The Role of Bapak in Subud

 

25 years ago but very timely! 

Subud USA Life
March / April 1999

The Role of Bapak in Subud

By Laura Paterson
Chair, Subud USA
(1998-2000)

At this writing, it is only a short time since the end of
Ramadan. Therefore, I would like sincerely to ask
each one of you please to forgive me for my
mistakes and shortcomings, both inner and outer,
during the past year, and to offer with full love and
gratitude my forgiveness to anyone who would wish
it.

Sometimes, if we are fortunate, we may have the
experience of seeing some of our shortcomings very
clearly – or at least the proverbial tip of the iceberg of
them. Such an opportunity arose for me in
witnessing the achievements of my successor in
office, John Tjia*, the Chairman of Subud New York.
John, who followed my term of office, has been
providing me with that grace in many ways, not the

least of which is the very fine newsletter that he
produces with admirable regularity.

With great candor, sincerity, intelligence, and humor
John has utilized his responsibility as editor-in-chief
to explore his understanding of the nature and
meaning of Subud and the latihan kejiwaan. Now
this is a daunting task, and one that I certainly would
lack the assurance to undertake – at least in print! It
reminds me of the time that our late Subud brother,
Rusdi Lane, asked my then two-year-old son what
was the meaning of life. My son’s reply: “Al-might-y
God”.

However, John comes with a particular qualification
for this undertaking. He has been in Subud for
about 10 years, having been opened shortly after
Bapak’s passing. So far as I know, John is the first

Chairman of Subud New York (as is also his Vice-
Chair, Ursula Ruedenberg) not to have been opened

while Bapak was alive, and so not to have belonged
to the “first generation” of Subud members who
“knew” Bapak. Which means, of course, that John
and Ursula are amongst the first emissaries of the
future of Subud.

John and Ursula, like many newer Subud members,
have expressed a curiosity and a desire to
understand the “role” of Bapak in Subud. In all
honesty, I can remember having the same need in
the early months, and even years, of my own Subud
life. Having conveniently forgotten this fact,
however, I had not really understood that it was the
situation of many of my brothers and sisters today.

However, five days into Ramadhan, I received an
email reporting on a meeting of the Muhammad
Subuh Foundation (MSF) that had been held in
Cilandak to consider ideas for celebrating the
centennial of Bapak’s birth. The email saddened me
greatly, for it made very candid reference to the fact
the unfamiliarity with Bapak and his life amongst
“second generation” Subud members is quite widely
spread at this time. For whatever reason, during the
rest of the fast, I found that my own awareness of
Bapak and his life greatly intensified.

This awareness, however, was of Bapak as an
“ordinary” man. Bapak always told us that he was
an ordinary man, and that he experienced the life of
a normal human being while in this world with the
same difficulties, challenges and losses to which we
all are subject. I kept wondering what these

experiences must have been like for Bapak. So as
well as the usual Ramadhan reading fare of ‘Susila
Budhi Dharma’ and Bapak’s talks, I found myself
turning again to two small books, ‘Remberances of
Bapak’s Last Days’ and ‘Autobiography of Bapak
Muhammad Subuh Sumohadiwidjojo’.

Bapak left school at an early age and assumed the
responsibility of supporting his parents and a
younger brother and sister. He married at the age of
25 and during the next nine years, Bapak’s wife bore
him five children. The fourth child, a son, died when
he was two years old. Bapak’s wife died a year
later, when Bapak was 35. For the next five years
Bapak was a widower, supporting three of his
children, as well as his mother, brother and sister. At
the request of the parents of his late wife, Bapak had
to relinquish the care of his youngest child to them.
In 1941, Bapak married Siti Sumari, (Ibu Subuh,) a
widow with two children of her own, who also
became members of Bapak’s family.

