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PANAM GATHERING AT AMANECER VISIT OUR WEB SITE www.subudvoice.net for News in Brief, subscriptions to Subud Voice and links to many other Subud sites. July 2003 Vol. 30 No. 7 1 Personal copy; not for onward transmission Amanecer: Americas Gathering July 26—August 2 SUBUD VOICE - July 2003 “Amanecer is a beautiful, peaceful place and its people are people with principles that Colombia needs,” said Alvaro Uribe, the president of the Republic of Colombia, in an interview by CNN, after his stay last month at Amanecer. Five hundred and fifty people met together with President Uribe to hold the Quindio “community council meeting” in the big latihan hall at Amanecer. The community council is a vehicle for direct dialogue to take place between the president and the representatives of re- gional communities and their local govern- ments. The visits by the president to each region of Colombia to hold a community council meeting can be regarded as a sym- bol of a new and positive development in Colombia. This development is led by the new presi- dent, an honest, hard-working man, whose political vision and firm hand against ter- rorism have already gained the approval of the Colombian people whose confidence and trust in the president is growing daily. The event held at Amanecer proved once more that, when there is a common and practical goal to be achieved, the members of the Amanecer community can work together and can accomplish what is needed with efficiency, offering a service of high quality. At Amanecer we implement a strategy which consists of having a team of people present and available to the client all the way through the held event with the pur- pose of solving minor problems or fulfill- ing unexpected requirements. This is unique to Amanecer and was noticed by several clients as a particularly attractive feature. President Uribe commented that Amanecer, of all the places where he held community councils, was the one he found most enjoyable to be in. The appreciation of the president and his colleagues generated a new impulse and energy at Amanecer – like the mythologi- cal bird, the Phoenix, Amanecer is resur- rected. This process was supported by an- other gift we recently received, which was the visit of Muchtar Martins, who brought us funds, enthusiasm and confidence to proceed developing Amanecer. Muchtar received a gift too, as he told us he connected more deeply with the latihan during his stay at Amanecer and precisely on the day of his birthday. There is now a team of committed people at Amanecer who are planning and work- ing together on a daily basis, developing programs in different areas, such as educa- tion, social work, enterprise, and including a new area - tourism. Quindio is the second most visited region in Colombia, after Cartagena, due to its geographical position, its infrastructure and its beauty. One of the key points that was emphasised by the community council who met at Amanecer, was the importance of developing the full potential of tourism in the region of Quindio. The work of the new team has already born fruits: last week there were 2 events at Amanecer held at the same time. One was held in the big latihan hall, with 550 people attending the CRQ regional forum for environmental issues, and the other in the small latihan hall, a workshop on ge- netic engineering, attended by 50 people. Two more events are booked for June: the BIOEXPO fair promoting environmentally friendly practices and the conference on sustainable agriculture, with more than 1000 people attending. These events will see Amanecer working in its full capacity, using the two halls, the restaurant, the “hosteria” accommodation and the camp- ing . The work on the organisation of the recent events at Amanecer served as practice for the Pan-American gathering. In addition, a lot of work recently went into renovating the premises at Amanecer, including the roof of the big latihan hall. We believe Amanecer to be a place where we receive great Blessings from Almighty God each time we join forces and work together on projects and events involving people from outside Subud. Many times we have seen and experienced this to be true and we have witnessed the impact of Amanecer on the people who visit it. Step by step we are discovering and “attuning” with the direction we need to follow and we hope that we are not far from our objective. We are waiting for you in July! From your brothers and sisters at Amanecer. Americas Gathering Amanecer: Colombia July 26-August 2 Brazil August 6-15 americasgathering.com
Transcript
Page 1: PANAM GATHERING AT AMANECER - Subud Library/SubudVoice/SVOLJul03.pdf · Amanecer, of all the places where he held community councils, was the one he found most enjoyable to be in.

PANAM GATHERING AT AMANECER

VISIT OUR WEB SITE www.subudvoice.net

for News in Brief, subscriptions to Subud Voice and links to many other Subud sites.

July 2003

Vol. 30 No. 7

1

Personal copy; not for onward transmission

Amanecer: Americas Gathering July 26—August 2

SUBUD VOICE - July 2003

“Amanecer is a beautiful, peaceful place and its people are people with principles that Colombia needs,” said Alvaro Uribe, the president of the Republic of Colombia, in an interview by CNN, after his stay last month at Amanecer. Five hundred and fifty people met together with President Uribe to hold the Quindio “community council meeting” in the big latihan hall at Amanecer. The community council is a vehicle for direct dialogue to take place between the president and the representatives of re-gional communities and their local govern-ments. The visits by the president to each region of Colombia to hold a community council meeting can be regarded as a sym-bol of a new and positive development in Colombia. This development is led by the new presi-dent, an honest, hard-working man, whose political vision and firm hand against ter-rorism have already gained the approval of the Colombian people whose confidence and trust in the president is growing daily. The event held at Amanecer proved once more that, when there is a common and practical goal to be achieved, the members of the Amanecer community can work together and can accomplish what is needed with efficiency, offering a service of high quality. At Amanecer we implement a strategy which consists of having a team of people present and available to the client all the way through the held event with the pur-pose of solving minor problems or fulfill-ing unexpected requirements. This is unique to Amanecer and was noticed by several clients as a particularly attractive feature. President Uribe commented that Amanecer, of all the places where he held

community councils, was the one he found most enjoyable to be in. The appreciation of the president and his colleagues generated a new impulse and energy at Amanecer – like the mythologi-cal bird, the Phoenix, Amanecer is resur-rected. This process was supported by an-other gift we recently received, which was the visit of Muchtar Martins, who brought us funds, enthusiasm and confidence to proceed developing Amanecer.

Muchtar received a gift too, as he told us he connected more deeply with the latihan during his stay at Amanecer and precisely on the day of his birthday. There is now a team of committed people at Amanecer who are planning and work-ing together on a daily basis, developing programs in different areas, such as educa-tion, social work, enterprise, and including a new area - tourism. Quindio is the second most visited region in Colombia, after Cartagena, due to its geographical position, its infrastructure and its beauty. One of the key points that was emphasised by the community council who met at Amanecer, was the importance of developing the full potential of tourism in the region of Quindio.

The work of the new team has already born fruits: last week there were 2 events at Amanecer held at the same time. One was held in the big latihan hall, with 550 people attending the CRQ regional forum for environmental issues, and the other in the small latihan hall, a workshop on ge-netic engineering, attended by 50 people. Two more events are booked for June: the BIOEXPO fair promoting environmentally friendly practices and the conference on sustainable agriculture, with more than 1000 people attending. These events will see Amanecer working in its full capacity, using the two halls, the restaurant, the “hosteria” accommodation and the camp-ing . The work on the organisation of the recent events at Amanecer served as practice for the Pan-American gathering. In addition, a lot of work recently went into renovating the premises at Amanecer, including the roof of the big latihan hall. We believe Amanecer to be a place where we receive great Blessings from Almighty God each time we join forces and work together on projects and events involving people from outside Subud. Many times we have seen and experienced this to be true and we have witnessed the impact of Amanecer on the people who visit it. Step by step we are discovering and “attuning” with the direction we need to follow and we hope that we are not far from our objective. We are waiting for you in July! From your brothers and sisters at Amanecer.

Americas Gathering

Amanecer: Colombia July 26-August 2

Brazil August 6-15

americasgathering.com

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2 SUBUD VOICE - July 2003

From the Editor In June Subud Voice we published an arti-cle by the Rogers family about the new “book” proposed by the International Helpers. The Rogers article has inspired a lot of favourable comment. Readers were par-ticularly pleased to see young people tak-ing an interest in these issues. The debate about the new book proposed by the International Helpers continues with this contribution from Matthew War-man in the UK. My personal opinion is that at least part of the reason the “book” is attracting so much flak is that the International Helpers' proposal seems so scrappy, unclear and unfocussed. Is it an update of the Helpers Handbook? Is it a completely new book? What is it? Does anybody know? The IHs were invited to respond to the Rogers’ article but so far have not done so. It is interesting that this particular question seems to have stirred up more controversy than any other recent issue. People obvi-ously feel strongly about it. I must repeat our usual disclaimer that articles published in Subud Voice do not necessarily reflect the opinions of Subud Voice. We believe in freedom of speech and en-couraging a flow of debate (of which, in my opinion, there has been far too little in Subud). It is also interesting to see the diversity of views held by Subud people. Let them out into the open, is my belief. But I wish to specifically disassociate my-self from the remarks made below about “lower forces” and the IHs being answer-able to God for “tampering” with Bapak’s receivings. The headline for this article about an inter-national crisis is also Matthew’s. The situation does not seem to me actually to be quite so dramatic. However, there is an interesting general question buried in these remarks of Matthew’s as to what is the role of the IHs.

Matthew seems to think they are going beyond their brief and getting ideas above their station. My personal view is that Bapak and Ibu Rahayu want the IHs to become more ac-tive and to take more responsibility, so I believe their taking this initiative is quite right, their prerogative and in fact their responsibility. Whether they do it well or badly is another matter.

Matthew’s Article When I read the article in June 2003 Subud Voice "Do We Need "The Book", I could-n't believe what I was reading. Are five International Helpers actually intending to 'update' Bapak's Advice and Guidance, to change the Helpers’ Handbook? What do they mean by 'update'? If this means that these five IHs are gather-ing together Bapak's Advice and Guidance from various sources including Helpers guides, supplements, and talks including those clarifications given by Ibu into one book without any editing or changes to the above, then this is indeed welcome. If however “update” means that Bapak’s words will be changed and in effect 'watered' down to somehow render them more trendy, in the views of those five IHs, then this 'updating' I strongly feel is a bad omen for the future of Subud, and should not take place. My views on this issue have been clearly expressed in the well-written article by the Rogers family in the June 2003 Subud Voice, and anyone interested in this issue who hasn't read their article by all means should.

