®

SUBUDVOICE OCTOBER 2007

Every(wo)man’s ThankYou
I have blended a number of reports that came in pound makes me feel like I’ve come from a 3rd World
from ThankYou 2007 to give an everyman and economy
woman’s impression of the event. Later editions of SURRENDER THE MONEY ISSUE.
Subud Voice will include official reports of the meet- SURRENDER THE TERRIBLE WEATHER,
ings as they come in. Harris Smart, Editor… SURRENDER HOW YOU THINK THE GATHERING SHOULD BE RUN

The Thank You 2007 gathering in Ascot UK was held at the By getting above those mundane issues one can really
Licensed Victuallers School. The school was founded for enjoy the whole event!
the children of pub-
owners’ but now has WE MET OLD FRIENDS…
many other children. It is I decided to sit down in
very large and modern the Main Entrance and
and is offering excellent watch everyone arriving.
space for our latihan This was nice. A very gen-
and meetings. tle affair. One expects
uproar when people first
The gathering began meet and greet one
yesterday afternoon another, but it wasn’t like
with heavy registration that, despite the many
and many visitors from hugs and smiling faces.
all over the world. There Many of my brothers and
is a large number of sisters were looking much
members from the U.S. older, and either fatter or
and many other coun- a lot thinner.
tries represented.
It was a long time
The school where the since I had last
meetings are has a attended a big event.
large white tent that At Holland 99 I had
seats about 1500 and been ‘there but not
that is where the there’ – having arrived
women's latihan is held. but having immedi-
The men use a gym. The
Members listening to the ‘Welcome’ talk from Ibu Rahayu on the big screen
ately collapsed into a
local team has done
hanging in the large marquee (Photo: Hassanah Wilson, UK)
kind of coma for the
an amazing job creating spaces in the school for work- whole event, of which I remember almost nothing.
shops and many cultural events. They have had to have
two seatings for meals due to the number of attendees I then went searching for a cup of tea, and who did I find
(my guess is 1,200). just outside, and calling me? Patricia Lacey, one of my
dearest friends, and well known to many of you for her
The weather is cold and rainy but should be warmer and Subud stories in ‘Conversations with Friends’. Patricia was
sunny by Friday. I found a computer room that seems to looking well, but older of course. She is now 84, and she
be the warmest place at the school since it is quite windy said this would be her last big event.
and rainy outside.
For the past few years she and her sister have been liv-
WE LEARNED TO SURRENDER… ing at Wisma Mulia, and they love it there. It’s so peace-
The beauty of the school and surroundings is completely ful, Patricia says, and she needs much quiet. Sometimes
lost due to the ‘worst August’ she chooses not to see any-
in recorded history (and one for days, and just enjoys
thatza lotta history): windy, ...meeting newly opened members the trees moving gently out-
rainy, overcast dark grey side her window.
clouds, with great damp- who have come to this
ness, cold. The usually stoic WE HEARD AMAZING STORIES…
locals are really into grum- celebration, not knowing what to I met Gabriel Ringhilescu from
bling about it all. Romania. You may remember
expect and seeing their faces aglow him from Spokane, where he
The exchange rate of 2 with delight and love worked tirelessly in the com-
greenbacks to one Brit puter room. cont on P2 >
SUBUDVOICE PAGE 1
At that time he was still a new Subud member, and life
was very hard for him in Iasi, where he lived.
But the Guerrand Hermes Foundation had enabled him
to be at Spokane, and after that he had begun working
for Simon Guerrand in Paris, and that’s where he lives
now. Life for him had changed dramatically indeed!
I’m wondering how many more people I will be meeting
in the next few days, whose lives have changed in amaz-
ing ways.
and grateful to be here.
WE LEARNED TO JUST GO ON…
Another wet, grey, very cold morning, but they say the
weekend will be better. I wanted to arrive early today, in
order to catch the morning latihan. And I’m glad I did – it
was wonderful, despite the strong wind which made the
marquee flaps clatter like chairs being moved around. In
big latihans one is carried along like a leaf in a stream,
and it seems easier to forget one’s own thoughts and
problems.

WE EXPERIENCED A HOWLING WIND… A dear friend and old timer, Adrianna King-Hall came in for
All the ladies usually dressed in their summer finery are latihan at the same time as I did, and we just had time for
forced to wear jeans, jackets, coats but isn't this part of a hug. She recently turned 80, and seemed to be celebrat-
our Subud experience? No expectations, surrender, and ing by wearing a blouse of the brightest green I ever saw.
learning to go with the flow. Because all the rooms are
heated to the hilt, it is a constant process of jackets on After latihan was over I talked for a while with Patricia
and off. Reminiscent of winter. Oh, yes, it's August. Auffret from Paris, who had been for a long time,
Kejiwaan Councillor for France. She had no idea of how
The Opening Ceremony, held in difficult my life was at present,
the large Main Marquee (tent) but nevertheless she began talk-
that sits in a beautiful green field, ing of how she coped with her
was a multi-media experience own times of difficulty. She had
with guest speakers, Simon such a wonderful attitude. ‘Just
Cherpitel's incredible website on go on,’ she would say to herself.
the centre screen, and the wind Yes indeed. God bless you
howling and pummelling the Patricia, I will remember that.
marquee with gusts of energy
that banged the metal poles, WE SHARED STORIES ABOUT
whipping the tent furiously, back BAPAK AND IBU…
and forth, finally disconnecting I went to the Theatre, where a sur-
the electricity. prisingly small number of people
were sitting watching a video of
But before that happened, some remembrances of Bapak.
Stephen Gonsalves, Subud
Britain Chair, welcomed us, and First we saw a much larger than
an Indonesian member sang a life Ibu Rahayu, looking lovely but
familiar kronchong song, playing in very reticent mood. She just
his ukelele. stressed how she was only
ThankYou personalities: human, and didn’t know every-
Harlan Cockburn gave a nice Top row, ThankYou organisers Ridwan Poole and Roszala thing, only sometimes - if it was
opening speech, joking about Horton. Bottom row Retiring UK Chair Stephen God’s Will. She said she didn’t like
how they had tested what Gonsalves and WSA Chair Osanna Vaughn telling stories, because people
Photos: Hassanah Wilson
month of the year to hold the might not believe them.
Celebrations, and everyone had said it must be August,
because then it would be hot and dry. We all laughed. Next came Muti, who used to help with answering
Bapak’s letters. She told us how sometimes Bapak would
He then told us that members from 32 countries had phone her in the middle of the night (she was used to it)
come, and he asked some countries to stand so we could asking her to help him in some way. And every time she
all applaud. As far as I could see, USA came first, France touched him it was as if his body were full of electric
and Germany next, then 3 from Hungary. Then the First shocks. Even when she cut his hair she could feel the
Wave, the real old-timers, were asked to stand. They were vibrations. That kind of thing was the proof for her, that
by far the biggest group. Bapak was special.

Pak Haryono told us a few Bapak stories and finished just
before the lights and mics went off.
Last night we saw some films by Subud members includ-
ing a wonderfully animated commercial created by
David Anderson, a long time friend of mine from when I
lived in England. It will be airing in the US.
There is the Lakeside Café for all us late-nighters to hang
out in the cold and today is the Veteran's Lunch. It is
amazing how many 80-90 year olds have travelled to
Ascot to be together.
Despite the grey skies, we are sunny, smiling, in Subud bliss
PAGE 2
A few days before he died, she remembered him saying
something like ‘Muti, you must make yourself as wide as
the ocean; we must all do that and forgive each other.’
THINGS ARE HOTTING UP…
Alexandra Asseily showed a very moving documentary
about forgiveness that included scenes from Northern
Ireland with a feature about healing work in schools.
She talked about an attempt to create a ‘Garden of
Forgiveness’ at Ground Zero in New York, and her own
‘Garden of Forgiveness’ in the centre of Beirut surrounded
by mosques, churches and a synagogue, which has
been put on hold due to last summer’s continued on p 3 >
SUBUDVOICE
violent events. had increased to about 35 – 45 individuals.

A seven member band ‘In Bob We Trust’ delighted us with
an evening of Bob Dylan songs.
The ‘Street’ (a corridor in the maze of hallways that are
part of this venue) was buzzing with activity from the
many enterprise presentations from around the world. A
vibrant youth program is creating many fond memories
for many young people, and so much more…
After the ladies morning latihan Ismana Sumohadiwidjojo
suggested a latihan to give thanks to Almighty God for
the gift of the latihan which Bapak brought us.
Upon conclusion, the theatre doors opened to let in a
rush of people waiting to hear the band ‘In Bob We Trust’.
Within minutes the room was filled to overflowing with
eager fans ready to be entertained.
How curious. If Bapak had been here ‘in person’ the hall
would have been overflowing. Yet his presence on DVD
attracted few members. When Bapak was with us in these
congresses, that was all we did: BAPAK. Now with all the
Sideshow Events like candle making, celtic music, presen-
tations of many kinds, a Bapak talk is just one of the many
activities.

