Fifty Years of Doubts and Reservations
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Early History
It was
in December 1954 that I first heard of Subud from Husein Rofé, who was then
living in Hong Kong. At the time I was attempting to set up a group to study
the phenomenon of spiritual rebirth. I was attracted to the Subud latihan for
two reasons. I had already had experiences of what might be termed being filled
by light or the grace of God; Rofé claimed that the exercises would develop
these experiences. And at the same time it was exciting to witness the birth of
a new movement dedicated to this opening of oneself to deeper spiritual levels.
Rofé
was intelligent enough to sense the framework of ideas of the person he was
talking to and adapt his explanations accordingly. And so he did with me.
Bapak’s talks and his outlook on life were kept in the shadows. Yet from his
translation of Susila Budhi Dharma, published by Ye Olde Printerie in Hong Kong in early 1955, I gathered
the gist of it. Looking back I detect that at the time I read far more into the
so-called explanations than what was really meant, as I lacked knowledge of the
background from which they sprang. In later years Rofé and Bennett provided a
presentation adapted to Western spiritual philosophy. That is why their books
are still drawing applicants.
That
picture changed as more and more of Bapak’s talks were translated into English
and presented as authoritative statements on the nature of Subud, at a time
when Rofé and Bennett were being manoeuvred into the background. When I visited
Bapak in Jakarta in May 1955 there were already forebodings that expectations and reality did not always
match. Indeed there were many wondrous stories, but would the results of the
exercises really be so convincing?
When I
returned to Europe in 1955 I found out soon enough that my enthusiasm for Subud
was not shared by most Western people. The picture changed in the following
years. I observed what a deep influence the exercises had on people and devoted
myself to the spread of Subud. But soon enough the expansion tended to foster
sectarian traits. Gradually there emerged what is nowadays termed ‘Bapakism’,
characterized by an absolute faith in the leader, Bapak, in spite of this being
denied vehemently. With most members blindly accepting the premise that the
latihan is a gift of God, no one dared to give his own interpretation of the
nature of the latihan. Bapak claimed to know the Will of God. All his talks
became prescribed reading in spite of errors which escaped the attention of his
devotees as a result of their total ignorance of Javanese and Islamic concepts
and terminology. What irked me also was the complete lack of interest in
investigating the background of Subud. Bapak’s poem, Susila Budhi Dharma, was held in high regard,
although few read and understood it. It is striking that the concept of
unconditional love is absent from this work. Hardly ever is it quoted in Subud
literature. In consequence of all this I helped Rofé publish his second book, Reflections on Subud, which warned people not to
fall into the trap of taking everything in Subud at face value.
A
development took place in Bapak’s talks. His statements, somewhat reticent in Subud and the Active Life (1959), became bolder
and more authoritative. He introduced more and more Muslim concepts, and even
practices like circumcision and taking Arabic names.
There
was little or no interest in Subud circles in exploring Subud's background in
Javanese mysticism. Rumours had already reached the West that Subud was not
such a unique phenomenon among Javanese spiritual movements. In the late
sixties some members did some research: French member Michel André, Dutchman
Philip Renard, and Richard Engels. They talked with critical witnesses who gave
a different version of the traditional story of Subud's beginnings. But it was
not taken up as members preferred the myth of uniqueness and being the chosen
ones.
Many
of the gradual changes and subsequent accretions went too far for a number of
members and they dropped out. In fact most people left, except for a few.
Other
factors did further harm to the spread of the movement: the emphasis on Subud
enterprises, which all too often failed, casting doubt on the value of testing,
even Bapak's testing; and helpers acting in an authoritarian and erratic way.
Moreover there was such a strict observance of the rule about not making
propaganda that even encyclopedias were not provided with necessary information
about Subud. In that vacuum editors had to revert to garbled definitions drawn
up by outsiders.
Failed
Attempts at Change
I had
hoped that after Bapak’s demise in 1987 the forces of change might start to
take over and a re-examination would be undertaken of all that Subud stood for.
Together with a few other members I introduced a plan for moving in that
direction at the World Congress in Sydney in 1989, but as a result of testing
it was torpedoed and never presented to the assembly. (The manifesto may be
found here: http://www.xs4all.nl/~wichm/Xroads.html) From the very beginning,
disgruntled members had started their own splinter groups but most of them did
not survive.
Present
Weakened Status
As
things stand now, groups are diminishing, funds dwindling, partly as a result
of the costly conference-culture that
is emerging. There is a serious lack of commitment for taking on committee
functions or helper's duties.
Subud
will no doubt survive, albeit much smaller, possibly more and more sectarian,
or on the other hand more liberal. Who knows?
Recommendations
In
short I can only see hope under the following conditions:
A. If
an attempt is made to present Subud in understandable terms in the framework of
modern spiritual philosophy, psychology, even brain research. No mystical
dogmatism, speculation about lower forces etc., or superstitious beliefs.
B. If,
in referring to or recommending Bapak’s talks, more emphasis is placed on
passages containing general human insight instead of Javanese/Muslim
culture-colored explanations.
C. If
name changes are not encouraged anymore, and
there are no more dogmatic statements such as the latihan being a unique gift
of God to mankind.
D. If
discriminatory pronouncements about homosexuality for instance are dropped. The
same applies to judgments about religions other than Islam and other spiritual
disciplines.
E. If
we make more use of our common sense, rather then steering by divination
through testing.
F. If
there are no more Subud enterprises, at any rate not sponsored by the
organisation, with the exception of charitable efforts—the only real enterprise
being the art of living. See my article:
http://www.xs4all.nl/~wichm/precepts.html
Gloomy
outlook
After
fifty years my hopes do not run high. Most members have no interest in Subud’s
past, nor are they inclined to examine its precepts and explanations.
The
phenomenon of the latihan is not recognized for what I believe it is: a
mechanism for mind-cleansing and redemption, a healing faculty present in man and seen in all of nature, leading
to transcendence and the receiving of divine grace.
Basically
the movement has solidified. It will steer its own course now and may move in
any direction. When the time comes for Ibu Rahayu to step into the background,
one wonders who will take over her position of spiritual authority. One may
hope that it is someone who will feel the tide of change and direct it in a
more universal course.
Finally
the question remains: Why did I stay in Subud in spite of all these
misgivings?
Principally because of the liberating and transcending power of the latihan and
also the friendships I made: the wonderful people I met who are near to my
heart, although most of them have left Subud by now.
[For
further reading, see Michael's article 'On the Psychology of Spiritual
Movements' which can be found at http://www.xs4all.nl/~wichm/psymove.html]