I would however like to ask, by whose authority are these IHs acting? Surely not Bapak’s (they wouldn't have the nerve to do this while Bapak was alive), and I sin-cerely doubt that Ibu would approve of changes to Bapak’s receivings that would in effect totally alter their meaning. Would these five IHs please identify them-selves and let the rest of us know what exactly is going on? When I first heard that five IHs were going to "update" Bapak’s receivings which make up the spiritual and moral guidelines and clarifications for Subud and the Lati-han, I immediately thought of one of those 1950s science fiction films where some alien life force takes over the body and minds of the local inhabitants of Earth to carry out some plan of theirs. Then I came across this: “Indeed, for a long time, in addition to the tremendous influence of the world the inner selves of humans have contained souls that wish for the downfall of human beings rather than for their nobility.” from Bapak’s Talks, Vol.5, pages 94-95. I bet these lower souls are having a party right now in anticipation while waiting for these five IHs to water down Bapak's ad-vice and guidance. Bapak gave many examples of how when a person died, each part of their body was asked by God what it did during its life, and had to give an account of its actions. I wouldn't want to be in any of those five IHs shoes when at the end of their journey they must give an accounting when God asks them "and why did you tamper with Bapak's receivings?" Matthew Warman, UK For another controversy inspired by the Rogers’ article see the article on pages 4-5 entitled WHEN IS A BOOK NOT “THE BOOK”. For an interesting correspondence between the Rogers family and the editor of Subud Voice see News in Brief, July 1, on www.subudvoice.net

CRISIS AT THE INTERNATIONAL LEVEL? More About the New Book Proposed

by the International Helpers

‘My personal view is that Bapak and Ibu Rahayu want the IHs to become more active and to take more responsibility, so I believe their taking this initiative is quite right, their prerogative and in fact their responsibility.

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3 SUBUD VOICE - July 2003

GIVE THE ANIMALS A GO

PEACE UNTO CHICKENS

I had one chicken and I recently decided to acquire another. I rescued her from among 20,000 who were imprisoned six to a tiny cage in huge barns. The chicken already in residence, Morena, was less than pleased with the newcomer’s invasion of her territory. She pecked Milo continuously, forcing her under the table on which their trough stands and not let-ting her near food or water. Only when Morena retired to the night house could Milo briefly have the freedom of the run. I tried to have one of them in a separate wire surround during the day, but as soon as they were together again, the same trouble ensued. After a week of this I was fed up. What now? Well, this morning I took each under an arm and started latihan. I noticed that both were listening to the latihan and very soon their pancake heart rate returned to half-speed. After a while I put them down, con-tinuing to sing. I felt my arms filled with light which I poured out over them and heard myself saying, “Peace, peace.” I did not instigate any of this, it just hap-pened. Then, after ten minutes or so, it finished. For the rest of the day they stayed together, each doing her own thing. There was no more fighting and Milo was allowed into the henhouse at night for the first time. I am so grateful. How simple life can be! I have noticed before how much animals love the presence of the latihan when they are sick or in dis-ease. Helena Kappert, New Zealand (Editor’s Note: During a visit to Cilandak in the 1970s I was told that Brodjo, one of the well-known helpers in the Sekretariat, had had the ability, while in a crisis, to understand the language of animals, and in particular used to spend a lot of time listening to the conversation of his chick-ens. I was curious about this and asked him what it was they talked about. “Oh, food and sex, sex and food,” he replied.)

David White is turning an unusual hobby into an enterprise… Probably the most famous Australian in the world today is Steve Irwin, “the crocodile hunter”. It’s hard to turn on the TV without seeing him wresting with a huge man-eating crocodile or a deadly venomous snake. He probably gets more coverage now than Australia’s other national icon, Dame Edna Everage. But never fear, folks, Subud has its own reptile man, David White, Melbourne’s “snake fellah”. When David was in high school in rural New South Wales, another kid came to the school who had a collec-tion of snakes. David was “bitten” (metaphorically) and used to go out with his friend on snake-catching expeditions. David, a second gen-eration Subud member, began to develop a dream, a vision. Dare we call it the seeds

David White and friends.

of an enterprise? What he wanted to do was get together a collection of snakes and travel around Australia in a bus, showing his collection at schools all around the country. David became an itinerant worker, a fruit picker, and with no fixed abode, it was difficult to get together a collection of snakes. But now he’s settled in Melbourne and has begun to work towards realising his dream. He’s scaled back on his vision somewhat in order to get started. He has a collection of lizards and snakes – non-venomous ones, pythons and carpet snakes. He has a station wagon at the moment rather than a bus, and he’s showing his collection at children’s parties rather than schools. But he feels he’s made a start and can work up towards the bus and the schools. Certainly, he’s embarked on an original path and he’s livening up some children’s parties around Melbourne, helping chil-dren become familiar with reptiles. Harris Smart, Editor Subud Voice

SNAKES ALIVE!

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4 SUBUD VOICE - July 2003

For years I have been exasperated by Simon Monbaron’s patently false claim that he has written “the book” about Subud, the one that Bapak said he could “see” in a talk he gave some years ago. But out of a wish not to hurt someone’s feelings, or disturb the “harmony” of Subud, I have restrained myself from writing to him about it. But then I received the following email from Simon… I saw the article: “Do we need 'the Book’” in the June issue of Subud Voice. The “Book” that Bapak could see when he was still with us has been compiled, writ-ten, published and is available. Bapak said that he could see a book that will help human beings understand what Subud is. Bapak said that the book is needed and that it will be based on REAL-ITY also the book will indicate in which direction Subud is going. That book was compiled, written and pub-lished. The title of the book is - Subud the Coming New Age of Reality - ISBN: 0-9672753-1-8 That book was supposed to be written by someone else than Simon Monbaron. Simon knew that a book was needed and was upset with the Subud organization for not coming up with the book. One day when Simon was wondering when the Subud organization would come up with the book that was needed a voice spoke within Simon's heart. The voice said: “What if nobody writes the book?” Simon could not cope with this and under-stood that he had to write the book. After publishing the book someone wrote Simon to thank Simon for having pub-lished the book that this person should have written. The letter stated: “Dear Simon: Thank you for writing my book. I always felt that I should write a book but because I was close to Bapak and Ibu I thought that people would criticize me. If I had written a book it would have been just like the book you wrote and published...” So someone did not write the book on Subud because this person did not want to be criticized. Simon wrote the book on Subud knowing very well that some people will criticize him. Anyway the book that Bapak could see was compiled, written and published. It took 14 years to compile and publish the book. It is based on REALITY

and it is the only book stating in which di-rection Subud is going. A committee will never write and publish a book based on REALITY. A committee can not do that. Only someone who has a link with REALITY can do this. Also a Subud committee will never tell in which direction Subud is going. A book written by a com-mittee will come from the mind (and nafsu) of human beings and Bapak spent more than 40 years telling us that the mind is the problem. The mind is operated by the nafsu. So a committee, even of “international helpers”, will never write a book based on REALITY. A committee will never write the book that Bapak could see.

To read this false and grandiose claim trumpeted forth yet again was just too much for me. Not to mention the further grandiose claims that Simon alone carries the burden for what the Subud organisa-tion has failed to do. So I wrote… I have previously refrained from doing so, but now I am afraid I must correct your incorrect and oft-repeated claim that you have produced “the book” about Subud suggested by Bapak. I have now heard this claim just once too often and can no longer let it pass. Whatever the rights and wrongs of what the International Helpers want to do, you should stop making this claim. I was present at the impromptu talk which Bapak gave in the living room of his house in Cilandak to a small group of people at-tending the SBIF Trustees (WSC) meeting in (if I remember correctly) 1984. Bapak's remarks about “a book” were made in the context of talking about the wings, SICA, Susila Dharma etc and it is abso-lutely clear that what Bapak was talking about was a book which “contains proofs, realities, evidence which demonstrate the scope or scale of Subud” ie the “fruits of the latihan” - that is the things Subud mem-

bers actually do such as enterprises, and cultural and social projects. That was what Bapak wanted someone to do. I have attached the relevant part of Bapak's talk. Bapak was not referring to a book such as yours which is about 90% an anthology of quotations from Bapak arranged under themes and topics as had previously been done by Dominic Rieu and Rashid Lyle. Your book is longer than theirs, and there is some introductory material referring to your own experiences, but essentially it is the same sort of book. It is quite clear this is not the sort of book Bapak was talking about because Sharif explicitly asked Bapak if the book he was talking about corresponded to a book re-cently completed by Rashid Lyle - a book essentially like yours in that it is a collec-tion of quotes from Bapak arranged in themes - and Bapak clearly said this was NOT the book he intended. I own a copy of your book and refer to it from time to time and it brings together some useful information, but it is not the book Bapak was talking about. There will not be “the book” about Subud. There will be many books and your claim to have produced “the book” is grandiose and I certainly cannot support it in Subud Voice. A danger of a book like yours is that it tends to give the impression that Bapak's words were rigid and codified “teachings” instead of the flexible and free-flowing “explanations” he said they were. I also understand - correct me if I'm wrong - that you included all these quota-tions from Bapak without getting permis-sion of ISC, the copyright holder. Succes-sive ISCs have certainly been kind to you in letting you get away with this flagrant breach of copyright. Let me know if you want your letter pub-lished along with some comments of mine along the lines of what I have just said. An interesting point of history is that at the time of giving the talk Bapak said, “Richard Engels is a person who could write such a book.” Richard was in the room at the time – I believe he was the inaugural SICA co-ordinator - and I know that for many ears afterwards Richard struggled to fulfill this task.

WHEN IS A BOOK NOT “THE BOOK” Harris Smart & Simon Monbaron Lock Horns

‘To read this false and grandiose claim trumpeted forth yet again was just too much for me.’