After 1941, WWII and the subsequent Japanese
occupation brought chaos to Indonesia. In his
autobiography Bapak wrote, “As 1944 approached,
the situation in West Semarang… became very
dangerous, so with my wife and children I left

Kalisari and set out for Kedu, passing through the
still wild areas of Mt. Pati. These wild parts were
dangerous, as many bandits attacked and robbed
the people passing through. We traveled on foot,
[Ed. note: the journey lasted one month] following
the river tributaries that flowed down and around the
large mountain. Regardless of all this, the
children… enjoyed themselves as they walked
through the fast currents, up to 25cm (10 inches)
deep. (1)

At the time of their journey from Semarang to
Temanggung, Bapak was a Javanese man of middle
years, a man who had lost a wife and infant son,
who had remarried and had a large family to
support. Years earlier, at the age of 32, when Bapak
had received that it would be his duty to travel the
world to spread the latihan kejiwaan, he said of
himself, “I was very simple. I had no knowledge, I
was poor, and had low status in the society of man.
But through the grace of Almighty God, as the days
turned to weeks and the weeks turned to months, I
came to feel that I should simply follow the Will of
Almighty God. (2)

This image of the journey of Bapak and his family
from Semarang to Temanggung somehow

illuminated for me the inexpressible grace and
blessing from Almighty God that has been granted to
each one of us in receiving the latihan kejiwaan of
Subud. For only through such grace and blessing,
and only by simply following the Will of Almighty
God, could Bapak have made that journey, and all of
the journeys that followed, to become the Bapak that
many thousands of Subud brothers and sisters from
all around the world knew from 1957 to 1987.

Shortly after returning to Temanggung, Bapak and
Ibu moved to Jogjakarta, where they opened many
new Subud members and attended to their needs in
following the latihan kejiwaan. Gradually Subud
began to spread, and Bapak and Ibu traveled
throughout Indonesia to support the new groups that
were being established. Eventually they moved to
Jakarta, where in 1954 Bapak’s son Haryadi, a
medical student, died at the age of 23.

Three years later, on May 19th, 1957, when he was
almost 56 years old, Bapak and Ibu made their first
journey to England. Bapak spent the remaining 30
years of his life devoting himself to the needs of
Subud members, traveling around the world many
times over and visiting Subud centers and groups in
more than 50 countries. These journeys were made

as Bapak, born with the twentieth century, passed
through his sixties and seventies and eighties, with
the energy, vitality, and stamina of a man decades
younger. The journeys were lengthy, and made at
frequent intervals, as Bapak worked ceaselessly to
spread the latihan kejiwaan of Subud to “all of
mankind”, to all those ordinary men and women who
asked to receive the great gift and blessing of the
contact with the Power of Almighty God.

These are some of the details of Bapak’s life as an
“ordinary” man. Even taken as the events in a
normal human life, they are quite remarkable. But
there is one fact that has changed, beyond
imagining, the lives of many thousands of people
around the world: Bapak was the first human being
to receive the contact with the Great Life Force, the
Power of Almighty God, and to be able to transmit
that contact to other, truly ordinary human beings.

Bapak told us that what we have received in the
latihan kejiwaan of Subud is exactly what the
Prophets received from Almighty God. Because
they received the contact with the Power of Almighty
God, the Prophets were able to provide their
followers with teachings and advice about the right
way of life. Only now, however, has it become

possible for any human being who truly wishes to
worship the One Almighty God to receive this
contact, and to receive the guidance of Almighty
God directly within their own being.

This is possible because in the course of his life as
an ordinary man, Bapak truly surrendered to
Almighty God and followed His Will with complete
patience, acceptance and submission. Bapak told
us he was willing to surrender anything to become a
human being who truly worshipped Almighty God.
Bapak experienced three years without sleep; he
experienced twelve years without money. Bapak
simply trusted in Almighty God, and passed on to
each one of us what he had received, the latihan
kejiwaan of Subud.

If Bapak had not done this, not one of us would have
been opened, not one of us would have received the
contact with the Power of Almighty God. Not one of
us would have felt the vibration of the latihan within
our being, or known with utter certainty the reality of
God’s guidance. We would not have experienced
the oneness that leads us to understand that we are
truly brothers and sisters. This will be true for as
many generations as there are of ordinary human

beings who receive the contact with the latihan
kejiwaan of Subud.

As I witness the sincerity with which John and Ursula
carry out their responsibilities in Subud New York,
and how they are guided by the latihan in doing so, it
is very clear to me that each succeeding generation
of Subud members will have the opportunity to
experience the same blessings as those who were
opened at the time Bapak was alive. They will have
the opportunity to experience the grace and
guidance of Almighty God in the latihan kejiwaan,
and they will have Bapak’s advice and guidance in
following the way of the latihan given in thousands of
talks during the 30 years Bapak traveled around the
world to spread the latihan kejiwaan of Subud.

