English
WE are pleased to advise that a new Subud Publications International (SPI) web site is now operational. Please see us at www.subudbooks.net. The main purpose of this website is to provide another way for Subud members to purchase Bapak's and Ibu Rahayu's talks. We hope to have our full range of media products, including DVDs and of course the books, available for sale online. For those who would prefer not to buy online, an email, telephone number and mailing address are available.
Shipping is available around the world.
Photo: SPI display during the 50 Year Anniversary Celebrations in England, 2007
On April 13th, 2008, Offre Joie and many other NGOs and committed individuals organised a three hour peace march from Mar Mikhail to the Centre of Beirut along the ‘green line‘. We went through the barriers dividing the down-town area and walked amongst the tents of Hezbollah and other opposition groups. On a stage in Martyrs’ Square a podium was set up across the barbed wire divide, and eight presenters from all the different TV stations, affiliated to different political factions, agreed (miraculously) to present the same one hour program simultaneously. They each talked of their war memories (many were children at the time), and their hopes for peace.
Following this, leading representatives of all the 18 different religious communities in Lebanon, together said the same prayer for peace which included asking for forgiveness one from the other.
Finally, we planted an olive tree in the Garden of Forgiveness, Hadiqat as-Samah, and below is a prayer I wrote for it.
“In this ancient place of over 2,000 years of human living, three generations of Lebanese of different faiths and histories, meet today in the name of Unity and Hope.
We plant this olive tree in the memory of the thousands of those who died, disappeared or suffered as a result of the war which began this day 33 years ago and of so many who still suffer its effects today.
We pray that the pain in the memory of this war will be transformed through compassion and forgiveness and that our children and their children and future generations will live in peace. Our Unity is our Salvation.”
The picture shows the tree planting, with Alexandra on the far right.
We are still seeking submissions for a logo for the upcoming 13th Subud World Congress in Christchurch, New Zealand in January 2010. Jim Williams from the UK has submitted the logo shown here "based on [a] New Zealand emblem – the Southern Cross" and although we like this one very much, we are still waiting for additional artwork.We would like to have a logo design by July. The recommended criteria is simply that if the Subud symbol is used, make sure to follow the standard recommendations as found on www.iscmedia.com. The logo should be simple and easy to use for letter headed paper, merchandising articles and on the website. It is better to use graphic colour designs than full colour photos and it should have a flavour of New Zealand. Please send entries to isc@subud.org.
As in Innsbruck, there will be a prize, (still to be defined), but no actual payment and the winner must hand over all rights for use of the design to the World Subud Association. The judging panel will be made up of members of the New Zealand Congress Team, members of the World Subud Council, and the WSA executive team.
Once again there was a Subud presence at the 5th Annual "Edinburgh International Festival of Middle Eastern Spirituality and Peace" in March. Stefan writes:This was a twelve day programme of talks, workshops and concerts. I was invited to come and lead Israeli peace dance sessions and was also offered a slot during the participatory workshops, called Pathways to Peace through Spiritual and Musical Practice. Bahais were singing songs based on their sacred texts. A Sufi was introducing a simple Zikr prayer/chant. The festival organiser (Prof. Neil Douglas Klotz) was introducing Aramaic songs. The familiar and safe thing for me would have been to offer vocal harmony songs with a peace theme or a peaceful effect.
But I wanted to see if I could add Subud to the ‘spiritual practice’ map. On a participation day I didn’t want to be just blabbing and was (obviously) unable to offer a latihan taster. I devised an hour-long series of activities around which I could make some introductory remarks about Subud tailored to this multi-faith peace/spirituality gathering.
I reported that I practiced a simple exercise with a group called Subud, done by members of many different faiths...
photo: Stefan and his wife Bethan
to read Stefan's complete report click here
On Wednesday, May 7th, former International Helper, Arifah Burra, passed away in her home in New Zealand. Her daughter Munirah writes: ...It was a very peaceful day and time. The sun was shining though her window - a lovely breeze flowing in from the trees outside and she just breathed in and let go quietly...
In early 2007 I was able to visit Arifah with Judy Gibb and Renata Peek (photo, with Arifah in the middle). She had already been having treatment for cancer for some time, but had an amazingly positive attitude towards the whole process. We spent a charmed afternoon and night at her delightful cottage near Nelson, at the north of New Zealand's South Island, doing latihan, sharing stories and reminiscing. It felt like stepping into another world - one full of grace and light. I was so happy to have been able to be there.
I trust and pray that Arifah's onward journey will continue to be filled with Grace and Light.