This was followed by test questions including asking God From my experience attending last night's talk, the power
for forgiveness for our mistakes, receiving the significance of Bapak's latihan and message is just as immediate, alive
of the latihan for ourselves and our families, receiving the and dynamic whether he were there in person or on DVD.
role of Subud UK in fulfilling Bapak’s mission, the signifi- I guess I am disappointed and sad that Bapak and his
cance of the latihan in the world, receivings have been relegated
and then the role of each of us to a lower level of interest.
might play in this.
WE HEARD WHAT’S HAPPENING
MAY I QUOTE YOU? WITH WORLD CONGRESS…
Elaina Dodson, U.S.A.: ‘This has Tonight we have a big fireworks
been a very moving experience. display to celebrate the 50 years
I feel like we’re seeing the full cir- and a big entertainment.
cle come around, the evolution
of a miracle.’ The latihans have been big as
usual. I have done one a day. As
Louisa Urrejola, Chile: ‘I discov- usual they are very powerful
ered the true meaning of Subud experiences. The team has been
is all of us. I would like to have very sensitive to our aging popula-
talked to each of the pioneers.’ tion and have supplied rooms on
site for one to take a nap and that
Anonymous: ‘We’ve broken has been really appreciated.
through the nafsu barrier – the
sun came out after all those Yesterday the New Zealand
days.’ Several anonymous: team made a presentation of
‘Strong latihans.’ ThankYou events Congress 2010 and it looks great.
Top row, Ilaina Lennard manning the Subud Voice stand. They are very well organised.
THE PIONEER LUNCH WAS A SPI Director Edward Mackenzie on the SPI stand. Bottom They even convinced the city to
HIGHLIGHT… row: people at the Inspire exhibition and the House Band put up the $140,000 d e p o s i t t o
The festive ‘veteran / ancients / h o l d t h e event...amazing. This
old-timer/pioneer’ luncheon was held today in a gaily was a big help to ISC since in the past they have had to
decorated tent, within the setting of the 50 year Thank ask members for personal guarantees which are not
You celebration being held in Britain. Though clouds hung needed this time around.
low in the English skies, the spirits, gentle charm and good
feelings were high. SOME GOOD THINGS ARE HAPPENING IN KALIMANTAN…
There were approximately 150 members present, most of This morning I went to the Kalimantan meeting, which was
whom were opened in the year of, or those immediately very well attended – possibly because the weather out-
following, Bapak’s first visit to England in 1957. side was too cold to do much sitting about elsewhere.
Anyway, I found shivers going down my spine all over
It was a wonderful sight to see so many of our original again when I read Bapak’s words on screen, which
members together in one place. Indeed, it was an oppor- began the meeting:
tunity to express gratitude for their pioneering efforts,
vision, and shared experiences: a touching moment of ‘Bapak is going to Borneo today - all the way to Borneo
remembrance and celebration. for your sakes and the sake of Bapak’s children around
the world…
WE SAW THAT SUBUD CULTURE IS CHANGING…
Last evening (Friday) there was a scheduled Bapak talk ‘Bapak hopes therefore that each of you will persevere in
[DVD) from the Anugraha World Congress (1983) at 7PM. what you are doing, make diligent efforts to achieve
something good in what you are studying, so that in the
I arrived to find only about 6 other folk in the large theatre future the results of Bapak’s journey will not be in vain.
room - seats 200+. I found that interesting since the talk
was well promoted with signs and announcements, and ‘Our task is to bring development without spoiling the
was in the main theatre. original nature. The task we face is very big indeed.’

By the end of the talk [about 2 & 1/2 hrs] the audience We were then shown pictures of Rungan Sari cont on p4 >

SUBUDVOICE PAGE 3
and its houses. Apparently it’s very comfort-
able there now, but apart from the eco vil-
lage, which had more of a Javanese We may be
flavour, I was a little disappointed that
there was not much Javanese character in small in
their house design. They could have been
anywhere. The exception was the big numbers, but
Latihan Hall which looks absolutely beauti-
ful , and is certainly very Javanese in style.
we are
We then heard about some of the projects
alive and
- such as the school, which now has 40 stu-
dents. ‘Please if anything, bring us high
developing as
quality education’ the locals say. The caring human
school always needs more volunteers.
There is also a small eco-tourism business beings
operated by Lorna Dowson Collins and
Gaye Thavisin, who offer cruises on the
river. There are other enterprises, but we didn’t hear
about them.
WE’RE STILL HOPEFUL ABOUT THE MINING…
We were also told a little about the Kalimantan mining
activities. It seems that we have an excellent ‘big partner’
in Oxiana, who have similar values to ours’ and are
already accustomed to being socially responsible in the
way they mine. Without them we couldn't go on to the
next stage, the costs would be too high.
KGC would get 30% of the value of the copper extracted
– usually it is only 20%, it’s a terrific deal, and Oxiana will also
fund the development costs. So far the copper samples
have shown a very high content, and so it may one day
become a first class copper mine. Then Subud can really
influence the development of the country as a whole.
However, the present concession runs out in a year and
Oxiana is not obliged to continue. As I understood it, all
will depend on how they see the future of a mining proj-
ect there.
SDI IN THE CONGO IS AN EXCITING STORY…
Later I walked into a packed room, where the SDI represen-
tative Charlotte N’Dona from DR Congo was giving a talk.
She spoke in French, but Virginia Thomas did a marvellous
job as interpreter.
Charlotte gave me the impression of being extremely
intelligent and utterly dedicated. She very movingly pro-
vided graphic glimpses of what life was like for many in
her country, and how the Subud people there had been
guided to set up educational and health projects, often
in areas where there was no running water or electricity or
other amenities. She also suggested ways in which small
enterprises might be set up.
‘We have a mission to save human life’, she said. ‘But in
the Congo, if one falls ill it’s only by the Grace of God that
one is still there in the morning.’ She described how many
women had to give birth on the floor, without any assis-
tance, how she knew of a man with a big family, whose
arm had been cut off, but who nevertheless still did field
work with the one remaining arm. One US dollar, she said,
could feed 5 – 6 children for a day.
At the end of Charlotte’s talk SDI chair Sharifin Gardiner
was unashamedly in tears, and as I looked round the
room I could see that everyone there, like myself, was sim-
ilarly affected.
PAGE 4
HERE COMES THE SUN AT LAST…
Finally on Day 6 the weather turned fine and
warm, it’s made such a difference.
I seem to have spent most of my time try-
ing to be somewhere I ought to be and
finding it wasn’t there anymore. Feeling
very spaced out, so can only give a few
little things.
Nice aspect of Subud SD projects in India is
that in rural India 6 men and 6 women have
joined Subud, and SD expects many more
to come in rural India. All SD India projects
entirely funded by SDI, which is fantastic.
Talked with a youngish man here who had
studied physics and philosophy; he spoke about improve-
ments that he felt Subud needed to make.
He said it must speak to young people more in the lan-
guage of today, and that we should concentrate on
making more information available as to its existence.
He wasn’t happy with the quality of Subud helpers or with
the way testing about people was done; felt it should be
‘blind’ as this would make it more reliable. He was con-
cerned that ecology as such was not really mentioned by
Bapak.
I talked with Elias Dumit from Brazil about the carbon foot-
print we make by attending this NZ World Congress, and
he suggested we might plants trees to offset it. An inter-
esting idea, and perhaps it will go further.
The next day the UK Congress began, and this added a
new element to a ‘party’ that I felt might otherwise have
begun to flag. Amongst the presentations made that day
was that of the UK Almoners, whose activities are by
necessity usually shrouded in mystery.
However Katherine Ahmad was able to tell us that grants
made this year totalled £7,635 and had increased from
£4,000 the year before. But this was not matched by
donations.
HAPPY DAYS ARE HERE AGAIN…
Since you know that we finally had a positive change in
the weather, I wanted to let you experience how that has
affected the atmosphere. Finally the lawns are filled with
happy brothers and sisters, enjoying the warmth and the
conversations with long-time and new friends. Perhaps
some of the workshops suffered from the lack of atten-
dees but the mellow expanse of lounging Subudites filled
the air with joy.
Last night was the Gala Extravaganza which wove music,
skits by some of the many children who are here, com-
mentary about our 50 years of Subud in the West followed
by a slideshow of photographs about what was going on
in the world and Subud during each of the 5 decades of
Subud.
There was also a film interspersed throughout the Gala of
reflections of some of our Veteran members. It was truly
multimedia with an intermission of the most creative fire-
work display I have ever seen plus an ending of 50 small,
cont on p5 >
SUBUDVOICE
white paper lanterns which were each fired like a hot air balloon.
As each was lit by the many young people holding the
lanterns, they rose high into the air, glowing with their illu-
mination for many minutes until at last they floated off into
the universe many miles away in the very black but star-
filled night. It was truly a spectacle to behold.
cess, and many people have joined Subud through
reading it, especially in Hungary. It has now been trans-
lated from the original Hungarian into Portuguese and
English, and will before long also be available in
Spanish, German and Japanese. Rachmaniyah stressed
how people always came to her to ask about Subud,
never the other way round.

