It was with sadness and shock that I learned this morning of the passing of Hamilton Manley on the morning of July 1st. He was taking a swim with members of his family on the island of Hilo, USA, where he lived. He was 64 years old.

 

My prayers and thoughts are with his wife Marisa, their children, families and close friends.

 

At the same time, it is impossible for me to think of Hamilton without a fond smile creeping onto my face. What a wonderful, gentle and loving person.

 

Within his local community Hamilton worked extensively with the youth, as you can read in this article from the UH Hilo Vulcans News Archives, and since the World Congress in 2005, he co-ordinated Subud youth activities at the international level, together with Rhyana Blakeley. His care and dedication was widely appreciated by youngsters in many countries and I know he will be missed.

 

Reflecting his commitment and dedication, his family agrees that, rather than sending flowers, anyone wishing to might make a donation to the International Youth Travel Fund. (For details, contact ISC)

 

Messages can be sent to Marisa and the family to: P.O. Box 163 Mt. View, Hilo, HI 9677, USA, or to Harlina's email address: harlinam@gmail.com

 

 

 

Dear film makers,

 

My name is Pierce Vaughn and I hope many Subud film makers out there are reading this (please spread the word).

 

The World Congress 2010 in Christchurch is supposed to have a media coverage like no other before: we're talking Congress TV, Virtual Congress for Subudians abroad, a film festival and, last but not least, World Congress Christchurch - the movie. It sounds great and could be fantastic, but for this to happen we need to gather a strong team of motivated filmers, so that everyone taking part in this project will also have enough free time to enjoy the congress.

 

We're looking for cameramen/women, video editors, moderators, people for export and conversion of video files and DVD authoring, web integration, coordinators, etc.. We will also need equipment like cameras (to speed things up it would be best to have cameras that record to hard drive or SD card), tripods, laptops/computers with enough power for editing video footage (like macbook pros, for example), hand microphones and so on.

 

A short videographic background about myself. For the past 3 years I've been working in Berlin (that's me in the picture) as an editor, cameraman, motion graphics artist and web designer for German TV and films. I finished my parallel studies as media designer for film & television broadcast and now I'm heading to New Zealand. www.subud.tv is also one of my projects.

 

Anyone interested in participating can contact me at pierce.vaughn@gmail.com . 

 

I am looking forward to hearing from you! It's gonna be a blast!

To the Subud World...

 

Our national gathering this year is relatively small - 169 people registered ahead of time. This Gathering starts tomorrow,and we don't know how many will just show up! There's a world congress coming up,and many "regulars" are going to New Zealand instead of Colorado! That's ok!

 

I want to share with everyone my experience during the planning of this event. We, the national committee, were determined that we needed "the youth" to play a prominent role in the management of this event - and that is what is happening! ("Youth" - ha, these people are in their 30's and many have young kids.)

 

I have seen many congress teams, and often the "war" goes on. You know, the tug of war, conflict of interests, that makes it difficult to let the true nature of the event itself emerge and bloom. This team of mostly younger members - many being second generation - has had a strong, clear focus on wanting to follow guidance every step of the way, frequently doing latihan and testing right on the spot as part of our frequent conference calls. The efforts to communicate clearly and respectfully with each other really paid off, though it was often challenged as we all kept getting very excited about the things we were planning and loved to talk about it!

 

There are always glitches, and how we deal with them is what counts. Instead of seeing Person A blame Person B when Person B didn't do a task in a timely fashion, Person A would say: "I have to work on how to deal with my disappointment", instead of playing the Blame Game. What a nice difference!

 

SO, as the event starts, we are watching out for each other, hoping to do this work in a way that no one burns out!

 

When its good, its very very good!

 

(Artwork by Aminah Ulmer)

Mr. Kojiro Togashi, a local helper and member of the committee that incorporated Subud Japan, received a prize from the Emperor of Japan for his 'diligence and contributions in his professional work as a judicial scrivener.'  He mentioned that "he had thought to decline the prize at first, as such a secular honor doesn't have value to the person who does the latihan, but promptly, he remembered that we have to present a proof of the latihan in this world, and felt that it is the wish of Almighty God."
 
A judicial scrivener provides legal documents to clients; however, with recent changes in Japanese law, they must now be more active with their job including civil actions for small claims and additional legal consultation. Because most  judicial scriveners are not familiar with consultation, negotiation services, or oral argument, Mr. Tagashi initiated a training program within in the association. He believes that the association nominated him for the award, which is given to around 500 people every year.

