SUBUD SRI LANKA and the Colombo group are among oldest groups in the world.
In the year 1957, the mission to bring Subud to the Island was entrusted by the founder of Subud to an Indonesian called Ickshan Ahammad, who was later assisted by Mariani Arnold who arrived in the Island on January 1st, 1958 and opened many women. Ickshan visited the Island three times with other experienced helpers and in a span of one year more than a thousand people were opened in Subud. As it happened in Europe and other places outside of Indonesia many members dropped out of Subud and Ickshan's explanation at that time still holds good, "If you come to Subud for the wrong reason you will be disappointed and will not stay on". Ickshan Ahammad was a dedicated Subud Helper who won love and respect from all those who came to know him. There are only a handful of Sri Lankans alive today from the original group.
Ickshan visited the Island for the last time with the founder of Subud, Pak Subuh, in October, 1958 and this visit laid the foundation for Subud in Sri Lanka for years to come. Meeting Pak Subuh for the first time was an extraordinary event for those who were fortunate enough to meet him. For the first time members came to understand the reality of the journey they had undertaken. Pak Subuh during this visit predicted that many Subud members from this country would leave their homeland and settle down in other countries with the spread of Subud. This truly came to pass within a few years.
In the entire story of Subud, its founder Pak Subuh, or "Bapak" - a common name for Father in Indonesian - remains somewhat of a mystery. He never claimed any spiritual status and let his followers find out about him for themselves. Those who had met him even once left with a feeling that this was no ordinary person. If you got to know him a little better you realized he was a very kind and humble person who had this ability to put you at ease right away. He was worldly-wise, witty, and his knowledge seemed to come from a source that was beyond that of a person of his education and background. This of course was the Bapak whom most people met in those early years, and who was touched by something beyond their normal understanding and experience.
As time went by Pak Subuh traveled more, visiting many Subud centers all over the world, and Subud members saw another Bapak. When he gave talks in many places all over the world - what Subud members saw was a different but very relaxed person who seems to blend with the needs of his audience. These talks - which numbered over 1000 - were never prepared beforehand, and seemed to flow out of him as long as he wished. The content of these talks was not easy to understand right away but members were really surprised when they read or heard them on tape for the second or third time. There seemed to be a deeper meaning to them, and this gave people a glimpse of the real Bapak - who said his mission was given to him by God - to pass the contact or grace that he had received to whoever asked for it, regardless of race or religion. And so that members could experience proof of what he was saying, he also carried out what is called "Testing". Men and women were tested separately and in large groups, depending upon the situation. Occasionally members were tested individually. For some of us this "TESTING" was the highlight of his visits, as we were able to experience the proof of the latihan and its potential to receive guidance from our inner being.
Bapak never made hard and fast rules to follow since the latihan was a receiving - there was no teaching. All he left us with was guidelines that we should observe, so that we may not make mistakes or get into troubled waters. His talks and advice to members had one goal, to get the maximum benefit from doing the latihan for each person - according to their ability and capacity - to bring each person closer to God.
From what has been written above we cannot fully expect to understand who was Bapak, all we saw was glimpses of a Man beyond our normal understanding. But from the mission given to him, and its significance to mankind, we can get a clue as to who was Bapak. As we come to understand the immensity of the Latihan the picture grows larger. And so does Bapak, the one we did not even know. To have met him and known him even for a short time, one feels it was a great blessing.
Pak Subuh passed away in 1987 and left questions about the future of Subud among some of his followers. However that the Latihan remained undiminished was reassuring By 1990 his elder daughter Ibu Rahayu, through divine guidance, is carrying on his mission to the best of her ability with great courage. Her efforts are appreciated and she is loved and respected by the entire membership of Subud. One day as directed by Pak Subuh before his death, eighteen International helpers, nine men and nine women, will continue to carry out Bapak's mission. They will be chosen every four years by the outgoing International helpers - by the process of testing.
In conclusion we ask the reader to reflect - like Darwin's theory of evolution which sounded far-fetched and very far out - in modern times spiritual evolution may sound strange. The only way we can find the truth and reality of the spiritual world is by putting it to test.
Please view our About Us page for a detailed explanations of Latihan and Testing.