TO THE LAKESIDE CAFÉ… She also spoke about her love for the Congo, and about
After that, many of us went to the Lakeside Cafe to have the tremendous sincerity of the members there. Then she
tea and dance to the reggae DJ. When that closed, described the time when as international helpers, she
some of us headed for the Marquee where some cre- and Leonard Lassalle had made a big journey by bus on
ative youth lite candles to lighten the songfest which con- a road which had led to a precipice. And how everyone
tinued until about 3 am. Well, that's when I left but I could on the bus had started praying that the bus would not go
hear their music and laugh- over the edge..
ter as I headed home for
another 4 hour night of A THANK YOU FROM WSC TO THANKYOU I also spoke with Harlinah
sleep. Longcroft, and we both
Within the World Subud Council there’s a constant regretted that not enough
One of the highlights for me questioning of how best to fulfill the needs of our attention was being given to
is meeting newly opened membership and how to bridge the gap between making Subud known and
members who have come our organisation and the members. available. Her little book
to this celebration, not We also continue to try to understand how we can ‘Subud Is a Way of Life’ had
knowing what to expect build a feeling of pride in belonging to the World now been translated into
and seeing their faces Subud Association. However much we try to work on Portuguese, German, Thai,
aglow with delight and this, it is still a help if members feel that they can bring Russian and French, and
love, filled with the joy of their concerns openly either to their local or national people were always coming
the latihan and moved by committees or directly to us. up to her and saying ‘It’s
the care and welcome In our continuing follow-up of resolutions made at the because of your book that I
they are receiving. Innsbruck World Congress, we have been reviewing joined Subud.’
When you look at all we our 2006 goals and identifying what we need to aim
have in Subud, from the for in the upcoming year, especially in relation to a AFTER THE RECEIVING, THE
Spirit in the latihan, to the new world-wide initiative to follow the ‘Being Present’ WORK…
social projects, the creative idea (which will continue). The Subud Britain Congress
fire, the many young peo- We leave with a renewed sense of this international began and I felt the strength of
ple that are connecting association that we are nurturing with the awareness Subud in the UK compared with
with each other as a family that there are a number of issues that need to be many other countries. Nat.
as many of us have over addressed to help us move forward. Chair Stephen Gonsalves said
the years, we are truly We deeply thank Subud Britain for having the fore- the focus at this Congress would
blessed. We may be small in sight to commemorate this marker in our collective not only be on the kejiwaan but
numbers, but we are alive Subud lives. The organising effort for this Gathering also on business aspects.
and developing as caring and Celebration was extraordinary and well done.
human beings. Much has happened, many people have met, Harlinah Longcroft told me
shared, developed stronger ties…and so we go on. that Rofin Australia, the
I hope your days are as Thank You All! enterprise of which Hadrian
happy as mine. My cup run- Fraval is CEO, had won a
neth over. prize from the government
for the best small enterprise in the country.
THE CLOSE…
The closing ceremony last night was indeed amazing with As to enterprises in Britain, Lydia Edwards said she had
a fireworks display that ranked with any I have seen any- found, ‘If you want to do something, you may have to
where. Today a whole new crew arrives for the World wait years, but if God wants you to do something you
Subud Council and the National Congress of Britain. have to do it tomorrow!’
The fireworks must have startled the neighbourhood a bit
since it was long and huge. The evenings program was Samuel Lesley updated us clearly and well on his special
well put together with a poet who wrote of each of the 5 wheelchair design for those with strokes or muscular dys-
decades with both photos of happening of the era and trophy, and this is an ongoing story. Unfortunately anoth-
our Subud History. er enterprise presentation which also had an excellent
story to tell, was delivered so fast that one could neither
HOW CAN WE TELL PEOPLE ABOUT THIS GOOD THING WE HAVE… hear nor absorb it.
Had an interesting talk today with Rachmaniyah Bowden.
She is now 90 and has to use a wheelchair much of the David Barker ended the session by telling us how years ago
time, though occasionally I saw her actually pushing it he had been in Cilandak and had talked with Sudarto. He
along in front of her! Soon she will be selling her beautiful remembered Sudarto saying in connection with any form
house in Portugal in order to come and live near Sharif of enterprise: ‘If you want guidance, you must do it.’
and Tuti in England (Lewes). Andrew Holloway – himself a successful entrepreneur,
added, ‘If we’re not moving, we’re not receiving.’
Apparently her autobiography has been a huge suc-
cont on p6 >
SUBUDVOICE PAGE 5
SD Britain’s presentation stressed the fact that SD projects
could actually be impaired by being given too much too
soon. In terms of their pie chart, 94% had been donations
out, but only 82% had come in. ICDP and the Mithra proj-
ect in India were by far the highest in terms of SDB support
during 2006. The smallest had been projects in Africa.
AND A LAST WORD FROM WSC…
Within the World Subud Council there’s a constant ques-
tioning of how best to fulfill the needs of our membership
and how to bridge the gap between our organisation
and the members.
We also continue to try to understand how we can build a
feeling of pride in belonging to the World Subud Association.
However much we try to work on this, it is still a help if mem-
bers feel that they can bring their concerns openly either to
their local or national committees or directly to us.
In our continuing follow-up of resolutions made at the
Innsbruck World Congress, we have been reviewing our 2006
goals and identifying what we need to aim for in the upcom-
ing year, especially in relation to a new world-wide initiative
to follow the ‘Being Present’ idea (which will continue).
We leave with a renewed sense of this international asso-
ciation that we are nurturing with the awareness that
there are a number of issues that need to be addressed
to help us move forward.
We deeply thank Subud Britain for having the foresight to
commemorate this marker in our collective Subud lives.
The organising effort for this Gathering and Celebration
was extraordinary and well done. Much has happened,
many people have met, shared, developed stronger
ties…and so we go on. Thank You All!
(Thank you to Ilaine Lennard, Gregory Marston, Lionnell
Covert, Halimah Collingwood and Subud World News
upon whose material I drew to make this compilation.
Harris Smart, Editor)
Ibu Rahayu
Talk
Should Bapak’s Talks Be
Available to the General Public?
Ibu Rahayu’s Talk To Members
Wisma Subud, Cilandak 24th June, 2007
On the Occasion of Bapak’s Birthday Anniversary
Final Translation by Raymond Lee RECORDING 07 CDK 1
Copyright 2007, World Subud Association. All rights reserved.
This talk was given for people practising the spiritual exercise
known as the Subud Latihan. For those not practising this exer-
cise, reading the following talk is not recommended as it could
be misunderstood.
Brothers and sisters whom I respect and love, I wish you
the peace and blessings of Almighty God. During this
happy gathering we have celebrated Bapak’s birthday
and many people have been able to attend from the
PAGE 6
provinces and abroad. As such,
the committee and the helpers
felt that I should contribute
Bapak’s
something to the kejiwaan pro-
gram – because it is not often
that we can organise an event
talks
like this. So, even though it will
be short, I am going to give you arouse
a talk.
In previous talks I have told you
the soul
about the working of the spiritual training of Subud,
whereby you go through one process after another. The
first process is the coming to life or the growth of the
soul, and the purification that goes with it. The second
process is preparation, during which you are prepared
to be able to receive the gift of God which is given to
people who do latihan. And the third stage is called
understanding. And the fourth stage is awareness and
individuality. I am sure that you are going through these
processes and that you have had experiences that
bear out what I am saying.
This morning I am going to talk about understanding.
Understanding of our spiritual path cannot be taught [or
learnt] using the mind. For Subud members who have not
forgotten where the latihan came from, Bapak’s talks are
our source [for understanding] the spiritual training of
Subud. At first glance, Bapak’s talks seem like ordinary
talks, and yet you cannot understand them by thinking
about them. So, you can use Bapak’s talks as a gauge of
your own understanding about the latihan and the extent
of your experiences in the latihan.
This is evident when you have just been opened. When
you read or hear Bapak’s talks, you think they are just sto-
ries. You cannot understand them, let alone understand
them with your soul. But after doing latihan for a few
years, after five years or more, try and read them again.
The talks will give you a new understanding. They will not
be stories anymore; the talks will meet an inner need.
I expect that those of you who have done the latihan for
many years have experienced that. But, do not think that
you only need to read a talk once. ‘Oh, I’ve read that
one!’ and never read it again. Try reading it again after
doing latihan for a few years; read it again. What is the
talk really about?
I said that [reading] Bapak’s talks is a measure of the
depth of your own understanding. Some people only
understand what Bapak’s talks are about after doing the
latihan for 20 years.
But why are the talks like that? The reason is that when
Bapak talked to you about the spiritual training of Subud,
he was in a state of complete surrender to Almighty God.
So, what took place was that the power of God united
with God’s creature. That is why someone who is not in
Subud and who has not been opened finds it hard to
read the talks. In truth, there is a real possibility that if
someone were to read a talk in a calm surrendered state,
they could be opened by reading the talk. That could
have positive and negative consequences. On the posi-
tive side, that person would be happy to feel something
that they had never felt before, but on the negative side,
if that person did not want to accept [that receiving],
they would have an inner conflict, something that they
did not want.
cont on p7 >
SUBUDVOICE
So, now, when it comes to Bapak's talks and
books, we are faced with a dilemma: Should Once your
we make Bapak's talks available to the public,
or not? That is still a matter for debate. latihan is
Well, that is what I wanted to say about
Bapak’s talks. And for us, because the talks are
alive, you
the only source we have for finding out and
learning about the latihan, it is our responsibili- will never
ty to maintain and preserve Bapak’s books
and talks. leave
Members who write books
Nowadays, many members write their own
Subud
books about Subud. But we cannot say that those books
are ‘Subud books’. The books which Subud members
write are accounts of their experiences in Subud. Do not
hold them out to be ‘Subud books’. Doing so will confuse
people if they think those books are ‘Subud books’ –
books that contain widely differing individual experi-
ences. As we are human, we each have very different
experiences depending on our individual situation.
If we can understand [an explanation] about the latihan
with our minds, it means that explanation has come from
someone else’s mind. The fact is that, as far as the human
mind is concerned, what we receive in Subud does not
exist, it cannot happen. What the human mind has the
capacity to think about goes only as far as the point
before we are opened, before we receive the latihan.
That is why you do not have to read Bapak's talks every
day [with your mind], no. Just read them when you feel a
need, when you are in a quiet state. It is true that it is hard
to have self discipline [to read the talks], because you
have to fight your lower forces to do so.
I just got a letter from an overseas member, an old mem-
ber who said, ‘Ibu, it is time that you told every Subud
member over 60 to read Bapak's talks. If they do not read
Bapak talks it will be their loss and they will regret not
reading them in their lifetime.’ I guess that person only felt
the need to read Bapak’s talks when they got to be 60.
But you do not have to wait to get to 60 to read Bapak's
talks. [the audience laughs] You can start reading talks
right after you are opened.
Helpers should read Bapak’s talks
And helpers should certainly read Bapak’s talks. Helpers
should be able to follow in Bapak’s footsteps – even
though you will not be able to do what Bapak did – but
you should [be like Bapak] in the way you give explana-
tions to Subud members. You should be in a state of com-
plete surrender, so that your words do not come from your
heart, or from you, instead you just become a channel to
open and arouse another human soul so that someone
who could not understand will understand, someone who
could not surrender, will understand how to surrender.
So, when helpers give explanations to mem-
bers, do not focus on your own experiences, You will find
do not do that. The problem is that if you had
unpleasant experiences, the way you explain it easy to
Subud to someone who wants to join Subud
will reflect that unpleasantness. overcome
In this regard – this is for the helpers – there is
no harm if you start to give explanations
your
about Subud at gatherings. In fact, if you are
capable and willing, you can even give talks
difficulties
SUBUDVOICE
about Subud. But, as I said, when giving expla-
nations to members, you must be completely
free of self interest; you must surrender every-
thing to God.
I say that because in my case, when I give
explanations to you, I never think out what I will
say ahead of time; I never plan what I will say
to you. Even I sometimes get nervous and anx-
ious, ‘What shall I tell the members? What can
they absorb? They have come a long way to
hear me – am I just going to tell them the same
old things?’
When you give explanations about Subud, you have to
be surrendered. Do not put your ego forward; you must
surrender to God. Only God can arouse the content of
another human being. We are just the way for that to
happen. So when helpers meet, do not spend your time
arguing different points of view, all you do is create
disharmony.
The proof of what I am saying is that Bapak's talks – even
though they seem to be just talks – arouse the human
soul. You get proof of that if you do latihan after listening
to a talk, it is as if the latihan has more power which you
did not know about, but it is there. That experience shows
you that God is always with us, provided we ask for God’s
help, provided we remember that the power of God is
close to us, because the power of God is inside us.
Therefore, if you lie to yourself, it is like you are trying to
fool the power of God. How is it possible for someone who
does latihan to lie and go against God's will?
Now I will continue with an explanation about the latihan.
Your soul has work to do
If you have just started to do latihan, in latihan you are
going through a process of growth that began at your
opening. During this process, your soul, which is the place
where the essence of God manifests, starts to come to
life. Well, your soul was always alive, but [before you were
opened] it was not actively working. After your opening,
your soul has work to do; it has to fill every part of your
body with life.
Why does your soul have to do that? If your body is alive
– your hands, your feet and so on, as well as your emo-
tions and your thinking – it will mean that if you receive
the power of God or a gift from the power of God, you
will be able to feel it. To be brought to life, every part of
your body, every one of your senses, has to go through a
process of development in the latihan.
I often tell you – I am referring to all of you – that your lati-
han is not completely alive. What is it like to do a latihan
which is alive? Well, if your latihan is alive, what is inside
you will be alive; you can feel it. Of course, the time it will
take you to achieve that will depend on your
own situation and capacity. Once your latihan
is alive, you will never leave Subud.
But if you still have doubts about Subud, it
means that Subud is not yet one with your soul.
That is why we should not have doubts when
we do latihan. When you experience doubt, it
means that your own mind blocks you. ‘Is the
latihan real? Am I on the right track?’ It is a test
of your diligence and ability to cont on p8 >
PAGE 7
surrender. Surrender to God means you have to surrender
completely to God, regardless of what happens to you.
Once your latihan is alive, it will become active in your
daily life. You will find it easy it to overcome your difficul-
ties. And you will probably find that you can feel or get a
sense of what is right for you to do and what is not right to
do. So, at that point you will not need to test anymore, like
you do now – you want to get a job, you test; you want
to move, you test! And so on.
Testing
Do not make testing the number one activity in Subud.
The problem is that when you do that kind of testing, you
do it out of self-interest. So, it is as if you are ordering God
to guarantee the outcome for you. Yes, you can do that
kind of testing, but do not make it a habit. Testing all the
time will make you less able to surrender.
Do not equate that kind of testing with the kind of testing I
am going to do with you later. The kind of tests that I will do
with you are meant to help you check your progress, so that
you can check for yourself, ‘Is what I am receiving right?
Have I got any benefit since I was opened in Subud?’
Who tests you? On the face of it, I will test you. But, as a
human being, I have no power or ability to inwardly touch
all of you. For instance, if I have to inwardly touch you –
how many of you are there? I cannot do it. It is impossible.
We surrender to God. So, the inner contact that you
receive during the testing is a contact with the great
power of God – which is independent of how many peo-
ple are tested – and whatever God wants to happen, can
happen. Because I surrender to God and leave every-
thing to God, that inner contact will touch each of you.
So, if you have never tested before, if you have come
from the provinces, testing is like doing latihan. We are in
a state of surrender and we just feel [our own being]. If
you have the capacity, you will be moved in response to
the question. But if you do not feel anything, it does not
matter. Do not feel embarrassed, or imitate those around
you – there is no point.
I will end this morning’s talk now and the rest of the time I
will use for testing.
• NOTE: I have just read Bapak's talk 67 PAR 3 (due to be
I N N E R
V O I C E
Edited by Ilaina Lennard
Inner Voice welcomes new stories and letters
NOTE: Ilaina’s new e-mail: Ilaina.l@ntlworld.com
A CLOSE SHAVE IN RAMADAN
Samuel Lesley, UK, writes…
Before undertaking the fast, I often test the question:
‘What is most important for me to give up this time?’. On
one occasion in the mid 1990s the answer was: ‘Give up
the feeling of invincibility’.
PAGE 8
Towards the end of the fast, I drove
out into the country on a nice I am
sunny day for a winter walk with my
wife. On the way home I drove powerless
through a tiny village which was
just a few houses dotted around a without
crossroad. As I approached the
crossroad I noticed an elderly God’s
woman on the pavement close to
the crossroad, behaving oddly.
She stepped into the road and
guidance
then retreated, and did this several times. So I approached
the crossroad with caution.
At the crossroad I looked both ways, saw nothing, and
set off. As I crossed the middle of the road, I was horrified
to see a car crossing from left to right only a few feet in
front of me. My wife let out a muffled scream and I
braked hard – too late, because there was the sound of
a light collision.
I continued across the road, parked the car a few yards
ahead, and walked back towards the other car. The
other driver got out of his car and examined it for dam-
age. The car had plastic wheel arches above the rear
wheels, and the collision had drawn a faint horizontal line
across the rear of the arch. The other driver thought the
damage too trivial to complain, so I thanked him and
shook his hand.
I returned to my car to examine the damage, and was
astonished to see that there was only a trace of abrasion
on my number plate, and noticed that the plastic pip
which covered the attachment screw was missing.
When I got back in the car, my wife asked me why I drove
across when there was another car approaching the
crossroad. I confessed that I hadn’t seen it at all. Then I
realised that the elderly woman had saved me from a
major collision. So I looked around for her, but there was no
sign of her. Was she an angel sent to protect me?
Certainly, she did that; but I realised that I had been given
a lesson to teach me that I am powerless without God’s
guidance. So I have given up the feeling of invincibility.
published in Volume 17 of Bapak's Talks) in which he says
'It is said that angels can change their shape and nature
to be whatever they want to be. They can change into
any nature, any creature, millions of times.' That seems to
be relevant in the context of my article for Inner Voice.
THE ELUSIVE NIGHT OF POWER
Harris Boebel writes humourously of Ramadan…
Well, it's that time of year again. The holy month of
Ramadan, one of the great challenges in my year. As
always I am determined to do the fast correctly. I must
experience that golden rain, the Lailatul Quadar, and
prepare a blessed path to the hereafter.
I have no problems with abstaining from food. It's the
inner fast - that is the problem. But this year I am going to
try a new approach. The place where I find the most gos-
sip is at the Subud Center, and there are a few persons
there that I don't get along with all that well, and I could
be subject to an angry word, or imagined
cont on p 9 >
SUBUDVOICE
scenes of putting them down..
The new approach is to minimise contacts with people. I
will do my latihan at home. I have laid in a big supply of
food, so I don't have to interact at the grocery store, and
work has few contacts because I'm doing a remodelling
while the owner is away.
And I realised that everyone had begun a day before I
did. And the dog...?
I raced home and looked her. She looked like she had
been to heaven and back.
‘You knew,’ I screamed. ‘You got the golden rain. And I...’