Ichiro Nakamura, outgoing committe councillor, writes: "This is an outstanding achievement and we extend our warmest congratulations to Mr. Togashi."
 

The online art auction in aid of the international youth travel fund came to an end at midnight on Bapak’s birthday, June 22nd, making a grand total of $5841. I was very excited and, at the same time, nervous towards the end, as I had donated work, was joining in the bidding and was anticipating the final outcome of the project. The project came from a little idea that grew bigger and bigger, which would not have been possible without the help of so many wonderful people. The biggest thank you has to go to my brother Immanuel who spent many long hours building the web site and supporting me, to Maya who helped in many different ways (she has great contacts!) and to all the artists and bidders that made the art auction possible. I hope that the money raised (which will be tripled thanks to the MSF and the Guerrand Hermes foundation matching funds scheme) will help many more young people get to world congress in New Zealand, to experience something truly special.

 

I’d like to personally, and on behalf of the youth travel fund, thank the following artists for donating such beautiful works: Lavasir Nordrum, Oliver Compton, Hannah Hurd, Samson Rogers, Riduan Tomkins, Asariah Tellegen, P.A. Eyles, Linda Ollaik, Alan Wright, Harold Hitchcock, Renata Peek, Rachmadi Fiedorowicz, Bjorn Vaughn, Daliani Dixon, Daphne Tibbs, Marcus Bolt, Robert Mertens, Raphaela Schipper, Liliana MacDonald, Marcela Susilowati, Joseph Paige, Siff Skovenborg and Chris Martin.

 

Congratulations goes to the following winning bidders: Hussein Rawlings, Tuan Phat Dang, Oliver Cousins, Serena Heaslip, Maya Bernardes, Judy Gibb, Tatiana Armstrong, Hamid Luciano Coelho Da Silva, Iljas Baker, Robert Dodson, Jasmin Taylor, Osanna Vaughn, Asmaniah Fraval, Susan Ripparetti, Lukman and Conradine Bryson-Haynes, Helene Jelman, Brianna Bryson-Haynes, Melinda Wallis and Simon Xavier Guerrand Hermes. There were many bidders who participated and maybe some who were a little disappointed they didn’t win this time, but we can all look forward to future auctions.

 

If anyone has any projects that they would like to fundraise for please be sure to get in touch with me at subudart@gmail.com

 

See you all in New Zealand!

 

(picture: Angel by Joseph Paige - one of the pieces auctioned)

The world congress organising team have had the brilliant idea of putting a filmed news bulletin (failed out-takes and all) on-line - the first in what will, hopefully, be a fun series.

 

If you want to enjoy a few laughs and see the latest goings on at Subud Christchurch, go to www.subudworldcongress2010.com and click on Congress News, under Latest News and Events.

We are about to change our concept [from atelier/art gallery and cafe] and start a small theater and puppet theater. On August 1, Ozana Ciubotaru, together with her husband Cristian, will come from Rumania to Germany and work here in our theater. Ozana and Cristian are excellent actors. Ozana's father is a star at the National Theater in Jasi as well as Cristian's father who also was at the National Theater.  Ozana's mother has more than 30 years experience at Europe's biggest theater for children and youth, and is a first class actress for theater and puppet theater. Ozana and Cristian founded the first "family theater" after the 1989 revolution in Rumania. This was a traditional form of theater before the world war: www.teatrulbonton.ro

From our 350 year-old house and our little theater with space for about 100 - 120 onlookers, we have a little theater combined with a charming small restaurant which we will start to transform into a puppet museum.

[Ozana, Cristian, and Ozana's mother] were opened when Ibu Rahaju visited Wolfsburg together with the director of the Rumanian State Theater. We were on tour at that time. It was and is a great burden for me to be in a way responsible for such an undertaking ...but with God's help maybe we will succeed...

Visit Hasan's gallery of paintings at: www.bildergalerie-arnoldlanden.de

Another round of Musrenbang, the annual development planning mechanism, started at the beginning of this year, and YTS (Yayasan Tambuhak Sinta) worked hard to move the process along, making sure that the development plan from each village was prepared and submitted properly.

 

Compared to last year, the planning process in villages and sub districts shows a significant improvement, on both community and government sides.