Or, as John Tjia once said to me, “the postman is
gone, but he has delivered the letter.”

************

*Since this article was written almost twenty-five
years ago, John Tjia has fulfilled many roles within
the Subud organization. Most recently, John was
appointed Treasurer for Subud USA during their
2023 National Congress in Beltsville, Maryland.

(1 & 2 from Autobiography, Bapak Muhammad
Subuh Sumohadiwidjojo, pp. 43 and 31.)

Let’s fill up on Kejiwaan – November 9-12. Last Call For Registration

This Farewell to Menucha gathering is nearing close of registration. We still have desirable accommodations available, even a “couples’ room”. All spaces have been priced as reasonably as possible and the turnout is good so far. Come and join us as we say farewell (for now) to this location. All registrations must be completed by no later than 10/9.

For questions contact halimasemail@gmail.com or text 503-577-2911

From the Pacific Northwest Regional Helpers to EVERYONE!

Regional Helpers at this weekend’s Planning Retreat for our Kedjiwaan weekend. Pictured L to R: Rayma Norton, Albert Palmeter, Rosalyn Neel, Nathaniel Gottumukkala, David Lynch, Daniella Gleeson. Not pictured: Margarite Charney and Halima Brugger (new regional helper)

We welcome and encourage every Subud member to attend this year’s kedjiwaan gathering at Menucha.  No matter whether you’ve come to Menucha before or not, please consider this a special invitation to spend time with other Subud brothers and sisters from this region and beyond.  We hope this year, our last at Menucha, will be a time of renewal.

Here’s a list of the spaces available (9/29):

To immediately register for this event, please use this link.

Cancellation Policy:  Registrations may be cancelled until October 15 with a full refund less a $50 administrative fee. After October 15, no refunds will be made unless your room/day pass is resold to another registrant, in which case a refund will be issued minus a $50 administrative fee. ($40 for day pass refunds).

————————————-  Ending Article ————————

Free Tickets!   Last Regional Kedjiwaan at Menucha!  General Meeting!  Annual Meeting and Selection of New Officers

We have five free tickets to the Cascadia poetry Festival. https://cascadiapoeticslab.org/cascadia-poetry-festival-7/
They will be available first come-first served.  Please contact our Subud Brother Paul.   pen@cascadiapoeticslab.org
General Meeting!
Sunday, October 29th after Latihan, agenda coming soon!  We will meet in the Womens’ hall as we will not have access to the entire house.
Annual General Meeting and election of officers Sunday January 14, 2023, after Latihan.
Please consider testing if you should be the next chair or vice chair.  The previous committee has served since January 2017.  It’s time for a new committee.  The current members are happy to provide history, context and guidance.
Regional Kedjiwaan Registration will be open for another 12 days for the Subud Pacific Northwest gathering.  The last one at Menucha.
Message from our SPNW Vice Chair, Honora Drew:

“It is exciting to see the names as registrations come in.  If you join us, you will see folks who haven’t been to a gathering in a while, and some who are fairly new to Subud.  Come find renewed community, deepened Latihan’s, and new conversations.   Help us honor this wonderful place one last time! “We’ve opened up more slots in the Barn and there is still space available in Ballard and Wright Hall. We’ve priced this year’s event to make it more affordable for our members to attend this last event at this location. All day passes allowed by Menucha are sold out, but “Top Bunk” (Economy Dorm) and Barn places are still available for just a little more money. (you can sleep elsewhere) 3 days for only $285, or 2 for $180.

To see pricing for this event, please use this link.

To immediately register for this event, please use this link.

Subud PNW Kedjiwaan Gathering Registration closes in 14 days

As of this writing we have 63 members who have registered. Every day more and more people register as we enter into the last 14 days before registration must end so that we can provide the attendee count to the conference center.

Message from our Vice Chair, Honora Drew:
“It is exciting to see the names as registrations come in.  If you join us, you will see folks who haven’t been to a gathering in a while, and some who are fairly new to Subud.  Come find renewed community, deepened Latihan’s, and new conversations.   Help us honor this wonderful place one last time!”

