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This is How you will Be
By Anonymous The following event occurred at exactly the midway point of Ramadhan, 2003 – 10 November, the 15th night. It happened to be a group latihan evening, and, what with the fast and a particular feeling of Grace that day, I happened to be in an especially quiet place as the latihan began. The latihan itself was deeper than usual, but seemed to come to an end after about 20 minutes, so I sat down thinking that was that. Immediately, however, I was stood up again and a new phase began. The personal ‘I’ was completely set aside and my being was possessed by what felt like a great Being from another realm. The experience was way beyond “mere” receiving or worship; it was totally proactive – a state that I tried to describe in my journal at the time as feeling felt like “a highly trained spiritual warrior ready for action.” This state lasted for about ten minutes, and back then it was a little scary to sustain such a condition for that long. At the end I was told, “This is how you will be when He comes through, full of Light and Power.” - - - - - The Real Meaning of Prihatin By Halimah Brugger Emmanuel opened the last edition of Reminders of Reality with a quote from Mas Sudarto touching upon the nature of prihatin, in response to which I should like to share the following: The literal meaning of prihatin is to prick the heart, hati meaning the heart. Mas Sudarto certainly knew the meaning of prihatin -- he had a very prihatin life -- but he spoke with very broken English. 'Pricking' the heart or nudging the heart might have come out as 'stabbing' the heart and suddenly it is interpreted as killing the heart. The nuanced meaning of prihatin is to be very ‘careful’ in what we do, in what we say, and in what is in our thoughts. This is the real prihatin and is the way Bapak used the word prihatin. It is our fasting from food or sleep, or being deprived of it that pricks our heart to remind us to remember God and be very 'careful.' It was these kinds of honest errors in speaking English or in translating that brought my husband, Sofyan, to Bapak’s secretariat. For example, the words exercise and exorcise were always getting mixed up. The Indonesians didn’t realize they were two different words! There could be some funny things happening. At the time Sofyan was working at the BBC as language supervisor in the Indonesian/Malay section. Indonesia and Malaysia just happened to be at war with each other at that time, so there wasn't much room for error! It was Varindra Vittachi who spoke to Bapak about bringing Sofyan to his Sekretariat. Just checked with the boss. Sofyan confirms that to be prihatin or to do prihatin is to be very ‘careful’ in what we do or say, and in our thoughts. That is the real prihatin. - - - - - Question and Answer with Ibu Rahayu Shared by Anonymous Q. I would like to ask one question about the jiwa or soul. What it consists of, whether it comprises of light or something else. A. Concerning your question about the jiwa and the soul, the jiwa is the eternal part of a human being, it is what gives us life and that life comes from the essence of God that is present in the jiwa. When we imagine that the jiwa is like anything we know in this world, we only succeed in creating a mental image that can impede the development and growth of the jiwa. Many spiritual methods or movements tell their followers to imagine or visualize the soul and the power of God as light and so on, but such images are generated by the mind and the mind cannot know the soul. So, in answer to your question, we cannot visualize the soul in any way. In Subud we feel the reality of the soul when we do the latihan. If we are truly quiet, patient and surrendered to Almighty God in the latihan, we feel a movement within that can be described as a vibration. That movement is the movement of the soul that takes place when the great power of God enveloping the universe makes contact with the power of God that is within the soul. Once the contact is made we experience the latihan. Then, through the movements we make in the latihan by feeling that contact, our soul starts to develop and grow and be purified by the power of God. So at some point it will hopefully become a true human Soul. If your soul develops to become a true human soul and if it is God’s will, the soul can unfold and go beyond your physical form and take you - not your physical body but your consciousness - beyond this world. Then you will experience the life of the soul. That experience can only happen by God's will; we cannot make it happen or hope for it. Only then will you know what the soul is like and you will realize that you cannot imagine the soul or the life of the soul with the mind. So until you have that experience, it