I learned not to look at beautiful women while I'm driving She had this look like the Madonna… ‘Blew it again, didn't you?’
because of swervability problems, and I have recordings
of the Muslim prayers for my car stereo. So, if this will shield PROOF OF THE LATIHAN
me for twenty days, I figure I've got a chance on the
twenty first night to receive that coveted experience.
Levi Lemberger, Coordinator of Subud Writers
International, writes…
‘O.K. Dog, this is the year,’ I told her, a few days before the
night of Ablutions, as I call it; the night where you clean
Last night at a probation meeting, the following occurred
yourself and make your intentions to fast.
to me.
Then you get up early the next morning for the first 'Saur'.
When you go to an international Subud gathering there are
I live pretty simply, but that first breakfast of Ramadan I
people from all around the globe. They come from North
can't resist, and I make a big cheese omelet, followed by
and South American, Africa, Europe, New Zealand, India,
grits and a piece of beef bacon, and then a great big
Australia, The Ukraine, Russia and many other countries.
chocolate chip waffle with strawberries and whipped
cream, and Colombian coffee, brewed fresh.
Many times they do not speak to each other and cannot
communicate except through an interpreter. But if you
Over the years the dog had been treated to my disserta-
asked them what is this exercise you do called ‘The
tions on Ramadan and its blessings, and she really seems
Latihan’, and what happens to you from doing this exer-
to understand that she shouldn't bug me, because it
cise? I believe they would say that they receive some-
could ruin my fast. So she pretty much lays on her bed in
thing that is from God.
the corner of the room and moves only when I take her
out, or to eat and drink.
It is a sort of contact with the life force or a part of God.
That this exercise has allowed them to learn more about
But last year the night before ‘Ablutions’ she went crazy. I
who they are by doing something to their inner feelings so
thought, ‘Ah-ha, she's testing me so I can practice being
as to make them more sensitive to the world and who
unaffected. I said ‘Good Dog’ and patted her on the
they are.
head. But all night she carries on whimpering and coming
to the bedroom door to look at me.
Perhaps I haven't expressed it
The proof
Very late I heard her rummaging around in the kitchen,
perfectly, but it is not what any-
one has told them to believe, it is
and
but I roll over, again practicing not being disturbed by
not by following teachings, or
someone else's actions. In the morning I discovered
she had gotten into my waffle mix and coffee beans
instructions, the source of their evidence
contact with the power of God,
and strewn them all over the floor. Another test. I pat-
ted her and said, ‘Good Dog, You're testing me and I
is coming from this exercise that
they do and the exercise has no
that there is
am grateful.’
form of rituals. Someone in the
group of Subud members says,
a God and
And that night I commenced my Ramadan, having re-
‘Begin’, and then a half hour
supplied my waffle mix.
later the person says ‘Finish’ and you have a
that is the exercise?
Well, it all goes perfectly. I say prayers, have no bad
thoughts and don't get into any altercations with others. soul
Huh? What? No form? No
The dog never bothers me when I stay up and vigil.
instructions? Just be present in a room for half an hour?
How is that possible? This is a spiritual path?
On the twentieth night, the last night before the big one,
I am in great spiritual shape, reading the Qu’ran, and fig-
And yet brothers and sisters we know this to be true. Even
uring the next night I would be able to go to latihan and
though these Subud members come from different
then sit up with my brothers and receive the golden rain.
nations and do not speak the same language, they
I look over at the dog and there seems to be a yellowish
would describe the exercise in a similar way. How is that
glow in her corner. ‘I hope she's not getting sick,’ I
possible?
thought.
In that half hour something unexplainable happens
The following evening I go to the Center expecting to sit
beyond your awareness that gives you the proof and evi-
up, only to hear them discussing how nice it was yester-
dence that there is a God and you have a soul, and you
day on the Night of Power.
can feel and know your soul.
‘Oh my God,’ I said, ‘When did you start the Fast?’
This is the mystery and beauty of the latihan and let us
thank Bapak, for being the channel from God and shar-
‘When everybody else did,’ they replied.
ing the exercise with us.
cont on p10 >