 

From the community side, villagers are starting to realize the importance of their role and involvement in the Musrenbang. As a key participant, the community should carefully identify its needs and develop a plan to address these needs, and then present the plan to local government. YTS has been working in the village to raise awareness about the importance of this mechanism, and to assist in the planning process. As members of the community better understand their role, they can now develop the plan less from an individual, and more from a community perspective, working together to achieve shared and collective benefits.

 

Government, on the other hand, made some progress in organizing the events. Understanding that the focus is bottom-up planning, government is starting to pay attention to the voices of villagers. This can be seen by the appearance of sub district representatives in villages during the Musrenbang process. It is quite important for villagers to have representatives from higher levels of government attending the meeting, because it gives them assurance that government is paying attention to their needs.

 

For government, having representatives in the village Musrenbang gives a clearer idea of the issues to address, as they can hear directly the aspirations of the community, and look closely at conditions in the village. This can also provide inputs for decision-makers to define development programs at higher levels.

 

Although there still are some ob- stacles in the process, such as passive participation due to lack of knowledge about the Musrenbang process, and poor scheduling, the overall mechanism appears to be well on its way to ensuring better participation in the national development planning process.

 

To read the full, very informative newsletter, please

 

 

The following message and invitation has been received from the Subud group in Mane, Provence:

 

Recent refurbishments of our Subud house in the village of Mane (near Forcalquier, France), means that we can offer affordable and pleasant self-catering holiday accommodation to our international membership.

 

Please see our blog and site (with plenty of exterior and interior pictures, as well as maps) at: http://houseofelzeard.blogspot.com

I always wonder what celebrations of Bapak’s birthday in other WSA member countries are like. In Indonesia, it’s generally the same: making a devotional visit to Bapak’s grave, tumpengan (cone-shaped yellow rice) with Ibu Rahayu and the whole family of Bapak attending, and sometimes accompanied with a mass circumcision and free medicinal treatment provided for underprivileged children and the community living in the area surrounding Cilandak.

 

This year’s celebration will be slightly different, with a festival and an enterprise workshop complementing the three aforementioned activities. A public festival will take place on June 20 and 21 respectively in the Cilandak Wisma Subud complex. Dubbed [the first annual] CiFest (Cilandak Festival), the event drapes over an enterprise workshop for +75 Subud members and will include a trade exhibition as well as a bazaar which will be open to the public at large.

 

Three professional business practitioners, one of them a Subud member, will present their experiences in initiating and developing their respective enterprises to participants. To conclude the workshop, participants are invited to set up a sustainable enterprise network development (SEND).

 

Outside the ‘enterprising activities’ that surround the celebration of Bapak’s birthday, the Dewan of National Helpers (DPPN) meeting will take place on the 21st of June.

 

Photo: Adi Puri, where the enterprise workshop will take place.

The online art auction in aid of the youth travel fund is in full swing and doesn’t have much longer to go, ending midnight GMT time on Bapak’s birthday June 22nd. We have artists registered from around the globe who have so kindly donated some very lovely works.

 

The bidding is timidly underway and bids are being received from far and wide, but we still need your support. Please be generous, so that the artists feel their donations have been appreciated and remember this is to support youth travel to New Zealand for the World Congress.

 

Thank you to all the artists who have been so generous in their donations and to all you bidders that have kindly bid so far. If you would like to get involved please go to www.subudartists.com, There is a register tab at the top-right of the page, where you can register as a bidder.

 

Just to clarify what will happen once the auction has finished: the highest bidder will be informed and artists will be responsible for getting the artworks to the winners (post or physically). Bidders will be in charge of paying for postage if that is the means used; the artists will be fully refunded.

 

For any queries don’t hesitate to contact me at subudart@gmail.com

 

(Painting 'Waterlilies and Goldfish' by Hannah Hurd)

 

Note from the International Youth Travel Fund team:

 

The IYTF is so far supporting 38 young people coming from the following countries to get to the World Congress in New Zealand: Mexico, Vietnam, Colombia, Chile, Moldova, Poland, RDCongo, China, Indonesia, India, Australia, UK, Germany, France, and we are awaiting applications from Cuba, Argentina and Nigeria....

With funding support from the Muhammad Subuh Foundation (MSF), the Bina Cita Utama (BCU) school, located in the Rungan Sari complex in Central Kalimantan, now has a new classroom building to accommodate the increasing demand for the type of quality education offered by the school.

 

In March, 2009, MSF provided a grant of US$20,000 to launch the construction of two of the classrooms, plus a small kitchen. Another donor contributed a further $20,000 to complete the second building, providing a total of four new classrooms.