is best not to think about this. I hope this explanation will help you. With best wishes Ibu Siti Rahayu Wiryohudoyo - - - - - Bapak's Soothing Smile By Anonymous I had a dream one night where I was on a ship and I was sitting at a table watching my Subud Elder Sister prepare food. Then Bapak walked in and said he was going somewhere for a while and spoke to us about a Smile with Content. Then he gave us the most beautiful smile and then picked up a few things from the table and walked out. This dream came after reading about "A Smile that is Filled with Content" in one of Bapak's talks. - - - - - A Visit to the Past By Anonymous I’m sharing this account of a meaningful trip to Greece which I made in 2011 because we are all invited by Reminders of Reality to record experiences and that is what this is about. I'm no tourist and am not comfortable away from home, but in 2011 when invited to accompany a group of twelve people to Mainland Greece for six weeks, I agreed to go because we would be accompanied by an Archaeologist. I'm very glad that I went as just like the song "I Left my Heart in San Francisco," ever since 2011, I say "I left my heart in Greece" and it's true. To get to know a new place, I need time alone to wander and really feel it, to connect to its atmosphere and absorb its content. Otherwise, it's merely an unfamiliar experience which is quickly forgotten. I need that time alone with no talking or distraction-- not easy to achieve in a happy group of twelve, but I had reckoned without my inner self. From the beginning, not only did I feel completely at home in Greece, but I have never felt such a sense of 'belonging'. I loved everything - especially the people - and it felt like an honour to stand by the side of the road in Athens as a thousand of them marched in total silence, four abreast, carrying signs of protest against their government. It was called an 'Indignation March' and the police had their backs. Streets were roped off, our group was requested to wait while they passed and in the grounds of the art museum across the road, all their children were being minded so that this march could take place. It was no surprise that at the very end of this dignified march, where a few anarchists and drunks were jostling bystanders, shouting and making a scene as police herded them into wagons, that their chaotic behaviour was all that was filmed and recorded for the TV news of the world. Dignity does not sell news. After weeks of wending our touristy way to the far north, eating nourishing, tasty local dishes and soaking up the history, we eventually arrived at Thessaloniki, the second major city of Greece situated on the Aegean Sea. Wewere sharing rooms in hotels all the way and although I'm a famous snorer who also talks during sleep, the Archaeologist and I were happy sharing and had settled into a comfortable familiarity. I have always attributed what happened on our first night in Thessaloniki to our hotel being in close proximity to the Macedonian border because through the whole six weeks exposed to ancient history at every turn, nothing like it had happened before. I woke on our first morning there, to find my room-mate sitting on the bed watching me. After I spoke, I was then told "I was waiting to see whether you'd wake up with Foreign Accent Syndrome." Further explanation revealed that all night, I'd been talking in Ancient Greek! Not just a word here and there, but fluent sentences as though in conversation. (I speak no other languages apart from English because I've never been good at learning them.) It's a bit spooky; there's nothing wrong with my brain, but it has made me wonder whether my deep feeling of familiarity with that land is the result of a life lived there in ancient times. Has anybody else had this experience when travelling? I tear up at the thought of Greece and long to return. - - - - - Things Bapak said to Varindra By Anonymous Varindra Vittachi shared that in 1979, he tried to convince Bapak not to travel to the World Congress in Toronto because Bapak had recently had a heart attack, and Bapak shared this experience with him: When Bapak had his heart attack he went far away. And They were there. And Bapak asked Them, Is it time for Bapak to return? And They laughed! Bapak said, “What's so funny?” “Well,” They said, “You are the one who is helping those people In that place There, to come Here through what you call the Latihan So, you have to go back There." Bapak then told Varindra "Yes, Bapak will go to Toronto. After all, what does it matter, Here or There it's all the same." Anod In Paris on the 14th of July 1964 on a beautiful warm summer evening, Varindra was sitting with Bapak on a terrace watching fireworks. Bapak was in a powerful state of being and said to Varindra, "Look out there and tell me what you see. Bapak can see the whole universe now. It is One. It is an intricate machine; not an earthly machine, more like an electronic grid, a Field of Force which starts from the Origin and goes back to the Origin." Varindra asked, "What is the Origin?" Bapak replied, "What is the origin of a circle?" Then he continued "and here and there, this Field of Force condenses into material things which we call planets and stars - lumps all over the universe. And you, Varindra, are a two legged lump walking around on the smallest lump in the universe." - - - - - |
