God’s Work
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‘God’s work isn’t done by God, it’s done by people.’ –
Ani Di Franco
Let me introduce myself. My name is Erica Sosna, I am
twenty-nine and I joined Subud last year. I have always been a spiritual seeker
and have, from an early age, taken an interest in a wide variety of spiritual
practices. I have read widely in the areas of religion, spirituality,
psychology and faith. I have been on Buddhist retreats, practiced yoga since
childhood and am a student of the Course In Miracles.
At the beginning of this year, I set myself a goal,
which was to find my spiritual community. By this I meant a community of people
who shared the same practice but had no dogma, rules or man-made impositions
placed on the practice. I did not realise until I attended Congress for the
first time, that perhaps I had found it.
There are a few issues that I would like to discuss
here, as much for myself and my own understanding as for the furthering of
Subud Vision. I am going to answer the following questions as if I were
addressing someone not in Subud.
Namely:
What exactly is Subud?
What is the latihan?
What would I describe as ‘Subud culture’?
What is the relationship between Bapak and Subud?
What is opening? What does it mean and what about the
applicant period?
What is it about Subud that I would like to share with
the world and how might I do it?
Before I begin answering these questions, I’d like to
mention a few things that may be of interest.
There is a sect of Buddhism known as Soka Gakkai. Soka
Gakkai follow the teaching of the Buddha as set out in the Lotus Sutra. Within
this teaching is a belief that all people have an innate Buddha nature and are
therefore capable of attaining enlightenment in their current form and present
lifetime. The organisation was started by a man called Nichiren Diashonin
in the 1200s. The movement is now a
worldwide organisation, proclaiming that they offer the ‘only true Buddhist
practice’.
Nichiren Buddhists practice by chanting ‘Namu Myo Ho
Renge Kyo’, which roughly translates as ‘Hail to the Lotus Sutra’, and are
encouraged to chant for the manifestation of material, emotional and spiritual
ends. Groups meet informally at people’s homes or at Nichiren Centres around
the world.
Much like Subud members, the Nichirens feel that their
practice enhances their lives in a deep way. They feel this is the only practice
they need to become wise, whole and happy. They feel a great gift has been
bestowed upon them by the originator of their practice. And they are also
dogged by internal politics and debate with regard to the power and running of
the organisation of Soka Gakkai, the rules and regulations imposed by
individual members of the organisation and a discussion of whether the
veneration of Soka Gakkai and Nichiren is appropriate. They have had members
leave the organisation because of their disenchantment with the way the
organisation is run, despite their affinity with the spiritual practice. Many
of these ex-members continue to chant.
What exactly is Subud?
To my understanding, Subud is a network or group of
people who share a particular practice which they call the latihan. They may
come from a variety of backgrounds, ages and faiths to engage in this practice.
They are ‘members’ in so far as they share the common entry or passport, known
as ‘opening’. Subud members may or may not practise on a regular basis. They
may have other faith practices or they may have none at all. Some people are
new members and some are old.
What is the Latihan?
The latihan is the spiritual practice of Subud. It is
the one unifying element joining all members of Subud, past, present and
future.
The latihan or exercise takes place with men and women
gathering separately. After a period of closed-eye quietening, the group
stands, still with their eyes closed. Someone says ‘begin’. After half an hour,
someone says ‘end’. That’s it.
During this time, anything can happen. Members of
Subud may describe it as ‘receiving the Holy Spirit’. In this sense it is a
little like the evangelical church or the Sufi mystics or the fits and
journeying described in Shamanism. People who are familiar with Five Rhythms
Dancing or Improvisation Comedy might describe it as going with the moment.
Certainly, the experience is cathartic and liberating, if one observes it just
as a free expression.
For me, the latihan provides an opportunity to differentiate
between the observer/witness part of myself and the personality and ego. So, I
might find myself crying, but be observing those tears from an emotionally
neutral or observational point of view. Other times I have felt as though a
force or energy has taken control of my movements and I am acting from a place
beyond words. Other times I may sing in a voice that seems more powerful than
my own and has knowledge of melodies that I have never heard.
No interpretation is given to this practice except that
put on it by the individual experiencing it. The exception to this is testing.
This is where a group of people ask to receive a response in relation to a
question or query through the use of the latihan and then feedback their
findings to the questioner. To me, this is about fine tuning the intuitive
voice inside, to know that we always have access to guidance, if we take the
time to ask and be still.