SUBUDVOICE PAGE 9

ALLAH AND ALLAHA
Rashidah McDonald, Rungan Sari, writes...
I recently heard that a newly opened, young Christian
member in Europe left Subud because members said
'Allah' in the latihan. She thought it was an Arabic Muslim
word and thus she felt that Subud didn't fit with her
Christian beliefs.
Perhaps what she didn't know is that the actual word that
Jesus used for God was ‘Allaha’, which literally means the
‘Oneness’ in Aramaic. The Aramaic language was the lin-
gua franca in the Middle Eastern region during the time
Jesus was alive and it was the language that Jesus spoke
and preached in.
Scanning Kalimantan
Viktor Boehm writes about laser scanning Central
Kalimantan…
Kalteng Consultants has performed together with the
German company Milan Geoservices GmbH many ALS-
Helicopter Flight Trials in Central Kalimantan from 5th to
10th August 2007.
The purpose of these trials was to get high-resolution
three-dimensional information from the landscape in the
form of the topography, to measure the tree-height and
the bio-mass, to get knowledge of the peat dome in that
huge peatland area including the carbon storage.
ALS-Team: Juergen Frank, Detlef Klante, Suyud Paijan, Alamsyah-
Pilot, Viktor Boehm, Jan Giehler and Mustafa Syafrudin
Also scanned were the shape of the river basins Kahayan
and Rungan, the Tangkiling mountains with Rungan Sari,
the Orang Utan Katia Island and Sei Gohong. Further work
was carried out to scan the Rungan and Kahayan river up
to the heart of Borneo with the mining area and Bapak´s
thumb Lakapoi,.
The Small Scale Gold Mining (SSGM) activities near the vil-
lage of Kasongan in the Katingan district were also
scanned and finally the province capital town
Palangkaraya.
The ALS-data and ortho-photos will be processed and
analysed now and published in the near future. I give
thanks to all who have contributed to these flight trials
and I thank my great team.
PAGE 10
The Arabic language is a derivative
of Aramaic and thus the word The actual
‘Allah’ is a derivative of the
Aramaic word for God, ‘Allaha’. * word that
In Indonesia, Christians often use
the word ‘Allah’ for God and don't Jesus used
consider it a Muslim word. Arabic
speaking Christians also use the
word ‘Allah’ for God.’ Bapak told us
for God was
that ‘Allah’ is the first word babies
say when they cry ‘Awah, Awah’! ‘Allaha’
Perhaps if the young Christian member had known this
about the word Allah, and the helpers could have
explained that Jesus had used the same word, then
maybe she wouldn't have left Subud.
•
Bardolph Paul Makes
a Difference
From the Jakarta Post 23 August…
It is hard to imagine a less likely partnership for making a
positive difference in the lives of villagers in Central
Kalimantan province on Borneo island. Bardolf Paul, a
Canadian expatriate and one-time commercial designer,
is quietly working deep in the Kalimantan jungles to
improve the lives of the Dayak villagers.
The partnership, supported and funded by Kalimantan
Gold, a London and Toronto-listed exploration company,
is the result of an unexpected synergy between a unique
corporate viewpoint and a man with an unusual capaci-
ty for living his vision.
Bardolf was born in Canada in 1943 and spent most of his
adult life in the corporate world as a designer and graph-
ics specialist. At an age when most people would be
making retirement plans, Bardolf left the business world
and went back to university, this time to study forestry.
As a Canadian living in British Columbia, an area devel-
oped largely as a result of its abundant natural resources,
he had always been interested in the social implications
of the extraction industries, particularly forestry.
He was predominantly concerned with the ways cultures
develop around forests, the ways in which people's lives
are affected by the industrial use of forested land, and
the interaction among the various stakeholders, from the
extraction license holders to the government depart-
ments and, most significantly, to the residents of the
region being harvested.
Armed with a new degree and an enormous sensitivity
both for the earth and for the people who inhabit it, he
spent more than a decade working with a series of NGOs
in India and Vietnam before coming to Indonesia.
A Company’s Concerned About Its Impacts
Kalimantan Gold Corporation Limited is an explo-
ration company that is working in the Central and East
Kalimantan regions. Breaking from traditional mining
and exploration stereotypes, Kalimantan Gold's cor-
porate culture includes a deep concern about the
company's environmental and social cont on p 11 >
SUBUDVOICE
impact on the areas in which it agement groups are contracting
invests. with local service providers for the
labour and expertise to carry out
One of the company's main con- the development plans. At the
cerns -- arguably unique among moment 19 villages are directly
junior mining companies -- is that involved in the development facili-
local communities should be one tated by the Yayasan, and the
of the prime beneficiaries of any work is expanding to more villages
mineral development in the every year.
area. This reflects the World
Bank's stance on lack of good Yayasan Tambuhak Sinta is a unique
governance, which it argues has NGO. Funded entirely by a mining
been the main cause for local company for the purpose of giving
people not benefiting from back to the community and country, it
extractive industries like mining. has been working below the publicity
radar screen for years. The improve-
The foundation Yayasan ment in the lives of the villagers is pal-
Tambuhak Sinta was established in pable and has been supported by a
1997 to redress the balance and, corporation for a decade -- before
with Bardolf Paul at the helm, the they have even broken ground or
company established a close rela- extracted a gram of minerals.
tionship with local people and Bardolf Paul, ‘deep in the Kalimantan jungle’
local government, focusing on con- Bardolf is an unsung hero, spending
ditions for improving governance in local communities and most of his time thousands of kilometres from his home and
within local government. Underwritten by Kalimantan Gold family, working in a decidedly unglamorous and virtually
and led by Bardolf, the foundation has been applying a anonymous way to help the villagers of central Kalimantan
community development approach that links to the new cope with global expansion into their traditional territory.
bottom-up government planning mechanism called mus-
renbang. At a time when corporate social responsibility has become
a legal requirement in Indonesia, resource-based compa-
‘The key to what we do is that first of all, we listen,’ said nies could all take a leaf from the book of Kalimantan Gold,
Bardolf on a stopover in Jakarta to Canada for his annu- Yayasan Tambuhak Sinta and Bardolf Paul.
al leave. ‘We act as facilitators and capacity builders, not (by Patrick Guntensperger, Contributor, C. Kalimantan)
as leaders or patrons. The work that gets done, the More information on the work being done by Yayasan
advances made, and the benefits derived are direct Tambuhak Sinta can be found at www.kalimantan.com
results of the communities themselves. We just help by
providing a framework to get the process started and a
methodology for ensuring its sustainability.’
The Needs Are so Great
According to Bardolf, the following principles are key for An interview with Virginia Thomas,
engaging successfully and sustainably in the develop- Executive Director of SDI since
ment process. First, understand the local context clearly -- January 2006, by Imke Wolf-
both government and community; second, involve local Doettinchem of SD Germany,
people as partners; third, invest in building local capacity, republished from for their national
based on local needs and aspirations; and fourth, work newsletter August 2007...
with local institutions and existing mechanisms to strength-
en the links between community and What do you like about this job
government. and what is the most difficult thing
The key Bardolf and his team spend much of
you have to do?
What I like about the job is getting
their time meeting with the Dayak Virginia Thomas to know and working with an
to what people and facilitating the develop-
ment of plans to implement their
incredibly diverse group of people on diverse group of
activities (in health, education, micro-finance, etc.) in 27
ideas. By helping them create village countries, and trying to see what we can create that is
we do is development plans according to positive for local communities. Each country has its own
their cultural and traditional ways of specific cultural assumptions and developmental context
first of all, life, then facilitating the election of a
village management group, Yayasan
- so working together as an international network is a very
exciting challenge.
Tambhak Sinta helps ensure that it is
we listen the people's own vision that is worked What I find most difficult is that because the possibilities
toward. are so vast and the needs and challenges in the world
are so great, the job feels endless. There is never a day
The Yayasan then helps by providing support in all the when I feel I have reached the bottom of my list of things
phases of implementation of the village development I should do. I think the hardest thing is saying 'ok, I have
plan and providing whatever degree of knowledge and done what I can today' and accept that that has to be
technology transfer is needed to see the plan to fruition. good enough.