Recent newsletters have been added to the "ISC/WSA" page, including Australia's Accent for fall 2008 (spring in the Northern hemisphere), an update on the opening of Adi Puri, Bapak's renovated house in Indonesia, including a link to a talk Ibu Rahayu's gave online, and the latest SICA newsletter. WSA News may always be found in five languages at the top of the page. Just select a month and language.And last but not least, a World Subud Association first quarter financial summary for 2008 is located under 'Finance Reports.'
photo: lower hall of Adi Puri with mirrored ceiling
This is the last month of my exchange year in Finland (studying violin) and there are some things that I would like to share with all of you. The Subud group here consists of about 4 men and 6 women. There is no Subud house yet, so at the beginning it was quite hard to meet. I usually visited one of the men and did latihan at his place, or else I did it on my own. After a few months we were able to use the university building where I was having my lessons, and sometimes there were 3 men at a time doing latihan. After a while I wanted to also meet the other members, meaning the women, to get more the feeling of a group. So we met earlier this year and talked about the situation, and came up with the idea of staying over at a member's summer cottage for a week end, some time in May. I really liked the idea and started writing pretty often to all the members asking about when they would have time or what they thought about having a "Subud Finland Congress".
We began having regular latihan times in the university building, 2 times a week. It worked quite fine at first, I would usually meet with 1 or 2 members; but after a time I once again found myself often doing it alone. Still, I received some good responses from the members concerning the congress. They liked the idea very much and there were 4 women really behind it from the start. Together we came up with a date which will be from May 30 to June 1. We also have a lovely place to stay.
At the beginning of June I return home to Austria, where I plan to continue my violin studies. In the meantime, latihans here continue 2 times a week, with the women doing it simultaneously in another room.
I would like to invite people from abroad to this Subud Finland Congress. It's going to be pretty much like camping even though we have still got some places left in the cottages. It should be already pretty warm at the end of May, but you never know. Since this is a very short notice and also the congress lasts only about one and a half days, I would be surprised if there is even one person who can come... but... if anyone is around the area of Jyväskylä at that time, just let me know and I can give you more details. markus.cz@gmail.com
I had never particularly desired to travel to Indonesia. After becoming a Subud member it became ‘maybe one day’ – it would be cool to see Wisma Subud and Bapak’s grave and maybe even venture out to that Kalimantan place. Indonesia was not, however, a place I ever thought I would live; though, as I continue to learn through life and the Latihan, it is often what you least expect that ends up being the most rewarding and beneficial for you. Around this time last year I was trying to figure out what I should do after I finished university. I received an email from a contact about an AusAid volunteer position at the school in Rungan Sari, and what she suggested felt so right I just had to follow it.
Since January this year I have been living and working in Rungan Sari – the Subud community in Central Kalimantan Indonesia. I work at Bina Cita Utama (BCU), aka the ‘Subud School’, as a teacher. BCU is a small school, this year it has just under forty students ranging from Grade 2 to Grade 9. Each class has no more than 10 students, which means you can really work closely with individual students and really feel you are having an impact. The kids are great! They work hard and are motivated to learn. Also they say thank-you at the end of every lesson, something (as a teacher) I had never experienced before. Monday mornings the beginning of the working week starts off with a school assembly and the students’ choir, which in itself really is something else.
To read more of Lucinda's story and the impact of her time in Rungan Sari, please click here
In the middle of April, we had a delightful joint wings event at Nur, the Alicante Subud centre, open to members and non members alike: a window to the world, a doorway welcoming anyone wishing to find out who we are and why we are in Subud. It was jointly organised by Susila Dharma, SICA and the youth to celebrate the arrival of spring, and to express, through excursions, workshops and exhibitions, the meaning of the wings and the latihan in our daily life... ...The afternoon opened with a delightful violin and piano recital, while the children at the back of the large hall were painting a bit poster, guided by the youth coordinators. On the upper floor, a make-up workshop was going on. Elsewhere people worked with clay (picture), while others did a personal image workshop. No one was left with nothing to do...
To read Paloma's full account and see some more pictures, please click here
Hartati’s departure on Thursday morning in a charming country church was very moving, While it was raining cats and dogs during all the trip to Itchingfield, like magic when Hartati’s beautiful Subud made cask entered the church, the sun light appeared and remained all the time. Henry and Zenya read some wonderful and moving texts, the singer Pippa Longworth was beautiful, the words from a very young minister very appropriate; but the words of great tenderness of Leonard, representing the five children, were incredibly authentic and full of love, and made me believe that she was prepared and that it was necessary to pray for her in her new life and not to be sad for her.
Henry in front of the grave told us that he would say one of Hartati’s favourite prayers and the “alfatiya” was said by all those knowing it. It created a very beautiful Subud feeling to this special ceremony in total accordance with a religious ceremony. The last prayer in church was beautiful and very monotheistic:
God be in my head and in my understanding;
God be in my eyes and in my looking;
God be in my mouth and in my speaking;
God be in my heart and in my thinking;
God be at my end and at my departing.