We’ve opened up more slots in the Barn and there is still space available in Ballard and Wright Hall. We’ve priced this year’s event to make it more affordable for our members to attend this last event at this location.

All day passes allowed by Menucha are sold out, but “Top Bunk” (Economy Dorm) and Barn places are still available for just a little more money.( you can sleep elsewhere) 3 days for only $285, or 2 for $180.

To see pricing for this event, please use this link.
To immediately register for this event, please use this link.

Financial Assistance Applications end Tuesday 9/26!
Please apply now for financial assistance by using this form. Financial Assistance applications must be completed by 9/26! All assistance is tested and can this can take a little time to finalize.

Questions? write to us at:  menucharegistrarATgmail.com

Speaking of Financial Assistance – More donations needed!!

When you register, please consider making a donation to the Assistance Fund so that those who need assistance can share this wonderful weekend with us.

If you prefer to donate to the Assistance Fund via check, please send your check to:
Morris McClellan
3127 NE 103rd Pl
Apt. B
Portland, OR 97220-2866 

Cancellation Policy:  Registrations may be cancelled until October 15 with a full refund less a $50 administrative fee. After October 15, no refunds will be made unless your room/day pass is resold to another registrant, in which case a refund will be issued minus a $50 administrative fee. ($40 for day pass refunds)

2023 Kedjiwaan Meeting Message From the Pacific Northwest Regional Helpers to EVERYONE!

Regional Helpers at this weekend’s Planning Retreat for our Kedjiwaan weekend. Pictured L to R: Rayma Norton, Albert Palmeter, Rosalyn Neel, Nathaniel Gottumukkala, David Lynch, Daniella Gleeson. Not pictured: Margarite Charney and Halima Brugger (new regional helper this weekend)

We welcome and encourage every Subud member to attend this year’s kedjiwaan gathering at Menucha.  No matter whether you’ve come to Menucha before or not, please consider this a special invitation to spend time with other Subud brothers and sisters from this region and beyond.  We hope this year, our last at Menucha, will be a time of renewal.

We’d love to see people of all ages experience Menucha.  This year, we’re creating a Youth Assistance Fund dedicated to helping younger members afford to come.  If you’d like to attend but are short on funds, please apply for help covering the cost using this link.

If you’re in a position to make a contribution, we welcome your donation. Please use this link to donate.

We hope to see you at Menucha in November!

Your Regional Helpers’ Group
Aakarsh Gottumukkala
Albert Palmeter
Daniella Gleeson
David Lynch
Halimah Brugger
Margarite Charney
Rayma Norton
Rosalyn Neel

Subud PNW Kedjiwaan Gathering November 9-12. Space Still Available

Young members attending our 2022 Event

Michael, Leandra and Haakon at 2022 Event
Photo by Rachman Cantrell

Thank you to the 54 people who registered early for our “Farewell to Menucha” kedjiwaan gathering.  Don’t miss out on the chance to create your own experience!

Space is still available. The dates are November 9-12.
Registration closes October 9th.  Reserve your spot now!

We still have economy spaces and couples’ rooms (in Beam up the hill from Creevey). All day passes allowed by Menucha are sold out, but “Top Bunk” (Economy Dorm) and Barn places are still available for just a little more money.( you can sleep elsewhere) 3 days for only $285, or 2 for $180.

To see pricing for this event, please use this link.
To immediately register for this event, please use this link.

Financial Assistance
Please apply now for financial assistance by using this form. Financial Assistance applications must be completed by 9/24! All assistance is tested and can take a little time to finalize.

Questions? write to us at:  menucharegistrarATgmail.com

Speaking of Financial Assistance – If you can, please donate when you register!
When you register, please consider making a donation to the Assistance Fund so that those who need assistance can share this wonderful weekend with us.

If you prefer to donate to the Assistance Fund via check, please send your check to:
Morris McClellan
3127 NE 103rd Pl
Apt. B
Portland, OR 97220-2866
 

Cancellation Policy:  Registrations may be cancelled until October 15 with a full refund less a $50 administrative fee. After October 15, no refunds will be made unless your room/day pass is resold to another registrant, in which case a refund will be issued minus a $50 administrative fee. ($40 for day pass refunds)

 

Reports from the National Congress

Reports from Subud USA Congress

Oswald Norton SD-USA Board member 

Our SD-USA AGM meeting went smoothly with about 50 SUSA members in attendance to observe and vote on:

  • To watch our video report on our 2022 year in review, please see this link.
  • Selection of new vice chair, secretary and board members.
  • Ratify our changes to the old bylaws.