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5 SUBUD VOICE - July 2003

He was not able to produce the book that Bapak described but what he did produce are fragments of autobiography of im-mense power and interest, describing not only such seminal Subud events as how he and his companions first discovered Subud at Coombe Springs, but also his extraordinary experiences during the Second World War when he was wounded and then taken prisoner by the Russians. Now, there is reality… Let me repeat I have nothing much against Simon’s book. I refer to it from time to time. It can be useful to look up what Bapak said on a certain occasion about some topic such as suicide or mar-riage or whatever. Also Simon collects some more obscure documents which it is useful to have available in print. Some aspects of the book I do not like, and the apparent breach of copyright is outra-geous , but hey! let a thousand flowers bloom. There are probably some people for whom Simon’s book is just exactly what they need. I have always thought it damnable cheek for Simon to describe himself as an author of a book which consists of about 90% someone else’s words. If I had carried out such a task I would refer to myself as an “editor” or a “compiler” not an author. But my only deep issue with the book is this false or deluded claim that it is the book Bapak was talking about at the WSC meeting. I wonder what it is in Simon that feels compelled to make such a claim. Here is the relevant passage when, sud-denly and unexpectedly while talking to the WSC Trustees, Bapak began to talk about the need for a book about Subud for the general public. What he said is recorded in Loving Your Fellow Man (p114). Read this, and then judge for yourself if Simon’s book was what Bapak was talking about. Bapak is happy to hear your reports be-cause Bapak sees in them the beginning of a picture of Subud as it should develop.

For the fact is, we reach God through painting, we reach God through acting, we reach God through sculpture. We reach God through all these, and other, activities. That is the way.

It is possible to make a book about the development of Subud which in itself can be a source of funds for us.

The world at the moment is looking for a way out, a way by which a limit or con-straint can be placed on man’s passions, the expansion of man’s nafsu. Everyone is wondering about this and looking for a way that it can be done.

And we have a way, a way that can relieve people of their anxiety, their depression when they survey the state of the world today. It is a book about the way Subud has developed and what it is. As Bapak is talking, Bapak can see pictures of this book in front of him that he wishes to con-vey to you… Bapak sees the book he has just spoken about as being wider in scope than the history of Subud which Harlinah Long-croft is working on. It can be said that what Harlinah is working on really relates to the kejiwaan - the spread of Subud as a kejiwaan organization.

But the book Bapak is speaking about now embraces all aspects of Subud. This book would be of interest to people outside of Subud. Bapak is not sure Harlinah’s book will be so interesting to people outside Subud. But this one will be. Yes, this book which Bapak has a picture of will be very interesting indeed to people not in Subud.

When they read it, it will no longer be a question of us ever trying to attract people to come to Subud: they’ll wish to come in by themselves once they have read the book.

Harlinah’s book is a large and long pro-ject. What Bapak has received just now is smaller and would go into book stores. It is not a historical treatise.

(Sharif then raised the question with Ba-pak if a recently completed book by Rashid Lyle might be the book. Bapak said the two books were different.)

Both can go ahead - because they are dif-ferent. The book Bapak is talking about is one that speaks about reality. It describes what has happened, what is happening and the direction things are actually going…

What Rashid is trying to do is explain the content of Subud - which is different. So there is no reason why the two can’t go ahead. They are basically different.

Since Rashid’s book deals with “content”. as it were, it relates to the future. This is what may happen. But the book Bapak is talking about is about what is happening now. It contains proofs, realities, evidence which demonstrates the scope or scale of Subud. There is every kind of thing in it. It is very wide and broad.

I thought this irrefutable case would be the end of it. Simon would gracefully ac-knowledge his error and that would be that. I was ill-prepared for the impregna-ble fortress of Simon’s denial. Our corre-spondence continues. Alas, there is no more space here. For more, go to July 1 News in Brief at www.subudvoice.net

International Helper, Murray Clapham, reports on a tragic fire in Palangkaraya, capital of Central Kalimantan, and asks how Subud can help in emergencies... At 11:00 P.M, on June 2nd, Mansur Geiger and I drove towards a Padang Restaurant in Palangkaraya to collect food for a se-lamatan at Rungan Sari. About 500 meters from the Restaurant I noticed the burnt out shop houses on the left side of the road. Primarily concrete structures shielding the devastation which lay behind. Occasionally I got a glimpse of the com-pletely destroyed kampung stretching all the way back to the river. Three or four further glimpses only served to reinforce the horror, revealing that the fire had been as broad as it was long. Everything burnt, nothing moved, charred black timber stumps in an empty stillness covered an area that less than 24 hours before had been a vibrant kampung. A kampung I had walked through several times, joked with breast feeding mums and bargained at informal sector food stalls that dotted the house fronts. Crowds stood up on the main road looking down at the damage, few of them I suspect were victims of the fire. A few tents dis-pensing food were set up in a small park by the road, the only evidence of solace. Apparently most had sought refuge and taken their misery to extended families elsewhere. I enquired in the restaurant in the next door sports store about events of the night before, the cause and consequences of the fire. Different opinions, some frightening, but agreement that at least two thousand had lost everything. Disgust and Frustration In the Kijang as we drove away laden with food, my imagination tried to capture the scenes at the height of the fire and the suf-fering of the people. Inside me was a growing feeling of disgust and frustration that I had not helped a single person. I had not found a way to translate my sympathy into effective action and yet only two years ago I had witnessed at a distance a similar fire at the other end of the city. It struck me that we Subud members ac-tive in Kalimantan need to quickly start Continued on page 14.

PALANGKA RAYA FIRE:

OUR REPONSE?

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Bapak was a good father to me. He always took care of us children. When my mother died, Bapak took care of us by himself. He was like our father and yet he was also like a mother to me. In the holidays, Bapak always took us with him to his friends. So we weren’t treated like small children, who are sent to play with other small children, for we al-ways went with Bapak and saw what was happening with Bapak. He always met up with his friends, and sometimes we watched their latihan and, of course, it was fun for us. But we didn’t really understand what was going on with the adults, although sometimes we under-stood that what they were doing was the latihan. One day, a long time after the death of our mother, we saw a lady coming to our house. I looked out of the window because I was surprised to see a lady coming to see Bapak. It seemed very serious and I under-stood later on that she would be my mother. She was Ibu Siti Sumari who became Ba-pak’s second wife. Of course we were happy when Bapak remarried, and we had a sister, and also because now there was someone who could take care of us. When I was older, I don't know exactly when, I began to do the latihan, it just naturally happened by itself. Once this happened, I knew for spiritual reasons that my father was more than simply my fa-ther. I mean, Bapak himself never taught us how to do the latihan, or how to de-velop the latihan, but it came to me by itself. Of course, our family had a lot of experi-ences with Japanese soldiers when we were at war with the Japanese, but we al-ways felt protected. We believed that this good luck was protecting us because we were part of Bapak's family, because it was really unbelievable that we escaped danger at that time. We owned a machine gun, and it was kept right close by, just there, and on one occa-sion, we had no time to throw it away. I just covered it with the mattress, but it was God's will that the Japanese could not see it. It's unbelievable, because if they saw it, all the family would have been gunned down then. I would not have been able to see you now.

So the time went on, the years passed, and I got married, and became the mother of Tuti and the other children of Ibu’s daugh-ter, Rochanawati, after she died. Now, at this time, before Ibu died, I was still in Semarang in the old house that Ba-pak had there. Well, I had received that I had to clean myself. I didn't know what kind of cleaning was meant, but I just washed and then started to do my prayers, my last prayer for the day, and then I lay down on my bed. And when I started closing my eyes, I could see something that I was not expect-ing. One by one these things became real. It was like somebody coming. God let me know what was the real inner nature of this person.

Of course, many came, one by one. So I became afraid and I thought to myself, “Oh, maybe I’m going into a crisis now.” When I became afraid, I tried to open my eyes so these visions would stop, but as soon as I closed my eyes, it would start again. Then, I saw a different vision. I remember thinking at that time, “Oh, why do I have to be afraid? I only have to look for my father, because he's the one who knows everything.” I started to relax and then I heard Bapak's voice. Yet, at the time Bapak was in Ja-karta; but Bapak said, ‘Why are you get-ting confused?’ and I said, “I want to find my father.” He (the voice) said, “Oh yeah, just go ahead.” You see, I really knew it was Bapak's voice, and so I went on further. It's like I

went somewhere and I saw Bapak. But I felt that this person was not the one I wanted, that he was not my Bapak, so I was still looking. In my feeling I said, “Bapak!” and then this person disap-peared. Then the voice said, “It's okay, you can go on, and look for your father,” and I went on maybe just three or four steps. And then, later on, I understood that Ba-pak is everywhere, even in the lower forces, in forces from the material and also from the vegetable realms. Bapak is there too, in different conditions. The person I then saw looked like Bapak at first, but then he disappeared. And then, after some time, as I was going along, I saw the form of a woman, a woman who just split from my body, and I said, “Who are you?” And she said, “I am your mother.” Then I said to her, “Oh, please show me where my father is.” She replied, “Oh! If you want to have your father you still have to go on. You have to go forward, but it’s a pity that I cannot be with you. I can only come with you as far as here.” So, I went on and when I got there, I was confused and I said, “Where is my father.” And then I saw something. I mean it was like crystal, a body, but it's crystallized; and then this human form waved to me, saying, “You, what are you looking for?” And I said, “I want to know my real fa-ther.” “Okay you come here.” And then I went forward and Bapak asked me to drink Continued on page 11.

IBU RAHAYU’S ASCENSION As Told in a Video Interview Conducted

by the Gerald Chalem Project

6 SUBUD VOICE - July 2003

‘I mean, sometimes I could not stand these experiences. Then I would simply say, “Oh please God, this is not my job. Thank you for choosing me as the one. You have made me a witness, but please God, I return it all to you.”’

Ibu Rahayu.