Along the way, Bardolf makes sure that he is available to On what do you spend most of your working time?
act as mentor and go-to person when the village man- Communications. Everyday I wake up cont on p 12 >
SUBUDVOICE PAGE 11
and there are 30 e-mails already arrived and
another 30 that come in during the course of
The
the day. I think that serious thinking and writ- possibilities
ing work like drafting proposals and concept
papers often gets put off, because there are so vast,
seem to be so many 'urgent' messages flying
around. I am learning how to prioritise the dif- the needs and
ferent aspects of my work, but it is not always
easy!
challenges
so great,
Who are the people you are working with?
In our SDIA Office team, we are now four: the job feels
Rafaela Alvarez in Montreal, who is our new
bookkeeper and financial administrator; Simon endless
Bland, who manages our Virtual Office on the
web; Rosanna Hille in Vancouver is our Communications
Coordinator, and myself as Executive Director. The Office
staff work closely daily, and also with Sharifin Gardiner, SDIA
Chairman based in Lewes, UK, and his deputy, Lusana
Blond who is based in Washington D.C. We work with other
Directors around the world on general policy or specific
country issues. I also work closely with project leaders and
specific national SDs on practical things like fundraising,
coordination, information sharing, etc.
How do you keep your motivation in spite of the distance
you have to all your colleagues and partners?
That is a good question, because it is actually quite hard
sometimes! The first thing we have done, because our
Chairman and office staff are quite spread out in differ-
ent localities and time zones is to hold regular Monday
conference calls to discuss issues and look at how the
work will be divided. That has helped build a feeling of
teamwork despite the distances. E-mail is obviously a key
communications tool. But in reality there is no substitute
for getting together (even once or twice a year) with our
network members, Board and staff, so to feel connected
once again and that we are all working in the same
direction, despite the fact that we do not always agree
on the details!
What is your profession and what have you done before
joining SDI?
I worked as a consultant and researcher in international
development and human rights. I worked for UN agen-
cies, bilateral aid agencies, and international NGOs. I
have worked all over the world, and know enough about
the successes and challenges of other development
organisations to be able to put those of SD into perspec-
tive.
And how did you get in contact with Susila Dharma?
When I was eight years old, my parents had a guest at our
house. Her name was Hasijah Rosefield, and she man-
aged an SD project in Jakarta - The Shoe-Shine Boys proj-
ect - that worked to protect and assist children who had
left their families to work as shoe-shine boys in the city. In
essence, they became urban street children and child
labourers. She spoke about their vulnerability, their lack of
protection, and how solutions needed to be found to
help them and their families so that they could get an
education. Something like a switch went on in me...I think
I knew then that I wanted to work in social development;
I wanted to be like her in some way.
Why do you think it is important that the national SDs have
this network – what is the value added?
The value added of working in an international network is
that as SD national organisations, our knowledge and
PAGE 12
resources are quite limited. SD Germany is
one of our biggest SD National, but even then
there are many German NGOs that have
more resources. When we come together as
national SDs to find solutions to challenging
problems such as how best to support proj-
ects in developing countries, we share our
knowledge and resources and by doing so,
we diminish the risks of making mistakes,
which are easy to make when you are work-
ing across cultures and socio-economic con-
texts.
For example, a number of national SD
nationals are working to support a school in
the Democratic Republic of Congo to develop a
TeleCentre (Cybercafe) as a resource to its students and
to the community. The rising cost of fossil fuels had made
the use of an ordinary diesel generator too expensive. To
make this project happen we need to find an alterna-
tive energy to run the TeleCentre, but we need to learn
about what to invest in and we need to raise more
money. While renewable energy is cheaper in the long
run, the start-up costs are higher. Renewable energy is a
new thing, for our projects, for us as SD Nationals, as the
SDIA network, and for the world in general. By drawing
on expertise and resources from many countries, we will
learn more and get a better result than if one national
SD took on this project alone.
Do you think our work in SD is political work? If yes, why?
Yes, whether we are conscious about that or not. I don't
mean political in the sense of being aligned with a partic-
ular ideology or political party. I mean that ultimately, our
SD work has an impact on power structures and how
power is distributed throughout a society or community.
Many of our projects focus on education, health, devel-
oping skills, etc. All of these things, directly or indirectly,
affect the ability of people to shape their destinies and
give them more power in their own lives. If you cannot
read or write, it is much harder to be informed and ques-
tion decisions and use of resources by your leaders. And
most poverty and human misery in the world does not
derive from insufficient resources, but from the abuse of
power by leaders and the inability of ordinary people to
hold them to account. Overall, I think it is better to be
more conscious, rather than less, of the political implica-
tions of our SD work.
Where do you see the major challenge for SD
International Association for the next years?
The major challenge I see is for us to emerge from our
shells, where we have worked quietly and unobtrusively,
learning bit by bit what works and what doesn't work in
managing social change processes and development
projects in many different countries. The major challenge
for us is to first recognise and consolidate what we have
learned, and start to share this with more and more part-
ners or allies who are working for common goals. I think
we tend to be shy, because many of us come to our SD
work as volunteers, and we think we don't know that
much. But having worked with many professional devel-
opment agencies, I can tell you that compared to others,
we have had quite a lot of success and wasted a lot less
money! So increasing the reach and inclusiveness of our
network is a definite challenge and objective.
For more information about Susila Dharma see:
www.susiladharma.org
SUBUDVOICE
•
Anniversary Celebration in Several ideas were discussed during the Forum and we ben-
efited from the advice of some of our entrepreneurs present.
Information about other world Subud initiatives was also
Portugal shared, opening up the possibilities for linking those initiatives
to potential ventures here. The Forum de Iniciativas hopes to
Muchtar Martins writes from Portugal about an intense support an international effort to create a space for reflec-
and varied experience… tion, multi-disciplinary research, and dialogue as well as to
contribute to the network of people involved in the very big
Four days of action, great fun, but also deep quietness. challenge of ‘being present in the world’.

