Subud

Some of you know that I belong to an international spiritual movement called "Subud," and some of you do not. Some of you know it, but don't really know what Subud is. I will now tell you.

After I am done, you will still not know what Subud is. That's because my explanation is short and not necessarily that good, and because Subud is, by nature, very hard to describe and equally hard to understand (precisely because it is so simple-- by comparison, try defining "love" in two paragraphs or less). But it's important that you have some idea of what Subud is, because I'll be discussing it a lot in this blog. I believe Subud has something rather stunningly significant to offer the world. I'm very intrigued intellectually by the shear implication of Subud. And I've been a practicing member since the day I turned seventeen, and my parents were members before I was born, so obviously its a huge part of who I am. So here's a short description that I wrote some time ago on what I think Subud is all about.

Please note-- in the description that follows, I use the terms "God" or "Almighty God" quite freely, and that's because when I feel close to my "latihan" (see below), those are the words that come out. It's not because of some religious ideology that I feel strongly about, I promise. But it doesn't matter what words you use-- if you've got hang-ups with these terms, try substituting "The Divine," "The Goddess," or whatever name you give IT, if you can. Don't let this be an obstacle-- the whole point of Subud is to arrive at an understanding of spiritual reality independently of our own thinking. (But if you really can't shake your mind free of any negative meaning these words may hold for you, I'd be interested in hearing about it.)

So here goes:


Subud is the name for a group of people of all different religions, beliefs, and backgrounds that are devoted to improving their own spiritual lives. Subud is different than religion, because in Subud we do not come to a place of spiritual communion with God through teachings or by an effort of the will. The experience is not a training of our minds and emotions in response to the words of a priest or a holy book. There is no set methodology. Instead, in Subud we are able to actually become aware of our own souls and feel our souls grow and become alive in direct response to the power of God moving within us. And it is this remarkably direct access to our own individual and collective spiritual lives and to the guidance of Almighty God that is one of the major differences between Subud and other paths to God. It is, if you will permit, the miracle of Subud.

The word "Subud" itself is a contraction of three Sanskrit words, "Susila," "Budhi," and "Dharma," which together imply "The true human life that is lived according to God's will." The spiritual experience of Subud is generally called the "latihan." This is actually an Indonesian word that simply means "training," which refers to the training of the soul. The latihan is usually practiced for half an hour, two or three times a week, in a group or on your own. The founder of Subud was an Indonesian man named Muhammad Subuh Sumohadiwijojo, and he was affectionately called "Bapak" (a common Indonesian term for "Mister" or "Father"). He lived from 1901 to 1987. He was the first to receive and experience the latihan, and anyone that came to him with a sincere intention of surrendering to the power of God was able receive it for themselves as well. Bapak did or said nothing to them, and there remains no special initiation process in Subud-- they simply stood by him as he followed his own receiving, closed their eyes, relaxed, and they were themselves able to experience their own spiritual contact as well. Bapak was a bit like a candle lit by a tremendous flame-- anyone that dipped their candle into this flame had their own fire, too, and they could also pass this flame of spiritual life to others as well. In Subud, there is no effort to proselytize, nor is Subud kept a secret-- the latihan is simply passed on to whomever asks for it. Thus, the latihan of Subud has slowly spread all over the world, and it is now followed by over 10,000 members of all different faiths and backgrounds in over 80 countries.

Some helpful links (warning-- some of these sites will play music when you go to them, and not all of it good music, either):

http://www.whatissubud.net/whatissubud/home.html
http://www.subuh.com/
http://www.subudusa.org/

Obviously, there will be much more discussion on this matter to come! I look forward to your comments.

Cheerio!

Mookie