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July 2003

INNER VOICE - July 2003 7

Editor Ilaina Lennard Email: [email protected]

When Bapak says the content of this latihan kejiwaan we have received is not something new but has existed always, simultaneously, with the existence of man's life in this world going back to Adam -- Bapak's words are supported as well by the evidence and stories of the lives of the other prophets. In the time of Abraham, Abraham was able to receive proof of the life within his life. He received this in the form of a radiance, a bright light. Prophet Abraham saw a radiance immensely bright, a light which could also be heard to be accompanied by a sound as strong as thunder; and also accompanied with a vibration which shook him. A similar experience was received by Prophet Moses. He perceived a brilliant, blindingly bright light, and heard a great sound, a voice; and it was this vibration, by its power, that separated the waters of the Red Sea. Later, Jesus Christ received the same reality. He is always portrayed as if bathed in radiance, illuminated from above. This illumination is the life within the life of the Power of God within the human being. The golden staircase of the Prophet Muhammad's ascension is a symbol of that same light. Humans today cannot see the radiance With the coming of Subud, the same power is received by us. But we do not see it, most of us, in the form of radiance. Why? The reason is simple. Human beings today are already very different from men of earlier ages. The eyes of some of those earlier people were still open enough to see the radiance. But the eyes of human beings today are completely closed up by the power of the material forces. People can no longer perceive this radiance or light which was perceived by men of ancient times when they felt the vibration of God's Power within them. That light is there -- but the

eyes of men today are virtually closed off to this vision of the Power of God which goes along with its vibration and movement. What we have received -- though we receive it first in a form which is much coarser, in the nature of physical movements -- is proof for us; it is convincing. It is real. ..This experience of this life within our life fulfils the saying of Jesus Christ when he said: "The Power of God is within you. So, whenever you are sad, whenever you suffer, ask God, run to the Power of God, surrender to God, and you will find God’s Power, God’s kingdom there within you; and it will comfort you.” This is indeed how it is. ..Now Bapak is not saying the latihan is bigger or better than something else. Indeed, the contact with the Power of God does exist elsewhere. For, in truth, the latihan kejiwaan of Subud, which we call it, came into existence together with the human race, together with Adam. It is what in Islam is called khatir ilham: the Vibration of Life. The Vibration of Life is what is received in your jiwa; and it is the jiwa which, thereby, remembers God. Adam at his death It is said that before Adam died, as he reached his very old age - Bapak doesn’t know, he may have been 800 or 1000 years old - Adam grew despondent in his life. Of his children, grandchildren and great-grandchildren and so on, there were those who were trying to follow in his footsteps as God Almighty had shown him. But already there were quite a few who had fallen into disharmony and discord among themselves, who had abandoned the way Adam followed in worshipping God and using his faculties to work in the world as God decrees. Adam was very old; his body was very frail. He knew he was approaching death.

But, somehow, he could no longer believe in what God had willed: that, if he followed what God asked, then when the end of his life on Earth came, God would take him back to Heaven. Adam prostrated himself on the ground and wept. God heard Adam and spoke to him again. "Adam," God said, "you have fulfilled your promise to Me and I will fulfil My Promise to you. My Power is still within you. Is it so hard for you to believe that, if I created you in the beginning, I can bring your jiwa, your soul, back to Me when your life here on earth finishes?" Adam had faith; he felt the Vibration of Life within him; and, when Adam died, the story relates, he was truly taken back to the Heaven from which he had originally come. The Age of Communion But the case for some of Adam's descendants was different. As their numbers increased, the fighting and disharmony between them grew, until God, seeing the situation as He does always, sent to Earth, to man, a Messenger of God, the human being called Prophet Abraham, a descendant, it is related, of Said Anwar. Now the Age of Adam on earth had been, for the human race, an Age of childhood. In Adam's day, human beings lived in close communion with all that existed on Earth. A human being could feel himself one with animals, one with plants and at one with other human beings. You can see in the development of the human being that the nature of a very little child is like that as well. The Age of Will But by the time of Abraham, human life on earth had grown wider. By this Age, human beings had, in general, will power. A human being needs that God of will to take actions and make efforts. So Abraham came and he is symbolized by the colour red which signifies the presence of will.

Continued on page 8.

About the Prophets Some extracts from ADAM AND HIS CHILDREN, a selection from Bapak’s talks, compiled by Luqman McKingley

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8 INNER VOICE - July 2003

Continued from page 7. ..With Abraham - who was called the friend of God - a Message came which helped the existence of human beings to be harmonious again. In so far as God was with him, guilding him, Abraham was indeed the ‘guide’ or organiser of mankind. This is what ‘friend of God’ means. Organisation of people had begun - not of all, but of many. A degree of harmony was possible. But generation followed on generation. Of Abraham’s message received from God, there was part which was followed and passed on, and parts which were neglected and discarded. The result was that once again mankind fell into disharmony and confusion. So, yet again, a Messenger of God was sent down by God: Prophet Moses who is called the one who walked with God, the way-shower. The Age of Understanding The Age of Moses was the ‘Age of Understanding’. The symbolic colour for Moses is white, meaning understanding or the brain. This means that mankind needed to find what to will, what, for what purpose people should make efforts.

..The result of Prophet Moses coming and the Message God gave him was that a further degree of stability and harmony was restored. But again, generation after generation, human beings sank into ever deeper misery and disharmony. So God sent another Messenger, Jesus Christ, who is called the ‘child’ of God which means that Jesus embodied God’s ‘spirit’. The Ages of discerning good and bad and feeling right and wrong Jesus’ colour, green, signifies a division between the pure and the impure; for humanity this signifies an age where - after efforts have been made, after a will exists, and after understanding is there in relation to this will - then the good or bad of any action to be undertaken needs to be taken into consideration, needs to be thought about. For a time, some amount of harmony returned. Then, as mankind's condition eventually worsened again, there came the Age of the Prophet Muhammad, the Age of being able to feel for one's self what is right or wrong. And finally, in like manner, now has come the Age of Evidence, and the latihan kejiwaan of Subud. The Age of Evidence So, Age by Age, mankind has grown in numbers, reverting again and again to

being dominated by the nafsu; and each time, God has sent help in the form of a Messenger. Until now, we come to this present Age, an Age where the material force dominates the whole of the world and mankind: An Age where the human mind requires proofs. So, with this broader perspective, it is more understandable how the huge pile of faults and sins which have been handed down to you actually accumulated. ..We can do nothing but accept this situation of this pile of mistakes accumulated within us; and accept that, even though we have received the latihan kejiwaan, it may take us a long time to experience the improvement of our being. ..You may not be aware of this. You cannot see what has to happen -- nor what you have to go through in order to experience a genuine improvement in your being. But later you will know. Later on you will look back and understand all that had to be put right in your situation from the time when you first received the contact with the Power of God Almighty. ADAM AND HIS CHILDREN is obtainable from CANOPY. For more details, tel/fax (62) 021 750 3724 or e-mail: [email protected]

An experience during one of Bapak’s talks.. ...Bapak was just coming to sit down. He was smoking a Kretek and while he smoked and talked I was beginning to wonder if I didn’t need glasses to see better from where I was. Then I remembered I had brand new glasses in my pocket and I put them on. Bapak talked and it was fascinating, but I was a bit dreamy and floating as I listened. Suddenly I looked at him and said to myself “Who is that? This is not Bapak on stage.” I thought there was something funny or that I was really tired so I took my glasses off and put them on again. It was even clearer to me that the man on the stage was a different person. He was very good looking. He was young, strong, athletic, very relaxed as he talked. “What’s happening to me?” I thought to myself, “My God, am I delirious, do I have a temperature? I was trying to figure it out but I couldn’t. So I went deep inside myself because obviously, from the outside, I couldn’t understand. I asked, “Please God, help

me out. What’s happening to me? Who is that character out there? I thought it was Bapak talking and it’s not. Who is it?” And then, like a resonance in a cathedral, the answer came, “Adam!” and I started to cry. There was Adam. I had in immense inner understanding that it had to be Adam. Then Bapak went on talking and suddenly, between tears, I saw that it was not Adam any longer. I took my handkerchief out and dried my eyes. I asked God, “This is extraordinary. Who is that now? It’s not the same man as before.” There in front of me stood a man with a very big nose and curly hair, very big curls, black hair going grey. He was thin but very tough, very wide and muscular, square, a big man. The word Abraham came from inside. I was seeing Abraham. Tears came out again. I was very emotional. It was too much, you know! I am an artist and I could have drawn those men, painted them, they were so clear in front of me. Extraordinary. As the evening went on Bapak continued talking and again I saw another man

when I looked on the stage. He was a bit pudgy, also quite tall and big but had lighter skin, blue eyes. Abraham had dark eyes.

This man had a very big forehead, white hair but shorter than Abraham and a different type of hair. It’s almost like he could have been a redhead but he was white. He was a man in his sixties and I knew, I didn’t have to ask this time. I knew it was Moses. I remember his hands were very wide, short fingers, very, very gentle but very pudgy. I really noticed all the details because being an artist I learned to be very observant. I looked carefully at the clothing. A further shock With Abraham it was very roughly hewn. He had very little on. You could see most of his body. Moses had a long robe, white, it looked like an Egyptian garb. I was very moved. Abraham is a man I

Continued on page 9.

