Subud is a spiritual movement which had its origins in Indonesia in the 1920s and spread to the west in 1957. Subud members practise a form of worship known as the latihan.

Subud is not a religion, nor a sect of any religion, nor is it a teaching.

What many Subud members report is that gradually over time, the latihan enables them to contact their real inner self, so that they become more truly who they were destined to be. They become more 'alive'.

The latihan is a pragmatic experience which can be approached in the spirit of a scientific experiment. It can bring you proof of the reality of the spiritual life. It is a new way suited to this scientific and intellectual age, when people will only believe what they have really experienced for themselves.

It comes, like past revelations from God, at a moment of peril for humanity, when it seems the power of the technologies we have created has outstripped our capacity to control them. The latihan restores the balance between the spiritual and material. It provides a way of uniting the spiritual with everyday life, a path that is open to people of all religions, races and nationalities..

Origin

Subud originated in a revelation experienced by a young Javanese man, Muhammad Subuh Sumohadiwidjojo, one night in 1925 in the city of Semarang. It came to England in 1957 and has since then spread all around the world. It is estimated there are about 12,000 active Subud members in about 80 countries.

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Latihan

The spiritual experience which is the core of Subud is known as the "latihan", an abbreviation of the Indonesian term "latihan kejiwaan" meaning "spiritual exercise". The exercise is practised by men and women separately and is a contact with the power of Almighty God.

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Bapak

In 1925 a young Javanese man had a spiritual experience which was to shape not only his own life but the lives of many thousands of other people. His experience was the foundation of the spiritual movement known as Subud. His name was Muhammad Subuh Sumohadiwidjojo, and in later years, he would usually be know as "Bapak", an Indonesian term of affection and respect, meaning father.

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Helpers

Some experienced members are designated to act as helpers. They are responsible for meeting with applicants and witness their opening. They also assist members with 'testing'. Being a helper is not a badge of spiritual merit. Bapak outlined various qualities a helper should have such as being experienced in the latihan and being generally well liked by the members. There is an organisational structure of helpers at local, national and international levels. For more information see the organisation section.

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Testing

Testing is a way used by Subud members to seek the answers to practical and spiritual questions through the latihan.

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Joining

Anyone over the age of seventeen can join Subud. People wishing to join are asked to wait for a period of three months before being opened. This gives them a chance to find out about Subud and to make a sincere and considered decision of their own free will. The waiting period is waived in certain circumstances such as for the children of Subud parents and for people over the age of sixty-three.

Those wishing to join should contact a local Subud group, or if that is not available their national organisation, and if one doesn't exist, the International Organisation. See the contacts page for further information.

Susila Budhi Dharma

The name Subud is usually regarded as an acronym formed from three Sanskrit words, Susila, Budhi and Dharma. Briefly, it can be understood to mean "the possibility for human beings to follow the right way of living".

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Symbol

The Subud symbol consists of seven circles intersected by seven spokes. The symbol represents the various levels of life-force in the universe and can be said to represent the idea of planes of existence.

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Subud & Religion

Since Subud puts forward no creed or dogma of its own, it is open to people of all religions; and in fact people of all religions, as well as those of no religion, do belong to Subud.

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