Mind, Fiend or Friend
By Stefan
Freedman
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PART 1
Thinking about Thinking
‘Turn off your mind, relax and float
downstream’[1]
In my teens, much of people’s ‘normal’ conversation
struck me as superficial: a babbling brook of words filling every crack leading
to the deeper dimensions of our being. I did, however, love thinking and
reading about spiritual things and psychology, which is how I discovered (in a
London library in 1968) John Bennett’s A Spiritual Psychology, then Concerning
Subud. Two years later I joined Subud.
As a child and a teenager I was plagued by obsessive
imaginings. I lived in my head, often feeling disconnected with the rest of my
body! One of the first actions of the latihan on me was whirling. I had the
impression that a turmoil of thoughts and emotions were being spun out of me
and I relished these periods of relief from the incessant mental clamour. I’ve
since learned that this spin-drier experience in latihan is quite common for
intellectual types!
Later I read Bapak’s words in Susila Budhi Dharma
(Rofé’s translation, p 49):
One must avoid paying undue attention to
the mind, which is one of the chief obstacles on the path towards Self
realisation…. The nature of the mind is to pursue falsehoods, and to delight in
theorising and vain imaginations beyond the limits of fact.
This made perfect sense in the light of my own experience
and I remember coming up with a flippant alternative to Descartes’ ‘I think
therefore I am’ and scrawling it alongside other graffiti on a toilet door at
my University: ‘I think therefore I stink!’
Despite this I continued with my university course in
Social Anthropology, and went on to do post-grad teacher training. I found that
channelling my mind into reading, writing and learning was better than leaving
it unfocussed, but I also had the sense that my intelligence and lively
imagination were tools I could eventually master and put to good use.
This understanding was supported by what I read in Susila
Budhi Dharma. There was clear advice to avoid paying undue attention to our
thoughts. But this was explicitly for during the latihan. What Bapak received
about developing the intellect outside the latihan exercise was entirely
different:
Mental development is by no means harmful. Rather should a
maximum of intellectual accomplishments be sought, provided that they can truly
be utilised to serve the self, as a being submitting to the Divine Will [2] and
also serve the communal good. The individual will thus attain to the grade of
those whose existence can influence social trends.
Such is the
value of intellect. The mind can be used as an instrument for the development
of all arts and sciences of value to humanity. These can make possible the
establishment of a Golden Age, peaceful and contented social conditions.
Such being the value of scholastic knowledge, it should be rather
sought than abandoned, since it is required to perfect both the individual and
the society. It should be able to serve the Self efficiently. An efficient
servant is more valuable than one who is stupid.
(from Susila
Budhi Dharma, translation by Rofé, ‘Pangkur’ pp 52 - 53, stanzas 8, 9 and
10)
Here the cultivated mind is depicted as a sine qua non for fostering
harmony and justice in society. Yet I notice that many of my Subud friends seem
to have become allergic to the ‘heaviness’ of serious reading or methodical
thinking and planning. In extreme cases they even find it difficult to make
ordinary daily decisions or to take any initiatives — instead always hoping to
feel inwardly what is right. They find it hard to concentrate for long or to
settle at a job.
Personal testing has proved extremely useful to me,
but I reserve it for special, important or insoluble situations. But for some
Subud members who are thinking-averse, testing seems to lead into a downward
spiral of dependence. Low confidence makes them want to test every small,
practical decision. And since testing is better suited for spiritual/feeling
matters than for practical questions, results are often unclear and they end up
always waiting for the next fix of testing.
Non-Subud people, on the other hand, are more likely
to ask for expert advice, to read up on things and to take training courses.
They develop courage and resilience by experimenting, learning both from
failure and from success.
In the early days of Subud, especially when explaining
Subud to those doing the Gurdjieff Work, I can see why Bapak wanted to make it
crystal clear that the latihan did not involve mental effort or concentration.
But he often emphasised the need for balance between spiritual and practical
development. An anti-thinking culture was never recommended as a complete
approach to living.
Unfortunately we seem to have taken in only half of
what Bapak was saying. This easily leads to a fatalistic attitude (‘I suppose
indications about work and money will come my way when the time is right’) with
a vague hope that — if we are patient and have faith — God will one day call round with the
groceries, cook dinner, empty the bin and put money in the bank.
There may well be real pitfalls in having a
hyperactive mind. But for getting things done — and this applies equally to
organising our Subud association — imaginative and analytical thinking and
goal-setting are all vital for survival. Turn off your mind, relax and float
downstream during latihan. But when not in latihan, develop an agile,
well-informed noggin for organising all aspects of life.
PART 2 Unthinkable Thoughts
It’s unhelpful to think about spiritual
things. This will impede progress!
This is another idea often voiced in Subud circles. It
clearly applies during the latihan exercise, but should it also apply outside
of it?
My work (with my wife, Bethan) introducing circle dances
to groups of adults around the world has given me occasions to talk in depth
with all kinds of people. Because of the inclusive, holistic and therapeutic
aspects of our work — especially during the residential weeks we host and
facilitate — the talk has often touched on spiritual matters.