ABOUT THE PROPHETS

BAPAK AND THE PROPHETS Leonard Lassalle describes some experiences

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INNER VOICE - July 2003 9

Continued from page 8. adore. Suddenly as the evening went on I had another shock. I saw Jesus. Bapak became Jesus in front of my eyes. There he stood, very feminine. His movements were supple. His hands were long and thin. His voice was clear like crystal. There was such love coming out of this man it was wonderful to be in front of him. He was neither a woman nor a man, an extraordinary character. By that time I was really in a terrible state, crying in my chair. I would barely recover and the feeling would come back and I’d cry again. I said to myself: “Come on, get hold of yourself!” So I wiped my eyes, blew my nose and went through two hours of Bapak talking and transforming. I was exhausted. Suddenly, I saw a little man in Bapak’s chair, with a thin black moustache. He had a little round face. He was slight of build, very quick, very agile, talking very fast with lots of movements. I knew it was Muhammad, I just knew. He had beautiful almond black eyes, fascinating eyes. While I was looking at him there was a kind of explosion in his face, like a star bursting, and then I saw Bapak roaring with laughter .. a projector had exploded. Sometimes those early ones would explode in that way. And Bapak was laughing because the thing had exploded. If you remember when Bapak talked there was this phenomenon happening. You felt that he was talking to you personally. As he laughed he was looking straight at me and inside I said, “Thank you Bapak. I know who you are now.” It was the Sixties and I experienced that Bapak was actually all the prophets in one. That was why he knew the Bible so well. He knew more than anybody could know, and people often wondered where he got his information. Well, he lived it. He was a pure soul from God that had taken different forms, had accumulated knowledge, a colossal thing. That was why Bapak said there would be nobody after him. He had integrated them all. This was an amazing experience and I never told anybody about this for year and years. Something inside me said I could not tell anybody except Melinda, my wife, and I asked her not to tell anyone, until an extraordinary thing happened about a hundred days after Bapak’s death. At Bapak’s 100th Day Selamatan I was in Anugraha. I had been director of Anugraha and I was a National Helper in England. For some reason they asked me to talk, “Leonard, it’s one hundred days after Bapak’s death. We are going to have a big selamatan at Anugraha. Could

you talk about Bapak this evening?” I felt so-so about it, but since I was asked I decided to try. I was a bit nervous to be honest. All week long I was preparing myself. I was gathering bits of feelings here and there about Bapak’s death. It was very momentous for all of us, and I was trying to feel my way around. When I got to the big hall, there were spotlights right on the pulpit; four other brothers were on my left and I was the last one. There was an Imam who came and talked first, then there was an English priest, then an Israeli brother who did the Jewish prayer and then it was Sharif’s turn and then me. The whole place was dark, then they announced us. Sharif could not be there so we would hear a recording of Sharif’s talk at Bapak’s funeral. I hadn’t heard it. Then Sharif’s lovely voice on the microphone filled the hall. I was very close to Sharif. I have always been. We met in Coombe Springs and I lived in his house. We are close friends. I heard his voice and one after the other he said all the things I planned to say. I felt everything had been taken up, taken away from me. When he finished I was left naked in the chair, with nothing to say. “Oh my God, what am I going to do,” I asked. “I prepared myself and knew just what I was going to say but now I can’t say it. What do I do?” “Just go up there and you’ll see,” was the answer. So I heard myself being called and I felt my heart beating in so many directions I could barely keep it in my chest. When I got to the pulpit, I put my hands like this and got completely quiet. I remained still. Everybody was waiting. I heard people shifting around in the room but I just stayed quiet and suddenly - the hall of Anugraha was quite high, you know, with the big bubble up there, and everything was dark in the room - I saw this enormous being filling the place. I saw Bapak, very, very big, taking up the whole place. He said to me, “Leonard, why are you wondering what to say?” I answered, “Well Bapak, I don't know what to say. Sharif said it all.” But Bapak answered, “Bapak told you already, you must talk about your experience.” “You mean the one where I saw who you were?” And Bapak said, “Yes, you must tell that one.” So I told the experience I just described to you. Because I was very filled with the feeling of the experience I saw that many people out there were crying. Later, when I went out, an English priest came and said to me, “Leonard, you have thrown the light. Now I understand who Bapak is, and this has helped me to understand all the prophets and what this is all about.” He was so moved!

And what is even more fantastic - and this is a story very few people know because most of the people who experienced it are dead, there is only one guy left, he is an electrician, I always forget his name - is what took place at the Alexandra Palace in London. “Bapak is going to show you how Bapak receives..” It must have been the early seventies in a huge hallway, a palace, but very uncomfortable at the time, very dusty. Bapak had given a long talk and at the end of the talk Bapak said, “Now Bapak wants twelve helpers.” He chose twelve of us and he said, “Come with Bapak. I want to do a latihan with you.” So we went out. I had Lambert on my right and this electrician on my left. Bapak put us in a circle with him standing in the middle. He talked to us and then said “Now Bapak is going to show you how Bapak receives,” and he started to move. He moved and became extremely light and fast. He moved like the man I had seen who was Muhammad. He told us that Muhammad used to move very quickly and that he spoke quickly. What he said made me feel tremendously peaceful inside, total peace. He added that Muhammad spoke the words of God that actually touched people. After he finished this kind of acting - Bapak liked acting a lot, he received this but acted it as well - he became it. Then he suddenly changed and started to move differently. It was extraordinary how he moved. And we all saw Jesus, the white robe, the beard, the face and all. Bapak then said “Bapak is going to show you now how Jesus cured people through touching.” And he went around, and my heart was going boom boom boom as he came closer. I must have been in the middle, the sixth or the seventh in line. He put his hands on someone two places before me and said something I could not hear. It was a bad hall for hearing, but as he came closer to my friend on the left he put his hand on him and said, “Oho, it’s too hot in here. Can you feel Bapak’s hand? It’s a cool one. When the soul acts on the feelings it’s always cool there. The hot means a lot of nafsu. It’s burning inside, that’s why it’s so hot there.” And I thought to myself, “Oh God what is he going to say when he comes to me?” I was bouncing all over inside, and then he came, put his hand there and he said “Yeah, yeah, quiet, quiet.” And I felt his cool hand, soothing. He explained, “That is how Jesus was passing the Contact to people, by touching. He had to touch people.” Then he talked about the heart and actually he was Jesus at that moment. I was in tears, overwhelmed, completely wet, and this confirmed my previous experiences.

Continued on page 10.

Bapak and the Prophets - the experience at Anugraha

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10 INNER VOICE - July 2003

Continued from page 9.

The above is taken from THE MANY FACES OF SUBUD ( 415 pages, introduced and edited by Lydia Riantee Rand) and is now available at the price of $21.24 plus shipping through: www.xlibris.com/TheManyFacesofSubud.html, or by Telephone 1 888 795 4274 x276 or by mail: Xlibris Corp.; 436 Walnut Street, 11th Floor, Philadelphia PA 19106 or through Amazon.com, Barnes & Noble.com, Borders.com or through LR. Rand Box 484 Mendocino, CA 95460 for $ 18 (plus shipping,) payable by check in advance.) It is a collaboration (Riantee, Lillia, Rasunah and many others) compiling testimonies from all over the world on Subud and its central feature, the latihan. 15% royalties go to Subud. Allow a delay of 12 to 15 days.

impurities are removed, you will feel light and free. This is a necessary condition for the real union between husband and wife, so that later, what you feel will also be felt by your wife, and she will also be able to receive what you are thinking. In this way, you and your wife can become a truly united pair. To reach this state it is necessary for you to do the latihan regularly and diligently. "Besides the impurities that can be removed by doing the latihan as usual, there are also certain impurities in man which lie in his deeper self that can only be purified through the sexual union between husband and wife. And the impurities that are removed in this way will finally come out through the wife. Outwardly this is shown to us by the fact that women have been willed by God to menstruate once a month. "In addition, it is necessary for a man to get married so that he can experience again how he was at his conception and when he was born. This condition is the same as when he becomes the channel of God for the bringing into existence of his child. For this reason, the sexual union should be regarded as a sacred and a holy act and it should not be carried out for pleasure just to satisfy the passions. In fact, at that moment you become the channel of the Power of God.” This was Bapak's explanation and as I listened, I felt as if fresh, cold water was being poured over me, and my feelings became very relaxed.

Being disliked by everybody.. For a certain period of my life I was very surprised to find that I was disliked by everybody around me; by my family, my friends, and the people I worked with at the office who always looked at me angrily. To avoid any trouble which might arise against my will, I started to work harder, and, in addition, to do the latihan more than usual. Despite this, the situation did not change, but on the contrary people disliked and slandered me more. I spoke to Bapak about my situation and he looked at me in such a way as if to say "Subud members must be strong enough to face these probations from the outside." The situation grew worse and it seemed as if I did not have a friend left in the world. It was particularly difficult at home, with my mother, my father, my children and my wife disliking me - fortunately my wife only for one week - while the whole period was eight months. Finally I reached the conclusion: let everybody dislike me, as long as God does not. Then in the latihan I received the indication that I could not hate or dislike people any more, as my heart was now freed from these forces. I told Bapak of this experience, and Bapak replied: "Thanks to God, you were able to face and come through this heavy period. This is indeed the way God purifies the heart of man. "In the nature of man's heart there is hate, conceit, meanness, anxiety and other passions, and these will be purified in that way. What you have seen is in fact the nature of your own heart. Although people are generally not strong enough to face such a period, finally these obstacles will be purified by the soul for its development. "Because of this you have to be cautious and not criticise other people for showing dislike or other feelings. The people you are with are just like mirrors, which show you the working of your own heart, so when you are with other people you should always consider whether the feelings come from yourself or from them. "In the latihan also you need to distinguish between these feelings, so that you know which force moves them."