The International Helpers for the Americas (Area 3) Emmanuel, Paul, Sarah, Dorotea, Shoshanah, and Mattheus have managed to visit every group in the Americas during their first two years of service, with only a couple exceptions, and here's what they plan to do for their remaining term."...We generally met with groups as a whole to hear both what was working well and what concerns members had for the group... With few exceptions, we found that the latihan was strong in the groups we visited, members (especially women) were open and willing to address obstacles to their growth, and groups were meeting regularly, many of which owned or rented adequate facilities.
The characteristics of members and groups from the Americas are varied. For example some have the capacity to use their very bright minds to organize committee and kejiwaan work, others are very developed in their feelings and heart and show incredible compassion in the way they care for each other, and still others show tremendous commitment and dedication to the latihan and to work in areas like social, business, cultural, health, and youth activities. Our hope is that we will be able to support the sharing of these strengths so that we can all learn from each other and thus develop the qualities that others have that we may lack.
We did some testing to determine our direction for 2008. Unanimously, we felt that we should not replicate the approach we used in the first half of our term, that is visiting individual groups. Instead, it felt much better to focus on working with helpers and committee members during the remaining two years. We are beginning to do this in certain countries from Zone 8 (Colombia, Venezuela, Ecuador) and Zone 7 (Canada, USA)."
Note: All 18 international helpers will meet in July in Colombia before the World Subud Council meeting.
...At the main building, we meet the staff, decorously lined up to greet us, Indonesian style. They are so happy that we have come; we shake hands with the teachers and two administrators. There are 8 full time staff and 5 are Subud members. The buildings are adjacent to a small village and surrounded by green fields of farms growing grains. The building we are about to enter is a long, low building made of wood and woven straw. The ceiling shows the pattern of the straw bound by long cords and braced by wood. The children sit quietly attentive in their chairs; a few daring to wiggle in their seats and wave at the foreigners visiting. My first impression is that this can hardly be an orphanage. The children look so happy and well groomed, and their faces shine with an inner light. They have that well-cared for look of children who might as easily be in a middle class home anywhere in the world. I am not surprised that YUM won an award in 2006 for the best orphanage in East Java, and has been nominated for another award. The children are irresistible; I leave my place among the “honored guests” in order to say hello. As I extend my hand, several youngsters begin to wave with irrepressible enthusiasm that erupts after sitting still too long. Moving from child to child, I am learning a new ritual as each one takes my fingers lightly and brushes my hand across their cheek, sometimes holding or kissing my fingers. It is a warm and tender form of greeting, a grace of the Indonesian culture that I cannot help but envy against the busy pace of American greeting. They giggle like school children, but they are at ease with strangers while they gently laugh with their friends nearby. After our greetings, we listen to short speeches of gratitude for our visit and then the children perform songs. Two girls of about seven years of age dressed in elegant pink and green dresses sing and dance for the audience...
To read Simone's full report please click here
"Due to circumstances beyond my control I need to reach as many people as quickly as possible with the news my email has had to change due to circumstances beyond my control. My new e-mail address is roszala@msn.com. If I don't get this publicised quick someone may think they've booked and haven't..."
Subud Greece will have a kejiwaan weekend from 20-22 June. It will have the dual purpose of celebrating Bapak's birthday and inaugurating our beautiful rebuilt house (picture) to the international community. The content will focus on deepening the latihan and putting the latihan into practice .... plus whatever else comes to us.We very much hope to have visitors from other abroad and would especially welcome visitors from from the new groups in the nearby Balkan countries (visa applications would need to be made immediately - we can send a letter of invitation).
Contact Harina or Robiyan Easty.
robiyan@gmail.com harinoula@gmail.com
For further details, please look at the EVENTS list.
Candidates are sought for a Muhammad Subuh Foundation Trustee. Nominations may be made by national organizations through their Zone Representatives, or by MSF Trustees and the World Subud Council. The term of office for an MSF trustee is for four years. The candidate should have an understanding of the Subud organization and be able to work as a member of a team. The trustees are working trustees; the hours of work will vary. Areas of responsibility include investment, public relations, fundraising, website maintenance, newsletters, liaising with MSF National Liaisons amongst others. Financial background/experience a definite plus.
Candidate trustees should provide a CV and three references. A sub-committee consisting of members of the WSC and MSF trustees will review the CVs and contact the references. The WSA directors will make a final decision at the meetings in Amanecer this summer based on information received and guidance from testing carried out by the international helpers with the candidates, if present. Please send nominations accompanied with CV to Lillian Shulman, MSF Administrator, lillianshulman@netscape.net
The MSF Board and the World Subud Council would like to thank Rusdi Bustillo, who the new trustee will replace, for his service.
Photo: Florence, Italy, house supported by a grant and loan from MSF
Some of you may remember that Freeman Wyllie, Mursalin New and associates were hoping to develop a palm oil plantation in Kalimantan. Here is issue number 8 of their Borneo International newsletter, two pages, explaining the latest developments. (photo: one of their exploratory trips...)Good luck to Freeman and Mursalin in whatever continues to develop and many thanks for their dedication.
To read the newsletter click here