In the course of thirty years of group-work with many
thousands of people, I’m fortunate to have had hundreds of far-ranging and
fascinating conversations, often including the topic of Subud, with agnostics,
pagans, Wiccans, Druze Arabs, Hassidic Jews, Mevlevi (‘Whirling’) Dervishes,
Taoists, New Agers, Yoga adepts, naturists, animists, meditators, Quakers,
Sufis, people into the native American Medicine Wheel and sweat lodges, people
who study ‘deep ecology’, those into Unity Consciousness or enlightenment,
healers and ‘urban shamans’. Some of the most interesting and open-minded
exchanges have been with atheists, including Buddhists (who in general do not
believe in God or worship). There are others who cannot be pigeonholed, who I
think of as ‘spiritual freelancers’, as they are inspired by various spiritual
and ethical sources, such as the Dalai Lama, but do not want to label
themselves in terms of one specific religion or group.
It was amusing really that after twelve years as a
fairly ‘straight’ Subud member, rather nervous about mixing, my work obliged me
to revive the interest in spiritual subjects which had originally brought me to
Subud. In listening to others I learned better how to draw out threads from my
latihan experience that would enable me to connect with people coming from
spiritual backgrounds very different from my own. (I grew up in a Jewish home
but my maternal grandmother was a spiritualist.)
I was later drawn to take a little training in Interfaith
facilitation which has added to my resources in this area.
Bapak’s receiving reinforces what many seers and
mystics have described: the mind is just an instrument and is not designed to
perceive or understand the soul’s journey.
But I believe they are talking about the ‘computer
function’ of the brain. In its higher functions the mind is far more than a
calculating machine. Studies show, for example, that the right side of the
brain (often the less dominant side) is capable of grasping new ideas holistically
and intuitively, of appreciating music, of feeling empathy with other people or
with animals, of integrating concepts with emotions, and of being fully
activated during meditative states.[3]
Maybe the mind cannot completely fathom the spiritual
realm, but that does not mean it is just a burden or a mechanical tool. We use
the mind in our approach to the many areas of enquiry which add to our
understanding of what it is to be fully human. These include psychology,
philosophy, neuroscience, world religions, social justice, happiness and
wellbeing, conflict transformation, holism and alternative approaches to
health, music, dance, communication, peace-building. For me, all of these marry
the ‘spiritual’ and ‘practical’ realms and engage my intuition (‘receiving’),
emotions, imagination and my inquisitive mind, working in concert.
What I’m picturing now is more like a ‘bodymind’,[4]
in which the mind is becoming integrated with all of my being. My thinking is
an essential part of my ethical compass, my approach to wholeness, my vision
and my spirituality.
Many Subud people (though perhaps not you) view the
mind as a dangerous tool which can only inhibit, and never help, our spiritual
journey. This shrinks the world, and excludes a wealth of far-reaching enquiry
and spiritual wisdom that can be apprehended through non-Subud thinkers, books,
courses etc. This self-blinkering happened to me for twelve years.
I see this as a pity, not only because of what people
are missing. It is a pity also because a wide-ranging interest makes it so much
easier to engage with people from diverse backgrounds. It helps when attempting
to describe the latihan’s liberating qualities in terms meaningful to (say) a
Hindu, a Pagan or an atheist. Talking about ‘the One Almighty God’ to a Hindu
polytheist will alienate them. Using the word ‘submission’ with a Pagan, or
describing latihan as ‘worship’ to an atheist will result in instant
disconnect. Isn’t it obvious once you think about it? So when our mind is
curious and switched on, we can witness and affirm others with respect and
understanding in their desire to encounter a direct source of inner
development.
Many helpers do a wonderful job, are sensitive and
supportive and ‘receive’ what to say to enquirers. I am in awe of all the
dedicated work, time and care that has been freely and generously given over
the last fifty years. At the same time I notice that, unintentionally, we have
developed a group language with a particular resonance or, we might say, bias.
If there are helpers who are not inclined to study diversity, that’s okay. The main thing is to listen really well, to accept
and to allow people to use their own words and spiritual concepts as they
approach the great unfolding journey.
In the Subud I dream of, I would no longer have to
feel embarrassed by Subud’s unwritten assumptions that to enquirers often look
like required beliefs or teachings. If helpers listened attentively, with
respect for the views of others, I’d be able to recommend Subud wholeheartedly.
I’d love to be able to say to my worldwide network of associates, ‘Why not
check out the latihan? It’s a simple practice which is found by many to satisfy
their thirst for the spiritual.’
Then, as hosts of Subud, we would become accustomed to
hearing the fascinating diversity of language and images people use to allude
to their spiritual journey: ‘Source’/mystical union/opening up and letting
go/Holy Ghost/nonduality etc. At the same time we would appreciate that a
person’s own words have a history and are charged with meaning for them, while
other words may have a distancing effect. This way we would develop a
respectful approach and learn on the job how to accommodate and include others.
Thinking the unthinkable is doable. Thinking about
spiritual matters (not obsessing!) is highly useful. After some years of
practising the latihan we need to be able to assess our own latihan journey.
What changes have we undergone? What benefits have we received? We need a
switched on mind to help us communicate about the latihan with others, both
face-to-face, and online, both inside Subud and in the outside world.
Think where this could take us!
Notes:
1. ’60s Lyrics by Lennon & McCartney from the
song, ‘Tomorrow Never Knows’.
2. For those who are uncomfortable with the phrase ‘as
a being submitting to the Divine Will’, a secular or Buddhist
alternative might be, ‘in harmony with inner-wisdom’.
3. Read for example, http://painting.about.com/library/blpaint/blrightbraintable.htm
4. See for example, http://mindbodyresearchandeducation.blogspot.com/