Inner Changes After Marriage After my marriage, I expenenced very great changes within myself. Various kinds of feelings developed in me, and my heart and mind became confused. In fact, I felt as if I had returned to the condition I was in before I began to receive the latihan kejiwaan. I felt that my latihan was "stuck". It no longer went as smoothly as before I married. My heart became doubtful and I lost faith in myself. I questioned within my heart: "How have I sinned?" At first I did not do anything about this, but my heart grew more and more worried. So finally I went to submit the problem to Bapak. Fortunately I found Bapak alone at his house, so I could talk freely to him. In answer to the questions I asked, Bapak gave me the following explanations: "It is like this because, before you were married, what you received was not yet recognised as official by God, and so did not have its full value. It was only given as a sample. Now, after your marriage, you must start again from the beginning. That is why you feel as if you have not yet received the latihan kejiwaan. But this does not mean that you are going backwards. On the contrary, ultimately you will receive deeper knowledge and wider experiences. "Furthermore, you now have a heavier task than before, as you must also work out the impurities your wife has inherited from her ancestors. When these

SOME EXPERIENCES OF MAS SUDARTO MARTOHUDOJO

Bapak and the Prophets

The Experiences of Mas Sudarto Martohudojo

This interesting little book, compiled by Solihin Garrard, costs £5.00 (UK) £5.50 (Euro) £6.00 (other|). It can be obtained from SPI at Loudwater Farm, Loudwater Lane, Rickmansworth, Herts WD3 4HG, UK. Tel: (44) (0)1727 762210 Fax; 44) (0)1727 858080. e-mail: [email protected] Methods of Payment: International Money Order/Draft/UK Bank Account cheque - payable to: Subud Publications International. Or Credit Card - MASTERCARD * VISA * AMERICAN EXPRESS

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ence. Sometimes when I tried to sleep Bapak just called out to me, “You are not to sleep, come with me, follow me.” And I followed him. Then I had to witness what Bapak was doing in the other world. It was something like that. Then I realized, “Oh, Bapak's work is very hard.” And when the time was nearly finished, I heard a voice say that I had to go back and then someone gave me something like a pencil, or a pen. So the voice said; “Here's the pen, it’s your pen, so you can help people with it. And now you go back and you go home.” Maybe at that time my body was already empty. So when I became conscious, I realized that I was lying on my bed and I’m look-ing around for my pencil that I had gotten from above. Afterwards when I went out of my room, I asked my husband, “Where is my pencil?” “What kind of pencil is it?” he asked me. Yes, it seems that it was not a real pencil, but later on I realized that I could now help people with their names, with their questions, and also I could help other peo-ple to some extent. But, before I could do that I was tested there. I was tested by many tests similar to those which Bapak used. It's like what Bapak did when he tested for you. For example, How can you walk? How are you walk-ing? How do you cook? Something like that, but you really can feel it. I told Bapak about all this, and he just smiled. Bapak already felt a bit impatient also, he always told me many times that I had to move near him, many times. And Bapak had always agreed that my house was finished, and therefore I should move near to him. I always promised him that. So that's why I always feel guilty about that, because he always said that, “It's already time for you to stay with me.” This is my story but, of course, everyone has their own story, or their own experi-ence; and of course this is my experience, so I cannot forget it. It is very important to me. Today I believe in what I'm doing with the latihan, so it means that the lati-han is something important for me. We are indebted to Gerald Chalem for permission to print this interview. For a number of years, Gerald had organized a program of interviewing Subud members on video. His collection now includes about 100 hours of tape. This material was also invaluable for our programs Bapak: The Man and His Mission.

11 SUBUD VOICE - July 2003

IBU RAHAYU’S ASCENSION Continued from page 6. from one of his breasts and I did what he asked me to do. I did that. I drank the milk and the body disappeared and I looked at myself and I was the same as him, my body was crystallized now. So when I was like that, I could go by my-self over there. And when I went there, of course, there were lots of experiences that I cannot tell here, because it was all really a secret of life. (She laughs.) Because sometimes it's not nice to see such things, even for me. I mean, some-times I could not stand these experiences. Then I would simply say, “Oh please God, this is not my job. Thank you for choosing me as the one. You have made me a wit-ness, but please God, I return it all to you.” Then all the visions went by me, until at the last moment I was in a very big place where even I could not go up. At the level of my eyes I could see a big man wearing a robe, brown or red-brown in colour, something like this. I could see he had a spear but I could not see his face. Then the voice was there again, and he asked me to go back down. Of course I went down. I felt like I was going down, but I felt that I'm not going back to Semarang but instead I'm going to Jakarta. So after I had gone down, I saw Bapak again, in Javanese clothing, except he had a crown – not a hat like the Java-nese have – but instead there was a crown. Then I saw Ibu, Ibu Sumari was lying down there. At that time I didn't know that Ibu was dying. So when I was there, I saw Ibu open her eyes and just mention my name, “Oh, Rahayu,” she said. And then she closed her eyes, so I knew that she had died. And that evening it rained very hard in Semarang, and the city was flooded, even my room was flooded, but I didn't know that at the time I was with Ibu. So the family in Jakarta tried to reach me by phone but it could not happen, because all the phone lines were cut. It was only later, maybe in the morning, that a courier or someone arrived, who tried to tell me that Ibu had died, and that Bapak wanted me to come to Jakarta. And I said, “Yes, I already know.” So then we tried to go to Jakarta. At that time, maybe I was not really in my normal state, I was in still in a special condition, which was like flying. Even at the grave-side I knew I was with Subud people, but I couldn’t really speak or anything. Yes, that was the beginning of my experi-

ence. Then of course I still needed some time on my own, to cope with the effect of all this. Actually, you know, I needed maybe a hundred days, or something like that. I am a bit unclear about this, but at that time I could not go to Ibu’s selamatan, because I was not in a good state. And, of course, my husband was a bit wor-ried because I didn’t like to see people. I locked my door so no one could see me. At that time I could even see who was coming, because it was the will of God that I could see this. I could see what was going on outside, through the walls, al-though not with my eyes. So at the time I really believed that God is very powerful. And my husband, of course, was very wor-ried about me and he asked Bapak what he should do, and Bapak told him that now it was time for me to be Bapak's assistant. I had to follow Bapak's journey, or some-thing like that. So my husband had to ac-cept this and he promised to do that.

I told Bapak when I was better, when I had finished with this kind of receiving, what had happened to me. I told Bapak, and Bapak said; “Oh, yes, it is true.” So Ba-pak was happy about that, that one of his children could be the witness of Bapak’s experience. Yes, that is what I experienced. So that's why now that I’m getting older, I try to follow Bapak's work. I'll do my best, and of course, I ask for a blessing from God, and from Bapak, that I have the strength to do it. After I had this experience and had told Bapak what was going on, one morning Bapak said, “I think it is time for you now to give names to people, because Bapak cannot do this anymore because he is physically not able to.” But perhaps I can also tell the story of one of my experiences that I had there, be-cause every night I had a different experi-

‘At that time I could even see who was coming, because it was the will of God that I could see this. I could see what was going on outside, through the walls, although not with my eyes. So at the time I really believed that God is very powerful.’

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The much loved and respected Subud member, Ronimund “Hubert” von Bissing, passed away on Friday June 6 at 6.00 in the morning. The only book I read before I came into Subud was his Songs of Submission. This is one of the few books about Subud which has attained the status of a “spiritual clas-sic”, with a reputation outside Subud. It was the perfect book for me to read, and has been the introduction to Subud for many people. In 1997I was staying with Muchtar Mar-tins in Portugal and I had a few days spare so I decided to got to Spain to the Jaramuza near Granada, the “community that is not a community” founded by Roni-mund and his wife Sophie. I was interested to meet Ronimund not only because of his books, but also be-cause he is a link with the early history of Subud in the West. Ronimund’s life story is fascinating. For-tunately, he was able to complete his auto-biography shortly before his eyesight gave out, and I am glad to hear it will soon be published. Ronimund and Sophie gave me a delicious lunch and then we sat down to talk. In this interview I have used his previous name Ronimund, which he preferred. I hope this interview will be a foretaste of the delights and illuminations to be found in his forthcoming autobiography. My thanks to Sophie for giving me the “green light” to publish this interview at this time. Harris Smart. HS: Could you tell me a little about your family background, and your early years? RVB: I was born in Brighton, England, in 1914. My namesake, Hubert von Bissing, is recorded in the register of baronial fami-lies as having lived in Germany in the 11th century. I was sent to schools in England. First, to a preparatory school, and later to Charter-house. I left there at seventeen, very happy to escape, and studied at the Sorbonne and then Oxford. At Oxford I studied Philosophy, Politics and Economics, but then for financial rea-sons I had to leave Oxford, and went with my family to Chile. There I concentrated more on Politics and Philosophy because I came to the conclusion that nobody under-

stands anything about Economics, a con-clusion that all my subsequent experience has confirmed. HS: Were you always interested in spiritu-ality? RVB: From sixteen or seventeen, I was searching. Finally, in Chile I felt a sort of despair about it all, but also felt I hadn't given Christianity a chance to provide an-swers to these questions which I imagined everyone must ask. I finally formulated ten questions that blocked my being able to embrace Christianity. They were basically about if there is a good God, why is there so much evil in the world? I sent them to a Catholic priest, a Protes-tant clergyman, and what I called my "common sense" man. This started what I later came to call The God Correspon-dence. It went on for months.

At the end of it I felt I couldn't leave it like that, and at that moment I met Ouspensky and was introduced to his teaching and to the whole of the teaching of Gurdjieff and Ouspensky. I finally met Ouspensky in London and was accepted into his work. HS: What was Ouspensky’s teaching? RVB: What appealed to me was that he diagnosed the problems of man but also showed a practical way out. Working on yourself, correcting the errors, saving the energy which is usually wasted and on which spiritual development depends. In that teaching it was stipulated how energy was needed for the transformation of man into a completely different being. HS: Was this a technique of attentiveness to oneself, catching oneself in these errors and trying to refrain from them? RVB: Yes, but also setting reminders for yourself, because the principle thing is you forget about it. By joining the Ouspensky group you were surrounded by people who were all engaged in this work. I also did a

lot of other things in this period. I became a barrister. I went though the Middle East and the Balkans in sandals with a rucksack on my back. I also visited Mount Athos, where I formed a close friendship with one of the monks - Father Nicone. I also went through Cyprus and came across a piece of land I thought was a good investment. I had no money but I persuaded my mother to invest, and later it became a fortune for our family. At the age of 24 I decided to commit my-self totally to a spiritual life and I went to live at Ouspensky’s place in the country. I was there for three years during which time I did agricultural work. I specialised in milling, grinding foods for mixing, and shepherding. HS: What was Ouspensky like? RVB: He was an elderly man by then. He was about sixty, but like many Russians, he had aged more quickly than others. The person who ran the house and looked after the psychology of all the people involved was Madame Ouspensky. Ouspensky met Gurdjieff in Moscow in 1915 and followed him completely in every way, including escaping from Russia to Istanbul. Then in 1923 they separated and had nothing further to do with each other, and Ouspensky set up his own work. We had no contact with Gurdjieff at that time. We didn't know if he was still alive. Then the war began, and the Ouspenskys decided they wouldn't be able to expand the work during wartime in Europe, and they went to America. I felt very desolate and I wanted to go to America too. But then I was offered a job with British intel-ligence which enabled me to go to Amer-ica. I went on a tramp steamer in convoy but the ship was torpedoed. I managed to sur-vive, but I had a lot of luggage with me, a lot of books including nineteen volumes of Buddhist texts. That all went down. Fortu-nately, a corvette came and picked us up and not long after I was in Canadian navy underwear and overalls lying in a ham-mock. Then we landed in Canada and I went down to New York. I then visited Ouspensky who had a new place in the country not far from New York, 400 acres with a big mansion. My responsibilities were Mexico and Central and South America, gathering the intelli-gence that came from there, and liaising

12 SUBUD VOICE - July 2003

IN MEMORY OF RONIMUND VON BISSING 1914-2003

‘Gurdjieff had the capacity for arousing the worst emotions in you, then putting up a hand and saying, “Now, you see yourself?”’