My Experience with My Bapak at a Mall
By Anonymous Over 30 years ago – I encountered Bapak in a shopping mall. Yes really – well no not exactly. He had already passed when I met him there. I often took my 9-month-old son to this spacious mall near our house. It was great place to walk on rainy or hot days. We’d stroll through the place, my bright eyed smiley little guy in his stroller and me playing suburban mom with the rest of them. One day as we were strolling along, I saw Bapak to my left seating himself on a bench. I knew it couldn’t be Bapak but he looked exactly like him! I was awe struck. “You know this is not Bapak” I argued with myself. “But he looks exactly like him.” I argued with myself. He was in a suit and wore the Muslim pecci too. The furious, crazy argument went back and forth in my head as we moved toward him. Practically tiptoeing I chose to experience what was smack in front of me and told myself not to stare – THAT would be impolite. I sat down on a bench across from him, hands in my lap. We had a friendly conversation. He said he was from the Philippines – here on a visit. I don’t remember what I said but I hung on all his gestures AND watched my manners. His wife showed up bringing him an ice cream cone. She wanted him to go shopping with her. He declined – indicating that he wanted to people watch. “Like Bapak” I said to myself. I was happy he stayed. His frowns, his smiles, his enjoyment were vivid expressions I had seen and loved over the years on Bapak’s visits to the States. He enjoyed his ice cream as we talked. I was in a state of amazement yet unbelievingly relaxed. I don’t remember most of the conversation, but I do remember one sentence. After a while he gestured to my son and said, “In my country when a child has ears like that (my son’s ears stuck out) they say he will always be taken care of.” A sense of relief came over me – there had been questions about my son’s development, and I had been apprehensive for months. After hearing what my Bapak said, I knew it was time to go. Thanking him, I said goodbye, stood up and strolled on. It became apparent over the years that my son had some significant developmental disabilities. However, he has progressed. And he has been taken care of. Many times, I have felt (like so many parents with children with special needs) anxiety about my child’s future. Then I remember what my Bapak said. It calms me and we go on. - - - - - Was I there? By Anonymous Yes, I have had a similar experience to the one shared by the person who felt such an affinity for Greece, one that made me wonder if I was actually there in another life, or involved in some other spiritual way.. Mine is an intensity of being moved to tears whenever I hear stories of Britain during World World II. It has happened even when I have heard the same story before, -- over and over - more tears and depth of feeling - whenever I read or hear or talk about stories about the actions of the British people, during that period of world history. More than just a recognition that they save the world by standing alone, but this well of deep emotion comes up that seems more... It is enough to make me wonder what I was doing (before my present birth) at that time. - - - - - Goodbye, Goldie By Anonumous We are Spirit occupying a physical body until one day we can return to our true home. The big test, is the letting go of everything which is ours and everything which we love here on earth. When I was twelve years old, my Cocker Spaniel dog died-- I wrote the date on a wall--it was on the 22nd of June, Bapak's birthday. I was devastated and it took a long time for grieving to fade but eventually it did fade then I didn't think about him very often. Fifty four years later, when I was sixty six, I kept an appointment with an Indian Osteopath who was a very sensitive and spiritual man. Part way through the treatment, he suddenly announced while treating my right side " There's a dog in here!" Clearly I had NOT let go of my beloved Goldie, though I didn't realise it; in fact I had been attached to him all those years. As a post-script, I could add these lines from Rudyard Kipling: Brothers and Sisters I bid you beware. Of giving your heart for a dog to tear... - - - - - |