Perhaps because this practice is new to me, I am still
feeling my way in interpreting my ‘receiving’. Thus, I would not feel it
appropriate to be asked to make a suggestion about how another person should
act or choose, as a result of my receiving on their behalf. I would certainly
not allow the receiving of other people to make up my mind in relation to any
issue of importance in my life. This would be a way of avoiding taking
responsibility for my choices and for what I intuitively feel is appropriate
for me. And that is something that no-one knows better than I do.
What is Subud Culture?
Given that there is such a variety of backgrounds,
experiences and individuals, is it possible to discern a particular culture
within Subud? For me, the diversity is very enriching – I love that I can feel
connected to such a wide variety of people, places and perspectives by virtue
of sharing the latihan/practice with others.
Here are a few things I observed at Congress.
After a few days, there was a real sense of the
dissolving of boundaries. I felt a sense of shared respect and openness and
closeness with people in the Congress. They felt like a really healthy and
close family. Even between men and women there was above all a feeling of
togetherness, without the sexual tension that can often be present. I also felt
a real appreciation and tolerance of different points of view.
I also observed that there is a slight social
superiority among some with regard to being from a ‘Subud Family’ and with regard
to the role of helper. Both of these titles seem, to some of their owners, to
endow them with an awareness and authority beyond other Subud members. This
seems strange to me as the only enduring part of Subud practice is the latihan
and, as it is a personal relationship with God, who is to say that one person’s
practice is stronger or more evolved than another's?
Certainly, it is useful to have long standing members
who carry the organisational history.
But is Subud like the royal family, to be passed on through blood right
and lineage, or is it an organisation that welcomes everyone and wants others
to share the good fortune of the
discovery of the latihan practice?
Also, there seems to be an idea that you just do the
latihan and then you will be sorted. May I remind us all that God’s work isn’t
done by God, it’s done by people? If we sincerely strive for our evolution and
for the ‘receiving’ that is God’s presence and action in our lives, don’t we
continually need to be asking ourselves: How would God see this person or this
situation? What compassion, wisdom or understanding could He bring to this
situation that I cannot see? What is the action I can take for the highest
good? Isn’t this latihan in action? If not, we risk limiting our spirituality to
the waving of hands and emitting of sounds in a room, for half an hour, twice a
week. To me, the latihan is something to be lived, a way of being, in surrender
to the service of God – taking action on his behalf.
What is the relationship between Bapak and Subud?
Okay, this comes with a health warning for all
Bapakists and those seeking a leader: you might not like this.
I have a regular yoga practice. The kind of yoga I do
is called Bikram Yoga and the series of postures was designed by a guy called
Bikram Choudary. The postures already existed, in the ancient yoga sutras, but
it was Bikram, with a bit of help from a Japanese doctor, who put them together
in the 26 posture series now known as Bikram Yoga. It was also Bikram who
decided that his yoga should be practiced in a hot room.
I am very grateful for my practice. It leaves me
invigorated, stretched, strong, positive and focussed. It has healed long
standing injuries and ailments, it has reduced my weight and I have been a
devotee for four years now. But who made that happen? Bikram gave me the
practice; I put it into practice. Credit where credit is due.
I have a great deal of gratitude to Bikram for putting
the series together and training the teachers who teach me. I am also grateful
to the person who introduced me to this yoga. By all accounts, Bikram is a bit
of an eccentric character, some would say a megalomaniac and some would say of
larger than average ego. This does not detract from my appreciation of his
work. It does demonstrate that he is only human.
I never had the opportunity to meet Bapak. When I
watch him on film and listen to his words, he seems a good person and he
certainly likes to talk. But I do not receive any of the deep healing described
by others when watching him speak. The talks I have so far been exposed to
contain ideas I have already heard in other contexts.
When I put myself in his place, I think of an
Indonesian gentleman who had an extraordinary experience and shared it with
others. He must have been delighted to have people ask him for his
recommendations and opinions on their names, their culture, what to eat , how
to live. And he gave some great advice and some less good. What would you do?
If suddenly, lots of foreigners were asking me, ‘Erica, what shall I eat?’ I
might reply… ‘Errrrr, chicken??’
