Susila Budhi Dharma is a book written by Muhammad Subuh Sumohadiwidjojo

Muhammad Subuh Sumohadiwidjojo

Muhammad Subuh Sumohadiwidjojo . As a young man Muhammad Subuh claimed to have received a series of intense experiences that he believed gave him contact with a spiritual energy from a higher power...

, the founder of the World Subud

Subud

Subud is an international spiritual movement that began in Indonesia in the 1920s as a movement founded by Muhammad Subuh Sumohadiwidjojo. The basis of Subud is a spiritual exercise commonly referred to as the latihan kejiwaan, which was said by Muhammad Subuh to represent guidance from...

 Association at the historic city of Jogjakarta in 1952. Its name corresponds to the three main qualities that are to be developed through the training in the Subud path. The name "Subud" is a contraction of these three Javanese words of Sanskrit derivation.

Life Forces

The book refers to the series of experiences that practitioners of the Subud 'latihan' (exercise) may go through in the process of training their inner feeling in practical life. It describes how one can feel the various influences of the forces that accompany human beings in this world, i.e. material, vegetable, animal and "ordinary human" forces. The book discusses how, through awareness of their influences upon the inner feeling, it is possible to integrate and be in harmony with these forces, which were provided to humanity for living in this world, and to be no longer dominated by them, through the support of the Great Life Force.

The book explains many examples of how the Subud latihan

Latihan

Latihan is a form of spiritual or psychological practice. It is the principal practice of the Subud organization. Outwardly the exercise often manifests as physical movement and vocal activity that vary greatly both over time and between individuals...

 (the spiritual exercise of Subud) may play a role in daily life. Situations are described whereby a person may feel and 'receive' what occurs in the inner feeling when approaching this or that circumstance. This supposedly represents 'training' in how to understand the various indications so that human beings may be able to deal with the pressure of the life forces and consequently develop their truly human qualities and faculties.

Subuh's writing illustrates how humans come to be in thrall to material things which they own or desire. It offers an explanation as to why inner conflicts arise and how people can so easily identify with impulses, moods and emotions inconsistent with humane action. In the book the various "Life Forces" which struggle for dominance within a person's consciousness are referred to as "Nafsu". There are similarities with the Sufi idea of Nafs

Nafs

Nafs is an Arabic word which occurs in the Qur'an and means self, psyche, ego or soul. In its unrefined state, "the ego is the lowest dimension of man's inward existence, his animal and satanic nature." Nafs is an important concept in the Islamic tradition, especially within Sufism and the...

, and with the Hindu

Hindu

Hindu refers to an identity associated with the philosophical, religious and cultural systems that are indigenous to the Indian subcontinent. As used in the Constitution of India, the word "Hindu" is also attributed to all persons professing any Indian religion...

 concept of energy vortices or Chakras. A Buddhist who is becoming mindful of thoughts and emotions which lead to addiction and suffering can also find much common ground. In particular this writing resonates with contemporary "Engaged Buddhism

Engaged Buddhism

Engaged Buddhism refers to Buddhists who are seeking ways to apply the insights from meditation practice and dharma teachings to situations of social, political, environmental, and economic suffering and injustice...

" and anticipates the widely respected teachings of Thích Nhất Hạnh about integrating spiritual development with practical compassionate action.

One can also draw comparisons with the psychological concept of subpersonalities, and the aim of becoming aware of them in order to achieve integration. In his book A Spiritual Psychology, British author John G. Bennett

John G. Bennett

John Godolphin Bennett, was a British mathematician, scientist, technologist, industrial research director, and author. He is perhaps best known for his many books on psychology and spirituality, and particularly the teachings of G.I. Gurdjieff...

 explores connections between Subuh's description of Life Forces and the findings of Carl Jung

Carl Jung

Carl Gustav Jung was a Swiss psychiatrist and the founder of Analytical Psychology. Jung is considered the first modern psychiatrist to view the human psyche as "by nature religious" and make it the focus of exploration. Jung is one of the best known researchers in the field of dream analysis and...

 and other psychologists. (Though generally out of print this book is available from www.bennettbooks.org)

The name

"Susila" is said to represent a quality of human beings which enables their behaviour to be 'noble' because they are conscious of what is right and what is wrong. "Budhi" is said to be part of God's authority which was placed inside every creature. When this Budhi is directed voluntarily by people in the direction of God's Will, then their lives will supposedly be blessed. "Dharma" is said to be the projection in practical human life of God's blessing. Accordingly, various forms of human activity, including business, arts, education, health and so on, may become outer expressions of the Grace that humanity has received within, thereby engendering welfare and happiness. Pak Subuh called this "True Human Culture".

The word Dharma

Dharma

Dharma means Law or Natural Law and is a concept of central importance in Indian philosophy and religion. In the context of Hinduism, it refers to one's personal obligations, calling and duties, and a Hindu's dharma is affected by the person's age, caste, class, occupation, and gender...

 is central to both Hindu

Hindu

Hindu refers to an identity associated with the philosophical, religious and cultural systems that are indigenous to the Indian subcontinent. As used in the Constitution of India, the word "Hindu" is also attributed to all persons professing any Indian religion...

 and Buddhist thought, and the term Budhi shares a root with the word Buddha. Although the author described himself as a conventional Muslim

Muslim

A Muslim, also spelled Moslem, is an adherent of Islam, a monotheistic, Abrahamic religion based on the Quran, which Muslims consider the verbatim word of God as revealed to prophet Muhammad. "Muslim" is the Arabic term for "submitter" .Muslims believe that God is one and incomparable...

, the book's name chimes with ancient Indian wisdom. This is consistent with the Wayang

Wayang

Wayang is a Javanese word for theatre . When the term is used to refer to kinds of puppet theatre, sometimes the puppet itself is referred to as wayang...

 stories whose characters (such as The Pandava

Pandava

In the Hindu epic Mahābhārata, the Pandava are the five acknowledged sons of Pandu , by his two wives Kunti and Madri. Their names are Yudhisthira, Bhima, Arjuna, Nakula and Sahadeva. Although, Karna is told by Lord Krishna that according to the laws and ethics he is the first son of Kunti making...

 brothers) and parables Subuh occasionally refers to in his earlier talks. (These popular stories drawn from the Mahābhārata

Mahabharata

The Mahabharata is one of the two major Sanskrit epics of ancient India and Nepal, the other being the Ramayana. The epic is part of itihasa....

have, for centuries, underpinned and enriched Javanese spirituality.)

Writing Style

The book was written in High-Javanese language and Kawi, and it was reputedly received in the form of a poem, accompanied by traditional Javanese melodies. It was recommended by Pak Subuh as being for only Subud members to read, since people who have not experienced the latihan of Subud might try to understand the book in an analytical way, yet be unable ro relate it to their own direct experiences. There is some current discussion about this as the Subud association does not aim to be secretive, but also wants to avoid making unverifiable claims. The book was (and is) intended as an optional supplementary guide for people already undertaking their own spiritual journey.