Subud Portugal participated in a series of events On Saturday evening, we had a joyful fiesta organised by
between June 21st and June 24th, which embodied the our younger members and friends. Our families and neigh-
concept of ‘The duty to be present in the world’ as sug- bours were invited to the event boasting a wonderful time
gested during the last Subud World Congress. dancing, singing and savouring delicious grilled sardines.
This fiesta (Arraial de S. João) took place in a new spa-
We began with the celebration cious hall (not yet fully renovat-
of the anniversary of Bapak’s ed) that we hope to use for the
birth and passing. A large Subud activities of the Forum de
Symbol was mounted on the Iniciativas in the future.
façade of the four storey build-
ing, a building which houses the What touched me most during
latihan hall and the Subud and this exciting evening was the
Susila Dharma Portugal offices deep quietness that I felt while I
as well as a number of enterpris- was moving around, talking to
es run by Subud members. our neighbours and relatives of
Following the latihan and my brothers and sisters in Subud,
Selamatan, we had a lovely and feeling the full presence of
opportunity to listen to many the vibration of the latihan.
stories recounted by Osanna
Vaughn about the experience A large Subud Symbol was mounted on the façade of the During these four days, intensive
of Subud members and groups four story building which houses the latihan hall and the Kejiwaan activities took place
around the world. Subud and Susila Dharma Portugal offices, as well as a amongst members and helpers,
number of enterprises run by Subud members working through their difficulties and
On the second day, we spend the challenges and sharing moments of
morning at Roda Vida, the Alfragide educational proj- deep togetherness. The ladies participated in a lot of inter-
ect, sharing the daily activities with the children and their esting testing with our dear international helper Lora Bilger
teachers while listening to the history of their work during while the men engaged in the ‘opening’ latihan of two new
the past 25 years. Roda Vida is a long term Subud proj- spacious halls in the same building (180 m2 and 250 m2).
ect that was initiated to help the children of displaced
families from East Timor and Africa. It has evolved to These halls are located in the ground and 1st floors of the
become a community project involving families, local building, in which are also located the Subud premises
authorities and other educational agencies. Paloma de (2nd floor) and Tuatara (3rd floor). This series of spaces will
la Vina, director of Susila Dharma, was present and gave be used in accordance with needs by Subud, the Forum
us some very useful advice. and the various enterprises and social projects.
What
During the afternoon, the concept of ICDP On Sunday, the last morning, we had a short
(International Child Development Project – touched me meeting to evaluate the content and results of
based in Norway) was presented. The presenta- these very active days. We also investigated
tion took place in the large hall of the Tuatara most during ways in which to put into practice some of
what was suggested and also how to benefit
enterprise and was open to the public. In atten-
dance were a large group of people, some of
this exciting from the experience of our brothers and sisters
whom represented several educational and
social institutions, including universities, as well
evening was in other places of the world. To complete this
celebration, a number of us spent an enjoy-
as government agencies. the deep able afternoon visiting Bucelas, our Subud
farm, and once again enjoyed delicious
Rukman Hundeide and Iksan Mendes shared quietness grilled sardines.
their knowledge and experience on the implementation of
this program in fifteen countries such as Norway, Sweden, We are very grateful to God for this opportunity to share
Denmark, Israel, Colombia, Argentina, Angola, our hopes, work and joy with our neighbours, relatives,
Mozambique, as well as the intended implementation of the and members of other organisations. We pray that our
ICDP program in some Portuguese educational institutions. younger members can further develop these contacts.

The Forum of Initiatives
On the morning of the third day, a large Forum de
Iniciativas meeting was held. The Forum de Iniciatives,
or Forum of Initiatives, is a cultural association for
development, designed to support projects and
We send thanks to the visitors from abroad (Spain,
Germany, Norway, France and UK) that invigorated the
flavour of the one humanity.
We are also very grateful for the dear presence of
Osanna Vaughn. It is a great joy to have her as our

•
enterprises of both youth and older Subud and non-
Subud members. Chairlady.