I hear a lot of ‘Bapa says’. And Bapak himself
complained about the asking of mundane questions, saying, ‘People should really
become more self-reliant.’ (Stairway to Subud)
Great, you’ve read the book and got the t-shirt, now
what do you say? I guess this comes
down to a matter of personality. Some people like to be led and instructed and
others do not. To me, Subud and its originator provide another rich seam for my
life, as does my Bikram Yoga practice. But the yoga postures existed before
Bikram, and latihan existed before Bapak. And Bapak didn’t know everything. Nor
do I believe that everything he said was directly channelled from God.
And, what’s more, it is crucial for me to belong to an
organisation where I do not need to hide this view or be hypocritical and
pretend that I don’t have it.
So hurray for free speech. This to me is truly an
asset of Subud. If we can allow ourselves to openly disagree and continue to
respect one another, there is no problem. Where there may be a problem is when
new members or outsiders perceive a deep division which threatens the integrity
of the organisation. Division makes us appear less accessible or appealing to
new entrants. Plus, the lack of consistency of approach or explanation suggests
that ‘our house is not in order’. We may not need to go so far as developing a
‘party line’ but I think it would be useful to find a way to explain Subud that
is generic enough not to alienate others or be unduly slanted in favour of a
personal interpretation.
What is opening? What does it mean and how does it
relate to the applicant period?
Can we get clear here – is there a fixed applicant
period or not? At Congress, I met several people, just days into their
applicant period who had been opened in time for Congress. I had to wait three
months. Is there a rule or is there not? First of all, there has to be
consistency.
Secondly, if latihan is all about my personal
experience of God, why am I to wait three months before beginning that
communication? For recruitment purposes, I think this is deeply off-putting for
new people and jars with the idea of a unique Divine connection. How can you
explore whether it is for you without doing it? And what are people supposed to
be doing during the applicant period? I
was told to read Bapak's talks and listen to other people’s experiences of
latihan. Why?
All the questions revolve around the implications of
opening. The idea is that once you are opened you cannot ‘go back’ to being
unopened. Others say that if you are opened early you are more likely to leave
Subud. As far as I am aware, there is no data to back up this claim. I think we
need to get clear about what we think happens in this moment – is it symbolic,
like baptism, or is something opened that could not be open before, as is
claimed in Reiki? Personally, I find it rather amusing that it can be claimed
that I lacked the capacity to receive God’s guidance without this ceremony.
It’s a nice, simple and welcoming ritual, but I don’t think it warranted three
months’ wait. We must get clear about what we think opening is and why it is so
significant that there is, for some, a waiting period. We must know why this is
to justify it to our new members. If we have no justification, it needs to go.
What is it about Subud that I would like to share with
the world and how might I do it?
I think latihan is a great practice. It has helped me
to access and trust my intuition at a more profound level and build trust in
myself. I like the members of my Subud group, whom I find to be warm, wise and
loving.
My concern is about recruitment and about access. If I
am not a Bikram teacher, is it wrong to teach someone a yoga move that might
help them? In my work, is it wrong for me to teach a way of communicating or
relating to a parent in relation to their child, if the idea or model I teach is not mine? If I think a
friend would benefit from the latihan practice, is it wrong for me to open them
outside of the organisation?
In my training work with young people, I’m actively
encouraging them to engage in practices that increase their fortitude, self
awareness and self trust. I’d like them to know about latihan as one of these tools.
If it’s not possible or wise to introduce them to Subud, will I nevertheless
introduce them to latihan among other practices and tools? Quite possibly.
Ideally, I would like the practice to be grounded in a supportive group
environment that welcomes a wide range of people and genuinely supports them.
Whether that organisation will be Subud, remains to be seen. Will Subud be an
organisation that exists to serve humanity and the happiness and development of
its members, or does it exist primarily to serve its ego and itself?
So I’m struggling a bit just now, between a sense of
having found a spiritual family and practice that meets my need for community,
and simultaneously discovering that, like any other family, there are squabbles
and differences. This is not helped by me despising all things bureaucratic,
because to me they inhibit creativity and responsibility. My solution would
thus be to continue sharing the gift of latihan without focusing too much on
the ‘organizational dynamics’, because, really, that isn’t the important thing.
The important thing is to provide a safe, practical and cathartic framework for
people of any faith to deepen their connection to intuitive guidance and
wisdom. By doing this, we support ourselves and others in taking the positive
actions that are God’s
work and that, at this juncture in our history, need doing.