Our meeting was led by our new vice chair, Michael Barber.

Marston Gregory, delegate for SPNW to the SUSA Congress. 

I can report that the Subud USA National Congress in Maryland was from my view a great success on all levels.

The hotel we stayed at was excellent in all ways with great food, good meeting space and close to three local airports.  We selected a full committee with Philip Lindstrom continuing as Chair and Simon Curran (Ohio member) as the new Vice-Chair.

Philip Lindstrom and Simon Curran

Each day had up to three latihans with lots of testing.  I went representing MSF as a trustee and it was helpful, the three Trustees: me, Elaina Dodson, and Lucian Parshall were able to meet face to face plus give a short MSF report.

I also was a delegate for Subud PNW, and a quorum was easily met due to high attendance of about 200 members and many delegates.

All Saturday events were at the newly renovated Amani Center where we all bused to view the upgraded Twin Oaks House for lodging and the new Archives Center in the main building.

Many events happened, including a Subud East Coast short congress and the Susila Dharma USA annual meeting.  All events were well attended.

One positive note from Subud East Coast was that many new members were opened during the Pandemic and we’re now working to make them feel connected.

I was very grateful for the careful planning of the National Committee and the hard work onsite to make it all come together so well.

Lambert Needs Help!

Lambert has had his surgery – it was more extensive than originally thought – he had to have open heart surgery and needed 1 valve repaired and the 2nd replaced.  He is recovering slowly but each day is a little better.  If anyone in the group has time to offer him rides to his medical appointments (he cannot drive for 6 weeks) or care to bring him some food or order it on uber eats or door dash, this would be helpful as he cannot cook or drive.

Thanks so much!

Halimah

Care Calendar link below.  Sign in with security code 7996.

https://www.carecalendar.org/logon/310491?mc_cid=6e6006c44e&mc_eid=b25b1847dc

Registration for our Fall Kedjiwaan Gathering at Menucha are going fast.

Day passes are sold out and half of the couples-oriented rooms are gone.

We are considering renting another building (not Creevey) on the property. If many of you want couples-oriented rooms onsite but removed from Wright Hall, you can help us by sending email to menucharegistrarATgmail.com, with Subject: Couple’s Housing

The planning team listened to the feedback from last year’s attendees and made changes in response:

    1. There are cheaper alternatives
    2. All rooms are closer to Wright

To see pricing for this event, please use this link.
To immediately register for this event, please use this link.
Book now for the best accommodations.

Photo courtesy of Rachman Cantrell

Need financial aid, wait to register and see section below.

Help those that need financial aid to attend. Donations Please!
As in past years events, we are anticipating that there will be some needing assistance. In order to help these members, we’ve created an opportunity for you to contribute to this fund. When you register, please consider making a donation to the Assistance Fund so that those who need assistance can share this wonderful weekend with us.

If you prefer to donate to the Assistance Fund via check, please send your check to:

Morris McClellan
3127 NE 103rd Pl
Apt. B
Portland, OR 97220-2866

Needing Financial Aid?
If you’re needing financial aid, please wait to register. We encourage those who need financial assistance to fill out a request form here. All requests for financial must be completed by 9/24. Requests will be tested by the Regional Helpers and those requesting aid will be notified by 10/1.

 NOTES:  

  1. We are opening registration on August 8th to allow those wishing to attend 60 days to register. All registrations (including day passes) must be purchased by October 8th and be paid in full at the time of registration.
  2. All prices listed are per-person. No rooms are charged by room, although these are intended for couples. You may register up to 4 people at one time.

Cancellation Policy:  Registrations may be cancelled until October 15 with a full refund less a $50 administrative fee. After October 15, no refunds will be made unless your room/day pass is resold to another registrant, in which case a refund will be issued minus a $50 administrative fee. ($40 for day pass refunds)

Questions about the event can be made at menucharegistrarATgmail.com