this as a ritual, yet it does not take on any of the rigidities inherent in a ritual. Most of those who have been opened say (to those who ask) that it represents a direct connection with God, or the Great Life Force. In this spiritual exercise one does not expect anything in particular. One does not make any image or recite any mantra, but one may receive a feeling of vibration from within that is a contact with God or the Great Life Force. In essence, what is received in the latihan is the 'holy spirit' or 'divine light' which is similar to the contact that members of world religions may have experienced in earlier times when humankind could feel closer to God. The Divine Power, which works from within oneself during the latihan, will bring to each person who is able to receive it, what is needed by that person to complete the reason why s/he was born at this time. Initially the spiritual exercise involves a purification, which makes room for deeper receiving. The latihan continues to work 24 hours a day -- not only when one is "doing" the latihan. Through time and regularly doing one's latihan, a person may experience a personal change and development in every aspect of their daily life and being. The idea of people not directing their own behavior in worship, and that it is God who does this, is, according to Bapak, not exclusive to Subud. For example, he pointed to the original form of worship of the Quakers, at the time when they stood and freely moved and vocalized. However, Bapak also cautioned that the rituals of various sects that might appear to the casual observer to be the same as the latihan are actually different. Although the latihan can be practiced individually at home, all members are to practice it in a group if possible. In either case, men and women practice the latihan separately. Subud members have experienced that it is optimal to do the group latihan two times per week in the beginning. Later, when one can reliably receive the correct time to finish the latihan, it is considered beneficial to add a third weekly latihan at home. Another distinctive aspect of the latihan is "testing," in which one's awakened spiritual intuition is directed toward a particular question or decision. A question or request for clarification is put forth, and then the Subud member performs latihan so that s/he may receive guidance or direction. The original name for "testing" used by the founder of Subud was "terimah", which means "receiving". People who have been practicing the latihan for some time are able to recognize indications or direction from their inner feeling, showing the answer to the question they have put forward. Such indications might come in the form of visions, sounds, vibrations or spontaneous physical movements (similar but usually more intense then those in the latihan), but with an understanding that such indications (which may or may not come with the receiving) bear no relationship with mental activity or intellectual analysis. At times the receiving can be obscured or tainted by the emotional or intellectual attitude of the persons who ask the questions. Testing should be taken as a tool to clarify the spiritual complexity of the present and can lead to confusion if used as a fortune-telling device to gain insight into the future. It helps Subud members to find insight and harmony about their talents; it helps them to find the right attitude towards anything that might be a source of turmoil and trouble. A deeper understanding usually improves almost any problem, but it doesn't offer a magic or divine formula. Testing is used to select "helpers" and committee members across the World Subud Association. Bapak's book "Susila Budhi Dharma" is full of examples of situations in which this "receiving" or "testing" could be very useful in the process of training one's self in putting the latihan into practice. (It is important to remark that the first time "Testing" was called by that name was in 1957 by John Bennett. Therefore all through the book "Susila Budhi Dharma", which was written in 1952, Testing is always referred to as "Feeling" or "Receiving") Prayer Prayer can be an integral part of a Subud member's experience, but it depends on the individual and their relevant personal faith. Fasting Individual Subud members often voluntarily engage in fasting called prihatin (from the Javanese: prihatin) and either Ramadan or Lent, as Bapak recommended. Fasting includes both the reduction of outer pleasures such as food, smoking, sleep and sex as well as inner behavior such as gossip, criticism, anger and using your senses for the wrong reasons. The intent is to weaken your desires. There is no pressure to do the fast and each member must discover its inner benefits as s/he deems appropriate. Becoming a member Anyone over the age of 17 may join Subud, regardless of religious affiliation or belief system. Except in unusual circumstances, there is a three-month waiting period between first declaring the intention to join, and being "opened". This waiting period is for the benefit of the applicant to ensure that s/he has a clear understanding of the basis and aims of Subud. In the opening, a helper restates the purpose of the latihan and asks the applicant to simply relax and surrender. The applicant then joins the latihan of the helpers in attendance who begin their own latihan. If the applicant does not have a convincing experience, the latihan is immediately resumed, or in a subsequent latihan with the helpers. There is never a fee to be “opened”. There are expenses used to rent, purchase and maintain meeting facilities to do the latihan, for the maintenance of national and international offices that provide material to individuals seeking information, for archives, websites, and other routine organizational activities. Donations for these activities are needed, welcome, and voluntary. Subud had experienced some rate of turnover. While it has never conducted studies to find out why members leave, anecdotal feedback often cites unfulfilled expectations as a frequent response. This is despite the fact