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13 SUBUD VOICE - July 2003

with Washington and Canada. But I was able to maintain my contact with Ouspen-sky, live at his place in the country and commute to New York. I became closer to Ouspensky than ever before. At the end of the war, British intelligence was keen that I should stay on. The man in London who wanted me to join was Kim Philby. HS: You had a merciful deliverance there. RVB: After the war I was offered a job in Canadian external affairs. My recruiter assured me I could become an ambassador in three years, but it would have taken me away from Ouspensky and so I turned it down. We had decided in the Ouspensky work to start a little business of our own, so I de-cided to join that endeavour. We had of-fices in an old mansion beautifully done by J. P. Morgan for his mistress. We became advisers to English firms wanting to come into the United States. Then Ouspensky died in 1947,and the day after his death Madame Ouspensky sent an invitation for Gurdjieff to come. HS: What impression did he make on you? RVB: There is no possible answer. He was a very powerful presence, an inscrutable man in the sense that he didn't appear to be inscrutable at all. An amusing storyteller, an entertainer, but everything was always tense around him. If he was telling a story with a group of people around, he was always telling it on at least two different levels, maybe three, maybe addressed to one person, the one he’d never look at. He also did something the Ouspenskys never did which was to give direct tasks to people. He also cheated but always with the right aim and outcome. This is something Sufis do I believe - say things that are not necessarily exactly cor-rect but achieve a certain result. I felt this was always rather difficult to deal with. With Ouspensky everything was always exactly correct. HS: My favourite story about Gurdjieff is how at one point in his life he supported himself by catching sparrows, painting them yellow and selling them as canaries. Did Gurdjieff influence your approach to spirituality? RVB: He certainly had a tremendous effect upon me. Gurdjieff had the capacity for arousing the worst emotions in you, then putting up a hand and saying, “Now, you see yourself?” He drank a great deal. Not so much him, by then he was old, but he encouraged a lot of drinking. It was a method. He said once, “I need alcohol to save time.” You were supposed to be alive and alert in the internal sense but carrying

a great load of alcohol. So it was an ex-traordinary experience. HS: Gurdjieff died in 1949. Did that have an impact on you? RVB: The foundations of Ouspensky’s work had shifted because of Gurdjieff, upsetting the balance of some people. I began to feel I could make no further pro-gress with Madame Ouspensky.

I got the idea to do a television program interviewing interesting visitors to New York, a commonplace thing now, but an original idea then. I got a French cham-pagne maker to be the sponsor. But sud-denly the producer said he couldn't do it if the sponsor was alcohol, because he was Quaker, and it all fell through. I decided to leave the States and went to Cyprus. HS: You had earlier purchased this land there? RVB: I planned a development of 840 houses with parks and shops and so on. All this I might add was happening on my honeymoon because I had married in 1953. By 1957 I had created this develop-ment. I built five sample houses that be-came the relief headquarters during the Suez crisis in 1956. The generals used to come back from Suez and dine at our res-taurant. Later, when there was terrorism, it was the only place that was never attacked, and the leaders of the different parties, Greeks,

Turks, and English, were all able to meet there. I asked them to be discreet about their arms and put their guns aside when they were dancing. HS: When did you hear about Subud? RVB: In Nicosia we went one day to a typical colonial party and a chief justice said to Sophie, “There’s a man your hus-band would like to meet. He’s Husein Rofé and he teaches at the Turkish school.” Husein had come to Cyprus at the invita-tion of Meredith, later Roland Starr, and his wife Alison. The Starrs were ex-tremely poor. They literally had no money sometimes. He used to do a little homeo-pathic medicine and various extraneous activities. I heard of him once giving a talk called “Sex in the Atomic Age”, I didn't know which he knew less about, sex or the atomic age. I had met Starr once, and he was a walking encyclopaedia of esoterica, but I was not favourably impressed. In 1956 we agreed to meet Husein in England and I was opened. This was before Bapak came to England of course. HS: What did you experience at the time of your opening? RVB: I felt a strong warmth down the front and then at the back, and at the end of it, I was in a state of relaxation which was deeper than I had ever felt before. Even the residual tension was gone. My mind was quiet. It was these elements that convinced me early on that this had a serious content. I felt it went the same lines in which I had been going, but took me further. Unfortunately, the whole of this in-terview is too long to print here. To read the rest of it—in which Roni-mund talks about such things as the receiving of Songs of Submission—go to News in Brief at our web site ww.subudvoice.net. If you don't have access to the internet perhaps you can get a friend to print it out for you.

Ronimund and Sophie von Bissing. (Photo by Viktor Boehm)

‘I heard of Roland once giving a talk called “Sex in the Atomic Age”. I didn't know which he knew less about, sex or the atomic age.’

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Since January 2003, the children living at Rungan Sari have come together to form what is the beginnings of Sekolah Bina Cita Utama or “the nurturing of good (or the best) ideals” - a name given by Ibu Rahayu for our school. The 9 children form a challenging mix of ages, 8 through 14 years, derived from different nationalities and cultures, Indone-sians, Colombians, Australians and Thai. Initially Chad and Margaret Foulkes, teachers from Australia, volunteered to take on the challenge of getting our little school, located in the latihan hall, up and running. Margaret and Chad have now returned to Australia, and Utami Geiger with other parents’ support have taken over the tu-tor’s role. Presently we are using an excellent cur-riculum provided by the School of Isolated and Distance Education from West Austra-lia, and are adapting it to our diverse needs. However, the goal is that within one year we will create our own curricu-lum and have the means to also incorpo-rate local children from both Palangka Raya and neighboring villages. Those of us living here feel that the devel-opment of a school is both fundamental and critical to Subud’s ability to play a positive role in the development of the area. This view is also shared by the local people, including the mayor of Palangka Raya. This is a tremendous challenge and some-thing we will not achieve without drawing on the resources, experience, support, col-

laboration and the participation of like-minded people and the brotherhood. A clear and shared vision, plus finding the right people, lies at the core of this devel-opment. We would like to start network-ing with people who are interested in this exciting project. Utami and Mansur Geiger are founders of Sekolah Cita Buana in Wisma Subud that grew from 9 to 300 children in a period of 4 years, and they are acutely aware of the dynamics and challenges involved in de-veloping a school of this type. While our finances are limited and derived solely from the parent group at this time, we are in a position and need to find an experienced Subud teacher, on an all cost basis to help in the immediate future. Hopefully Salamah Dick will also be join-ing us in August to start work on the cur-riculum development. There is one thing that all parents would agree about our unique school environ-ment and that is, it brings out in an almost uncontainable manner the true natures and talents of our children. This is obviously at the heart of what we hope for. Now we need to find the appropriate methods, tech-niques and people to allow this to develop in a broad and meaningful way. If you feel you’d like to become involved, whether that be financially by sponsoring a child, a teacher, materials, funding to es-tablish our legal body, or equally by pro-viding knowledge and experience in edu-cation, we’d love to hear from you by email at [email protected]. net.id. We’re at the beginning of something special.

FIRE IN PALANGKARAYA Continued from page 5. developing an effective rapid response to these situations. Natural and man-made disasters are bound to occur with some frequency in Central Kalimantan and we, as new residents wishing to positively im-pact on the province, need to be able to respond in ways that complement and co-operate with existing structures, avoiding the obvious pitfalls and delivering aid to the needy. On the night of the fire, at the poolside in Rungan Sari attending a birthday function, I had noticed two small pieces of burnt paper descend on the lawn. My mind did not at the time comprehend the unfolding tragedy 38 kilometres away. In fact I re-marked to a colleague, “I hope we are not in for another awful smoke filled dry sea-son.” Looking back and contrasting the setting at Rungan Sari with the kampung in Palangkaraya made a point. This point was reinforced next day as I sat on the flight back to Jakarta reading of 641 houses destroyed. Sitting beside me was the postmaster from Palangkaraya. He had been there two years at the hub of public communication and had in that time met several Subud members posting letters, using internet and phoning abroad. A Batak and a Christian he asked me towards the end of the flight “Is Subud a Moslem sect for rich foreigners?” A lot of great things are happening in small ways in Kalimantan right now and the few pioneers out there are at the centre of these promising developments, but we have a big task and a long way to go in this step by step process. Effective ways to help deal with large-scale disasters needs to be a priority step and I suspect many Subud members can help. I understand Amanecer’s response in the earthquake disaster put Subud on the Colombia map. Murray Clapham, International Helper, Area 1 For photos of the fire see News in Brief at www.subudvoice.net

The kindergarten group at the Rungan Sari School.