SUBUDVOICE PAGE 13

Enterprise. Quo Vadis?
Ilaine Lennard writes…
Near the end of the Subud Britain Congress period at
ThankYou 2007, I thought I would try to attend what I consid-
ered was one of the most important of the workshops: the
Enterprise workshop.
But this was easier said than done. I went to the appointed
place and significant and symbolical rows of empty chairs
grinned back at me. Had I mistaken the venue? I tried again
– another Room had been mentioned. But could I find it?
Nope. Enterprise eluded me. And such was the labyrinthine
nature of the school’s buildings that I even lost my way back
to the SV desk. But later I did find the workshop. Eureka!
Looking round the room, it seemed that apart from Michael
Heathcote with his accountancy expertise, not many ‘big
guys’ were there, most having already departed. Michael
was saying he remembered how Bapak would talk about
there being several major Subud ‘flagships’ around the world
and then people would ask where did all this come from? But
that it would not happen in Bapak’s lifetime. The point being,
that the majority of people today needed to identify with
something material.
We then heard that SES Britain has been ‘dormant’ for sever-
al years. What would Bapak have said about that, I won-
dered? Here we were at this 50th Celebration of Subud in the
West, and we were still not giving attention to something so
vital. But perhaps this perception was inaccurate. I hope so.
Entrepreneurial Data Base
Two encouraging things were mentioned while I was there:
Lydia Edwards talked about how she not only felt the need for
a proper data base of entrepreneurial types, but that she
offered to set one up. And then Sharifah Roberts told us that in
her Region some members had formed a small enterprise sup-
port group, which was working well.
I then went to a presentation by Robert Copcutt, about the
concept of co-housing. This idea has been on the Subud
agenda for many years, but somehow we never find a way
to do it, because land is too expensive and not enough peo-
ple are willing to commit.
So what’s different about co-housing? Robert spoke about
communities which had already been set up, in which each
family had their own house, plus there would be a shared
house for guests and other purposes. Much attention was
now being paid to incorporating environmental features
such as solar panels and reed beds.
The Cat’s Whiskers
• od) or have more information about it, please email Max
Stefan Freedman, UK, has written a funny illustrated book of
verse about cats. (Andrew Lloyd Weber, beware!) I tried to
talk to Stefan about it but his feline friends got in the way…
Harris: Hello Stefan. Congrats on your first book, ‘The Cat’s
Whiskers’.
Stefan: Thanks. I …
Cleo: MEEEEOUW. Cheek! That’s my book, you know.
Chico: MEEOOO. But I’m the main character.
Cleo: Dream on, scruffy tail!
Chico: Clanky claws!
Cleo: Chewed ears!
Chico: Anyhoo, that unwhiskered slave is nothing but a scribe.
Cleo: More like a minute-taker. He was desperate for a role.
Harris: Wait. Didn’t Stefan contribute some original ideas?
PAGE 14
The layouts are planned to promote social interaction
and research shows that in these projects children are
happier, old people are less lonely and even live longer
and there is a lower crime rate. The concept also fulfils
the ‘belonging’ need which most of us have. Robert men-
tioned one or two sites in the south of England that could
become available to us, and he thought such a project
•
was very appropriate for Subud.
Sustainability at ThankYou 07
Max Potter writes…
The Subud Network for Sustainable Development mailing list
is in its 10th year of operation and has nearly 80 members in
at least 10 countries.
A small group of members met for an interesting discussion,
together with two enquirers, who have been added to the list.
New member Kornelia Sergeant is particularly interested in
solar cookers, and has been put in touch with the website of
Zoy's association Sun for Life, which is active in this area.
Leonard Kater from Holland described a number of potential
technological solutions to the environmental crises, such as glob-
al warming, which are facing the earth. Unfortunately, most of
these involve very large construction projects, which would
probably require backing by the appropriate governments.
Salman Rogers told us that he is considering preparing a
research proposal in the use of fast growing algae to pro-
duce biofuel or other biomass products. Many technical
advances have been made since the surge of interest in the
1960s and 1970s.
List member Sharif Harris had not been able to come to
ThankYou 2007, but there was an excellent display in the SES
area on his strawbale ecohousing project in Badger Creek
(see http://earthpodhomes.com/).
Salamah Pope thought that SICA might like to take SNSD
‘under its wing’ as had been proposed a few years ago. The
writer explained that he had started the list merely as a tool
to enable people to communicate, and was happy to work
with anyone.
However, the list as it stands is not amenable to major
changes as it is hosted by an organisation which is primarily
concerned with health and family issues.
If any reader would like to join the list (maybe for a trial peri-
Potter at max@potteram.demon.co.uk
Chico: Come off it. All he’s good for is opening cans.
•
Cleo: Just read it. Every page is life seen through the eyes of a cat. Us.
Chico. Furless bipeds are not given a single sentence.
Cleo. Look. Here’s an example:
Bach Variations
The moment he strikes up
The Toccata and Fugue
Like magic I spring up
On the black and white keys
I sound far more notes than him
Pouncing on an F sharp
Lolling over chromatic chords
His performance seems inhibited
By rhythmic precision cont on p 15>
SUBUDVOICE
While mine is inspired
Intuitive and flamboyant
I can't help but hope
He might learn something
From me
Chico: So can you believe it? The tail-less one prints his own
name on the cover
Cleo: And leaves off ours.
Chico: He’s usually so biddable.
Cleo: It must stem from low self-esteem.
Harris: Hey! This book is a cat lover’s dream, and seems like
the ideal gift. What will you do with the royalties?
An Analogy for the Growth of Subud
Samuel Lesley writes...
A few years ago I did a test in which I asked the question
‘What will be the future of Subud if we ignore Bapak’s
advice?’ My receiving was that Subud is like a mighty river, but
without Bapak’s guidance it will flow into a vast sandy desert
(the material forces) and will be consumed completely by it.
This alarmed me, and I felt the need to ensure that we follow
Bapak’s guidance in order for Subud to survive. Some people
think that recruiting new members is necessary for survival. But
several contributions to the Subud Vision website indicate that
the structure of Subud is a significant obstacle to new members.
My own feeling about the growth of Subud was clarified
recently by remembering a book I read in the 1970s called
The Soul of a New Machine. It told the story of engineers
building a very powerful new computer. They spent years
designing it and months building it, but when they switched
it on nothing happened. In effect it had about 20 bugs. One
by one the bugs were discovered and removed, but the
machine still didn’t work. In fact it didn’t begin to work until
about 10 of the bugs had been removed, and then it worked
only in a limited way. But by working in a limited way it was
much easier to remove the remaining 10 bugs.
I think that the same thing is happening with Subud. We have
a new organisation with a large number of faults, such as:
helpers who are not yet spiritually clean, helpers who are not
willing to look after the members, members who are not yet
harmonious, members who are not yet convinced that the
latihan comes from the power of God and are therefore not
fully committed, too few members spread too far apart,
premises that are unsuitable, not enough funds from enter-
prises to support charitable works, general lethargy.
At Thank You 2007 I felt that we have fixed 10 of the bugs,
and that the organisation is currently working after a fashion.
So we have to concentrate now on fixing the last 10 bugs.
And it is my feeling that the changes needed to remove
these bugs will all come from the latihan itself. Hence the
•
progress of Subud is under God’s care, and will happen at a
rate that is as fast as our current lowly state will allow.
Father Warren
Lynnelle Stewart from Florida, USA, recalls the life of a
Catholic priest and his contact with Subud...
Father Edward Warren of the Society of Jesuits passed from
this life, aged 90, on June 22, 2007, while we celebrated
Bapak's birthday. Father Warren, a most wonderful Catholic
priest, was born in Arcata, California, and spent many years
working at Santa Clara University, a Jesuit Institute of higher
learning in Santa Clara, California.
His life was interwoven with Subud. He met several Subud
members I know of, and was a good friend to at least two of
us. He prayed for the growth and development of Subud
SUBUDVOICE
Stefan: I …
Cleo: Oh do hush!!! We cats are ‘Royalties’ and intend to hire
a full-time serving staff to play with us, pet and pamper us
Chico: Making a variety of freshly roasted titbits available at
frequent intervals.
Cleo: In between the four main meals
Stefan: I …
Cleo: And we’ll have a large gag for Mr. Talkative. Doesn’t he
ever stop gibbering?
Harris: Can you sum the book up in one word?
Chico: MEWSINGS
Harris: Ha Ha! Well I’m hooked. Put me down for three copies.
For info on how to get the book go to www.worldance.org
and the spread of the organisation throughout the world.
During a latihan in Bangalore last August, Christ entered my
•
latihan and told me, ‘Tell Father Warren I am waiting for him.’
Then, in a moment, I was shown a vision of Father Warren’s
outer dissolving away and his soul shooting upwards like a
flame, rising rapidly and without hesitation.
When I recounted this message to him, he accepted it as
real. When quietly conversing about spiritual experiences in a
chapel, I told him of some latihan experiences involving
Christ and Mary I have been blessed with. He said I'd been
shown a lot. Then, from the depth of inner quiet, a latihan
humming arose in me, so I hummed to him. He comment-
ed,’That's beautiful. That's from God.’
His recognition of the truth of Subud meant a lot to me, com-
ing from this dear man who was regarded as their ‘resident
saint’ by some of his fellow priests in the retirement communi-
ty. Perhaps we in Subud might offer a prayer on behalf of
•
Father Warren, SJ, who prayed for us sincerely.
Pilgrimage of Gratitude
Two representatives of Susila Dharma, Raphael Bate (SD
France) and Harris Wolfgang (SD US) walked from St. Jean
Pied de Port in the French Pyrenees to Borgos in Spain for two
weeks; 289 km. from 31 August – 14 September 2007
This sacred journey was dedicated, in gratitude, for:
1. Subud being in the west for fifty years.
2. The Susila Dharma humanitarian projects that have been
inspired from contact with the latihan.
3. Being alive now.
You are invited to join us for all or part of the walk next year
(the second half). If you are unable to you may wish to join
us in spirit. If you wish to do this let us know by email or letter,
We will carry you in our hearts with us to all the places on the
camino.
Traditionally the completion of this journey is intended to give
pilgrims benefit of alleviation from purgatory.
However, for us, this pilgrimage, sacred journey or retreat on
the move is made by our intention that each step, each dif-
ficulty, each joy is a microcosm of our life and how we
respond to it – with spiritual awareness, gratitude and joy...
Bring it all on! It is all grist for the mill of mindful living in the
moment. Time out to review our life and return changed.
We will post regular news of our progress on line as we go.
Email hwolfgang@comcast.net
RAMADAN DATES
It seems that Eid-Ul-Fitr is probably on October 12this year,
•
so the last day of fasting is October11th. That is the full 30
day fast that Bapak recommended we do. But please
check with your local mosque, or go to
www.moonsighting.comfor definitive information.
PAGE 15
 Advertisements
ILAINA LOOKING FOR WORK
Ilaina Lennard, former editor of SUBUD
VOICE, is looking for paid work, proof read-
ing / editing. Reasonable rates, excellent
references. E-mail Ilaine.l@ntlworld.com
or tel. +44 (0)1344 451851.
NOTE e-mail address is ILAINE not ILAINA
First/Next Wave
ThankYou 2007 T-Shirts
1. First Wave – celebrates early mariners
2. Next Wave – those who followed on
(tsunami pic.on navy – white text front/back)
£12.50 ($25.00) each + p & p
Sizes: Med / Large / XtraLarge
Order from:
Luke Penseney (Canada/ USA):
penseney@rogers.com
Siti Salamah (UK/Europe)
sitisalamah@btinternet.com
Proceeds to Susila Dharma
GOVERNANCE AND
DEVELOPMENT PROJECT
Through the auspices of the WSA and
the generous support of the
Guerrand Hermes Foundation for
Peace, a survey on ‘Governance
and Development’ is underway, and
we are looking for any relevant
experience within Subud on this
topic. If you feel you have a project,
an activity, or some experience that
might be of interest, please contact
Frederic Richard at
f.richard@inode.at, Rosanna Hille at
rosanna.hille@telus.net or Bardolf
Paul at bardolf@pacific.net.id. We
would be happy to send out some
information on the project, if you
want to find out more. Just let us
know you are interested.
Many thanks.
WORLD LATIHAN
OCTOBER 7
03.00 (GMT)
NOVEMBER 4
10:00 (GMT)
To find the corresponding time in your
part of the world go to www.timeand-
date.com/worldclock
PAGE 16
BAPAK’S TALKS
MUSIC BY
VOLUME
N O W AVA I L A B L E
16
PRICES (Incl p&p) UK £13 • Europe £14
SUBUD ARTISTS • Other £16
• Yamba Yamba Orchestra
Rainstorm £11.00
Pay by UK bank cheque or Credit Card
Subud Publications International
SPI
Loudwater Farm, Loudwater Lane
• Robert Millard
Rickmansworth
Piano Recital 2 (Chopin) £11.00 Herts WD3 4HG Subud
• Adrienne Thomas tel: +44 (0) 1727 762210 Publications
fax: +44 (0) 1727 858080 International
Speaking In Tongues £11.00
• Harlan Cockburn
e-mail: spi@subudbooks.co.uk
Ship Without Rudder £11.00
• Leonard Paice
The Ashgrove £11.00 SUBUDVOICE
Prices include postage anywhere.
is published monthly.
(Credit Card option on website)
DJC Records DEADLINE FOR NEXT ISSUE:
104 Constitution Hill, 31 October 2007
Norwich, NR34 BB UK.
ARTICLES & PHOTOS:
clague@paston.co.uk Send to Harris Smart, Editor Subud Voice,
www.djcrecords.co.uk preferably by email to
editor@subudvoice.net or by post to:
22 Holland Ave, Dingley,
TWO NEW PUBLICATIONS VIC, 3172, Australia.
FROM SPI Tel: + 61 3 95118122
Subud is Susila Budhi Dharma SUBSCRIPTIONS:
Bapak spent a lot of time explaining the Bradford Temple, PO Box 311,
meaning of Susila Budhi and Dharma, and Dapto, NSW, 2530, Australia
its acronym 'Subud'. These explanations are Email: admin@subudvoice.net
like facets gradually revealing a more sub- Tel: +61 2 42615566
tle and complete picture – a reminder of Fax: + 61 2 42621725
the 'core' meaning of Subud, RATES WORLDWIDE per 12 issues:
• a varied selection, also including quotes
Groups AUD$70* (incl mailing)
about the Subud symbol
Individuals AUD$80* (incl mailing)
• taken straight from the talks with no extra editing.
OnLine AUD$50*
To read any of these extracts in context
*10% discount for pensioners over 60
with a whole talk, refer to the index. These PAYMENTS: (Australian Dollars only)
talks, plus many more, are in the newly
preferably by Credit Card – please provide
translated Bapak's Talks Vol 1-16.
your name, address, card number, card
This book is very useful to anyone who expiry date and your signature
wishes to be reminded of, o needs to as on card and fax to the
explain ‘What is Subud?’ to friends or fam- subscription fax above. International Bank
ily , or others. Hannah Hurd
Drafts and Money Orders should be made
THANK YOU payable to SUBUD VOICE and sent to the
To mark the 50 year subscription address above.
celebration of Subud ADVERTISEMENTS: 50 cents a word.
in the west, SPI have Minimum charge AUD$15.00.
produced a new 72 (Third World countries – no charge).
page publication
SUBMISSIONS MAY BE EDITED:
THANK YOU. It com-
Submissions to Subud Voice may be
prises the first talk
edited for a variety of reasons including
that Bapak gave at
the need to shorten them or improve
Coombe in 1957, and the last talk that
Bapak gave abroad – in the UK, in 1986 – expression. If you do not want your
interlaced with a variety of accounts of the submission to be edited in any way,
coming of Bapak and his party to England, please mark it clearly NOT TO BE EDITED.
with photos from the archives and much,
much more, all of which gives an insight into www.subudvoice.net
this historic time. Available from: The opinions expressed in the various articles are the
Subud Publications International, sole responsibility of their authors and can not be seen as
Loudwater Farm, Loudwater Lane, representing the opinion of the World Subud Association.
Rickmansworth, Herts. WD3 4HG, UK The name Subud ® and the Seven Circles Symbol are
Email: spi@subudbooks.co.uk registered marks of the World Subud Association.
SUBUDVOICE