Do not be irresponsible; God will not bless a human being who does not have the courage to take responsibility. Good times and hard times, living well and living in misery, are your responsibility; it is part of being human and normal for people living in this world. That is why you must be courageous; have the courage to tread the difficult path − the rough, hard one. Well, you must also be ready to tread the good and the smooth path. In that way your life, especially as a married couple, will be harmonious, secure and provide a form of happiness in life that is blessed by Almighty God.
Former and Current Subud New York Members in Feriendorf, Hübingen, Germany at the Zone 4 Kongress/60 Year Celebration of Subud in Germany
(l-r) Geoffrey & Grace Armes, Subud Berlin , Emmanuel Aronie, Subud Ukraine, Kristiana Kalab, Subud Durham, Vlad Neyman, Subud NY
Member Musings Note: The opinions and viewpoints expressed in member submissions do not necessarily reflect those of Subud USA
Behold the Family
Benedict Herrman
One of the many things I’m grateful for that the latihan has brought me is the connection and almost instant companionship it gives all of us world-wide. Although Subud embraces many languages, religions, cultural traditions and perspectives on spirituality, the feeling of family and connectedness stands out everywhere one goes.
I remember in the early days, folks talking about traveling across country or going to Europe, staying solely at Subud members’ homes, on couches or even on floors. Our doors were always open, all tables set for a shared supper. If you were opened, you were welcome.
Perhaps that’s not the case now as many of us are older and couch surfing is no longer an acceptable alternative to a soft bed and private bathroom. What we do still have, however, is after 50+ years of doing latihan together, sharing our experiences, pains, fears, joys, pictures of children and grandchildren, is a sense of community that is all too rare in today’s disconnected, web-driven world.
It really shouldn’t be surprising. Ibu Rahayu spoke about how, when we test, our inner feelings ‘interweave’ with the others testing with us which magnifies and clarifies the test. It’s why, after testing, we’re encouraged to do a little ‘cleansing’ latihan — not because we need cleaning, but we need to disengage from being interwoven and return fully to ourselves.
Even closer to the bone is a comment Bapak made years ago. He said that we were the same people that followed Jesus and Muhammed in those days. The implications of this statement are obvious. This isn’t the place to explore them, but the sense of knowing one another, of feeling the ‘opened’ state, the light within the brother or sister next to you is something I believe we’ve all felt, subtle though it might be. We are a family. God willing, we can share the light wherever we go.
Our WSA Archives also contains important documents, books, newsletters, photos, and films about our Subud history. And besides personal experiences, it has information on how to carry out our work in Subud on the kejiwaan and the organizational side. For access to the WSA Archives website, send a request email to: admin@wsaarchives.org
Give the archivist your name, when and where you were opened in Subud and where you currently do latihan.
— Daniela Moneta, WSA Archivist
Daily Bapak/Ibu Talks
Did you know that Subud Indonesia presents Bapak/Ibu talks twice daily, every day throughout the year?