 

The first building (on the right of the top photo: photos taken by Muhammad Bachrun Bustillo) is now complete and ready for students, while the second building will be finished soon.

We, Subud Japan, had a gathering from 2nd to 5th May for our 50th year anniversary. The gathering consisted of a celebration, a kejiwaan gathering, and a National Congress in leafy surroundings. Renata Peek, Representative of Zone 1/2, and Judy Gibbs and Sugandi Prawira, international helpers, attended this gathering.

Just prior to the gathering, we were informed that Kojiro Togashi, a local helper and a member of the committee dedicated to preparations for incorporating Subud Japan, received a prize from the Emperor of Japan for his diligence and contribution in his professional work as a judicial scrivener, as it is a model to be followed by the people. This news was announced in the celebration. He mentioned that he had thought to decline the prize at first, as such a secular honor doesn't have value to the person who does the latihan, but promptly, he remembered that we have to present a proof of the latihan in this world, and felt that it is the wish of Almighty God.

 

To read more

Bring some fabric to World Congress… Help create a fabulous Wall Hanging… Raise money for the “Kalimantan Sewing Project”...

 

This is a fun creative project to enjoy during Congress. It will also provide funds for the YUM Kalimantan Sewing Project (teaching village women sewing skills so they can earn money for their families). Together we can review the pieces of fabric we have all brought, and decide on a theme for our ‘wall hanging’. So try to bring some fabric you love, or which is traditional in your country. We will also need sequins, braid and other decoration.

 

The finished work will be auctioned at Congress and a cheque presented to YUM. This is an initiative of Isti Jenkins (photo with Tree Of Life wall hanging) who started the sewing project in Kalimantan and has also organised lots of similar wall-hanging projects at Rungan Sari and at National and World Congresses.

 

If you have questions, please contact Isti at peterjenkins4@gmail.com

For all of you who enjoy a little “desktop travel” I hereby warmly invite you to join me on my one-month journey through Egypt & Jordan. I'll be exploring the histories and mysteries of ancient sites Giza, Abydos and Petra, roaming the sweltering dryscapes of Sinai, Wadi Rum and Siwah, and crouching with the locals in the backstreets of Al Qahira. I'll be dusting off my camera and typing up a sandstorm – so drop on by www.bjorntoday.com for your weekly virtual tag-along beneath the blazing sun of Egypt & Jordan. It will be cool - NOT!!!

 

Love, Björn (in the photo titled: The Gods must be crazy)

...The first days of latihan, community and good food, kept any but the bravest indoors because of the rain; but May 27 dawned clear and perfect. This was the day set aside for our camino to the cathedral of Santiago – the final destination of the St. James pilgrim route...

 

...I was deeply affected by the solemn beauty and sense of common worship of the occasion, as well as a feeling of rightness at being there as part of Subud and as part of the extended community that came to celebrate their individual yet common caminos. When the moment arrived for me to read the invocation (see further below in the NEWS), this feeling of being in the right place, enveloped by God's grace, ensured that I was not the slightest bit nervous, and was able to read without stumbling...

 

...On Saturday, the Zone 3 Gathering closed, once again with farewell words from the Mayor of Poio, including the wish and hope that we will spread the word around the world, that the area is well worth a visit. An easy task for all, no doubt. In the evening, a ceremony and celebration for the marriage (10 days earlier) of Halim Korzybski and Maya Bernardes (photo) and their on-going camino was held in the monastery chapel. It was such a delight for the couple to have so many friends from all over the world there, and included prayers from different people, spontaneous words, necklaces of roses and other symbolic gestures, a song by Hedley and Monica Bennett, and a Shakepeare sonnet beautifully recited by Kadarijah Gardiner. After many hugs, kisses and congratulations, we went out to the patio where local musicians once again struck up jolly melodies on the pipes and drums, so that we were dancing in next to no time...

 

(Photos on this page and the attachment, courtesy of Angelina Sanchez, Maya Bernardes, Julia Hurd and Simon de Alicante)

 

To read the full report with photos please

Isaac Goff (photo taken from Compass) set up Dharma Trading in San Rafael, California, back in 1969, and has built it into a very successful company distributing a vast assortment of dyeable garments, dyes, transfer products, tools and paints worldwide. The website Compass Online recently featured Isaac on their site, closing the article with the following paragraph:

 

Isaac is also a constant supporter of the Subud and Susila Dharma organisations at all levels. To read the full article please click here