TEACH IN KALIMANTAN

Anshuman Ravichandran

Dr. Abdurrachman Mitchell has written a moving appreciation of Anshuman Ravi-chandran from Subud India, who died last month. It includes a beautiful account of Abdurrachman’s visit to his father’s grave in India, a pilgrimage which Ravi assisted him to make. The account is long, and I did not feel it should be edited, and it will be published in full as part of July 1st News in Brief on our web site www.subudvoice.net

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15 SUBUD VOICE - July 2003

Maurice was known to many of us in Subud as a violinist in the virtuoso class and as a devout man who followed his lati-han faithfully from the Coombe Springs days up to the time of his peaceful end at home, surrounded by his family. Born in Rangoon, the second of four broth-ers, he grew up in a happy musical family. Shortly before his birth his mother had gone to hear Heifetz play, and she prayed that her child would be a violinist. At the age of 17, Maurice duly won a scholarship to the Royal Academy of Mu-sic. The war however interrupted his career and the family had to flee to India in 1942 where Maurice found work playing in the court Orchestra of the Maharaja of Patiali. By 1946 he had saved enough money from his playing to go to London to take up his scholarship. It was there that he met his future wife, Isabel. Through Isabel, Mau-rice was introduced to the Gurdjieff work, and like many of Gurdjieff’s followers they were both opened at Coombe Springs in 1957. In the meantime Maurice’s professional career blossomed. When he left the RAM

he joined the Peter Gibbs Quartet as second violin. During this time he had lessons from Max Rostal, whom Maurice considered to be the greatest influence on his playing. This experience launched him onto the freelance scene. Margaret Campbell, in the London Independent newspaper, writes: He broadcast duos with the pianist Maisie Balch and played in Menuhin’s Bath Festi-val Orchestra. He also led the Tilford Bach orchestra un-der Denys Darlow for many years. One of his outstanding performances at the Tilford festival was of the Bach Double Concerto with Alfredo Campoli. Subud members will remember the forma-tion of the Kinati Quartet emerging from the Cilandak World Congress: Leader, Maurice Isaacs, 2nd Violin, Raymond Pres-cot, Viola, Edward Davies, ‘Cello, Leonard Van Hein. The Isaacs family settled in North London and were founder members of the Muswell Hill Group, who in 1969 bought the old church hall in New Barnet. Maurice threw himself into the work of making the hall fit for latihan and later for the lettings that were to provide an income for further, and more extensive, renovation.

The latihan had become central to Mau-rice’s life. He said that it had, amongst other things, taught him how to practise the violin. I had the privilege of working with Mau-rice as a helper for the last six years of his life and found him to be one of those peo-ple who would not shy away from contro-versy. Irritants, whether human or circumstantial, had to be exposed until true harmony had been restored. Always a good listener, he was flexible and forgiving not only of oth-ers but more importantly, of himself. His concern for the members was an example to us all. I will always be grateful for being in the position of visiting Maurice for latihan during the last 18 months of his life. He often asked for testing about how to be a better patient and enjoyed hearing about my concert-going activities, listening in his head, Beethoven-like, to the music he remembered. We salute him, a wonderful human being. Martin Amos, UK For a beautiful photo of Maurice go to July 1 News in Brief at www.subudvoice.net

MAURICE ISAACS

What is the need in young people that the YES Quest meets? Hamilton Barnett writes... Young Subud members from all five conti-nents are already organising their equip-ment and air tickets in preparation for the YES Quest in the Australian Desert this August. Many are embarking on the chal-lenge of raising the necessary funds to at-tend and some are negotiating time off their studies. If it’s anything like the first Quest in Kali-mantan, they are heading for an exciting, challenging and life changing experience. There are ten people preparing to come. We would ideally like fifteen, so that means there are still places available. To ensure the ongoing success of the program as a whole we hope these places will be filled. For me personally, working on the YES Quest has been an inspiring experience. I returned after the Kalimantan Quest feel-ing truly satisfied, having had one of the ultimate experiences of my life so far. I was full of admiration, respect and love for all those who took part, (including my-

self) and I was very thankful I hadn’t lis-tened to my doubt and laziness a few months earlier tempting me to just stay where I was and forget about Kalimantan and the Quest. In January this year the YES Quest team did some testing around what is the need in young people that the YES Quest meets. In the testing I felt a strong wind, like a storm, and it was a hopeless struggle to stand tall. I partially collapsed in hopeless-ness, despair, and confusion, feeling lost and having no place. We then looked into how we could help. For a young person who had successfully completed a Quest it felt like they now stood tall in that storm, swaying but strong in a sense of who they were and what they had to offer, a feeling of having a valuable place in the world.

The intensity of these tests served to “tune me back in” and enliven some action. So now the Desert Quest program has been created and plans have been made to offer further Quests in Kalimantan as well as looking into other locations and also programs for adults. We are doing our best to offer support to individuals to successfully raise the funds to participate, with the aim of creating a significant opportunity to have fun and adventure in sharing an empowering ex-perience. The Quest will take place over eighteen days in August. Hamilton Barnett , Australia [email protected] Tel: +61 2 6685 4125 www.yesquest.org

THE YES QUEST?

The dramatic landscape of Central Australia will be the location of Desert Quest 2003.

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EVENTS

IBU RAHAYU’S CONTACT Email: [email protected] Fax: ++ 62 21 750 1993

WORLD LATIHANS July 6: 5:00 (CET) 3.00 (GMT) Aug 3: 12.00 (CET) 10.00 (GMT) Sept 7: 22.00 (CET) 20.00 (GMT)

SUBUD VOICE - March 2003

WOULD YOU BE INTERESTED IN LIVING AND WORKING AT LOUDWATER FARM?

The Loudwater Management Group (LMG) are seeking expressions of interest from Subud members who would consider living on the farm and helping with its management.

For those who do not know Loudwater Farm, home to the Loudwater Subud Group, it is a nineteenth century farmhouse nestling in the idyllic Chess Valley, surrounded by open fields and bordered by the River Chess. It is less than a mile from the London Orbital Motorway (M25), twenty minutes drive from Heathrow airport and forty minutes by rail from Central London.

Loudwater faces an interesting future. The current lease expires in June 2004 and the incumbent caretakers will be leaving at the same time. The LMG are currently looking at the feasibility of a number of options for future management and in-come-generation for the farm. These might include free accommodation, and/or an element of salary or profit-share from lettings, according to the amount of work involved. Please note that the Farm is not a suitable place for young children to stay for any length of time.

If you would be interested in being involved with this new Subud social enterprise, send us your contact details and a short resume of what you think you have to offer, setting out your situation, including your possible availability, your likely accommodation requirements and the relevant skills and experience you think you have to offer. If you would need to earn money from working at the farm, don't be shy to state this clearly.

e-mail to [email protected] or write to: The Chair, Loudwater Farm, Loudwater Lane, Herts, WD3 4HG, UK. Please send in your "expression of interest" by Friday 22nd August 2003

N.B. This is an entirely informal process, with no commitment on either side. What we are trying to do is to see who is out there who might be able to help us in our future enterprise at Loudwater, and we would undertake to keep you informed and up-to date on this. There is no offer on the table at this early stage. However, if you are applying from outside the UK, you should already have the right to work in Britain.

FOR SALE

In Southern Spain near Granada

A 3 bedroom single story house with private garden, in Subud Community of Jaramuza with communal piscina, gardens & car parking.

Reduced Price due to exchange rates : Euros 160,000.

Contact David & Leila Meacham. E-mail: [email protected] Tel: (34) 958 785 716 or post: Apartado 143, Orgiva 18400,

Granada Spain. "

As you can see we have run out of space to list many forthcoming events. The big ones coming up are of course …

The Americas Gatherings

Amanecer: Colombia July 26-August 2

Brazil August 6-15

Bookings and all info

americasgathering.com For all other events information we sug-gest you go to www.subudvoice.net then click on the link “World Events” in the column on the left-hand side of the home page to go to the excellent events listings maintained by Subud World News. Speaking of SWN we hear that ISC Chair, Laurencio Young is going to personally take over the editing of SWN. Laurencio promises us SWN every month and has already sent out the latest by email. We applaud the versatility of our ISC Chair—lawyer, tango enthusiast, all round good fellow and now editor.

PRICE (Incl p&p) UK £13 Europe £14 · Other £16

ORDER NOW

Pay by UK Bank cheque or Credit Card: Subud Publications International Loudwater Farm, Loudwater Lane, Rickmansworth, Herts, WD3 4HG, UK Tel: 44 (0) 1727 762210 Fax: 44 (0) 1727 858080

SUBUD VOICE is published monthly.

DEADLINE FOR NEXT ISSUE: 21 July 2003

ARTICLES & PHOTOS: send to Harris Smart, Editor Subud Voice, preferably by email to [email protected] or PO Box 194, Cheltenham, VIC, 3192, Australia. Tel: + 61 3 95510477 SUBSCRIPTIONS: Bradford Temple, PO Box 311, Dapto, NSW, 2530, Australia. Email: [email protected]. FAX: + 61 2 42621725 RATES WORLDWIDE per 12 : AUD$50.00 groups, AUD$60.00 mailed individually.(10% discount for pensioners over 60 years), AUD$35 online. As a guide, subject to international exchange rates - AUD$60 is approx. UK£22 or US$35.

PAYMENTS: (Australian Dollars only) preferably by Credit Card - please provide your name, address, card number, card expiry date and your signature as on card and fax to the subscription fax above. International Bank Drafts and Money Orders should be made payable to SUBUD VOICE and sent to the subscription address above.

ADVERTISEMENTS: 50 cents a word. Minimum charge AUD$15.00. (Third World countries - no charge). Rate for INSERTS available from: [email protected]

SUBMISSIONS MAY BE EDITED: Submissions to Subud Voice may be edited for a variety of reasons including the need to shorten them or improve expression. If you do not want your submission to be edited in any way, please mark it clearly NOT TO BE EDITED.

MUSIC BY SUBUD ARTISTS Robert Millard ‘Piano Recital’ £11.00 Hamilton Camp ‘Mardi’s Bard’ £12.50 Mira’nda ‘So Bravely Human’ £12.50 Marius Kahan ‘Tomorrow’s Memories’ £10.00 Isles Theatre Co ‘The Isles’ £10.00 Hamish Barker ‘Natural Culture’ £10.00 Malarky ‘The Band that Plays at Night’ £10.00 Lucas Hille ‘Lost and Found’ £10.00 Musica - The SICA CD £10.00 The DJC Collection - 16 Track Sampler £5.00 Prices include postage anywhere. DJC Records, 104 Constitution Hill, Norwich, NR34 BB UK. [email protected] www.djcrecords.co.uk


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