that applicants during the three-month waiting period are advised to dispense with expectations of any kind in order for the receiving to work most effectively. Once opened one’s receiving is unique and based on one’s inner capacity known only by God. Association Members who wish to perform some type of organizational responsibility in Subud can function as a committee member or a helper. Each responsibility can be performed at the local, regional, national, and international level. Members often move from one responsibility to another, as needed. The broadest organizational responsibility rests with the World Subud Association, which meets at a World Congress every four years and consists of the Subud World Council, Subud representatives from each country as well as members who wish to participate. The headquarters of the international organization moves to a different country every four years. Helpers Main article: Helper (Subud) Each level of the association has a group of experienced members called "helpers", whose role is to serve members by coordinating the timing of the group latihans when necessary, witnessing the "opening" of new members and speaking to those interested in participating in the latihan. Helpers are not meant to be perceived nor to regard themselves as more "spiritual" than anyone else. Helpers exist at the local, regional (in some countries), national, and international levels. The geographical status of helpers is purely in regards to the regional or national supportive duties they are asked to provide – otherwise, there are no geographical restrictions on where a helper is considered to be a helper. If a local helper from London travels to Jakarta, he will be seen as a helper there, and can do testing or open new members in the same way as any Indonesian helper. There are (at this time) 18 international helpers - nine men and nine women. Three men and three women are assigned to each of the three areas in Subud:
The international helpers are members of the World Subud Council. They serve a four year term from World Congress to World Congress. There is not meant to be any distinction in "rank" between local, national, or international helpers. However, people will be people. Ibu Rahayu Ibu Siti Rahayu Wiryohudoyo - Bapak's eldest daughter - has no formal position within Subud, but is accorded special respect by many members. Despite her frequent statements to the effect that fewer requests should be made of her, Subud members hold her in very high regard, and many will refer or listen to what she has to say with a respect and reverance ones shows to a noble and spiritually able person. She is often asked to receive for members new names (members often giving simply the first letter), although she encourages members to receive these for themselves. Committees Each Subud group is governed by a committee including a chairperson, vice-chair, treasurer, etc. This committee is tasked with making sure there is a place to do group latihan, communications, budgeting, and supporting the mutual efforts of members at the local group. A similar structure functions at the regional (in certain countries), national and international level. The international executive team is the International Subud Committee (ISC). Apart from ensuring international communication, publishing, budgeting, archives, support of affiliates, etc., it organizes a World Congress every four years. The chairperson of ISC sits on the World Subud Council. For purposes of a practical organizational structure, the Subud association is divided into nine multinational zones, more or less as follows:
Each Zone has its own four representatives that are the voting members on the World Subud Council. They also serve a four year term like helpers. They are selected at Zone Meetings. A chairperson for the World Subud Association serves a four-year term from one World Congress to the next, and is also the chairperson of the World Subud Council. The World Subud Council is responsible to ensuring that decisions made at World Congress are carried through. Affiliations Subud affiliations (sometimes called ‘Wings’) are technically independent but have overlapping boards of trustees. These are subsidiary organizations that focus on specific projects, often at a national or international level and include activities such as the:
Some chairpersons of these affiliations also sit on the World Subud Council and serve a four-year term. In addition to the above affiliations, a foundation has been set up to preserve Bapak's legacy, with a primary emphasis on helping groups acquire their own latihan premises. It is the Its chairperson reports to the World Subud Council. Enterprises Frequently Subud members find a common interest or share compatible talents and join together to form an enterprise. The size of an enterprise or company can vary greatly. There are several national enterprises as well as international enterprises. Bapak always encouraged members to put into practice what they learned in their latihan and to create enterprises that could provide an avenue where members could work in harmony. Many enterprises donate a portion of their after tax profits to the Subud Association at different levels. Controversies As the latihan is uniquely different for each individual, everyone's beliefs and awareness will be different in content and nature. Therefore the points mentioned below do not represent Subud as a whole, but will only apply to members personal opinion's on the subjects at hand. After all Subud is a representation of the person through having the qualities of Susila Budhi and Dharma, so the person is Subud and Subud is the person. Responses (Note that these controversies are written mainly from the point of view of a Western person - Subud is a worldwide movement and thus encompasses many different peoples and cultures). Schisms While no major splits within Subud have occurred, some former members and several groups of former members practice the latihan apart from the Subud organisation. | |||||||
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