The latihan is the basis of Subud. Latihan is an Indonesian word meaning approximately training or exercise, and these words — or their equivalent in other languages — are sometimes used synonymously. But in English the word latihan is usually preferred, since its very unfamiliarity helps to dispel any confusion that this resembles or can be compared with some already familiar concept or experience.
Latihan kejiwaan adalah dasar Subud. Latihan kejiwaan Subud bangkit dengan sendirinya setelah diterima kontak dengan Kekuasaan Tuhan melalui seseorang yang telah menerima latihan dan mantap dalam berlatih. Oleh karena itu, maka latihan kejiwaan Subud sama sekali tidak dapat diajarkan atau ditiru.
Sifatnya niscaya berbeda-beda menurut kebutuhan pelatih masing-masing,. Latihan Subud bangkit atas kehendak Tuhan semata-mata, bukan atas kehendak atau perbuatan seseorang, ataupun atas pemanfaatan hati dan akal pikiran manusia. Walaupun demikian, oleh sebab latihan itu hanya berlangsung selama si pelatih rela menerimanya, maka pelatih mempunyai wewenang tiap saat untuk menyudahinya proses latihan begitu saja.
Pembantu Pelatih, sebagai petugas yang berwenang menyampaikan kontak, tidak melakukan apa-apa untuk membantu orang untuk menerima kontak itu. Pembantu Pelatih hanya menyerah dan menerima latihannya sendiri sambil menyertai latihan orang yang datang untuk menerima kontak Subud itu. Dengan sendirinya terbangkitlah proses yang sama di dalam diri pelatih baru dan, mulai saat itu, proses itu akan berjalan terus. Setelah diambil keputusan awal untuk menerima kontak, dan setelah kontak diterima melalui Pembantu Pelatih, maka pelatih tidak membutuhkan lagi campur tangan hati, akal-pikiran, atau kehendak pribadinya.
Yang dibutuhkan, baik dalam latihan awal maupun dalam latihan-latihan selanjutnya, ialah kesediaan menyerahkan kehendak pribadinya kepada kehendak Tuhan Yang Maha Esa.
Latihan kejiwaan Subud dilakukan dua kali seminggu dalam kelompok, dihadiri Pembantu Pelatih. Pria dan wanita berlatih secara terpisah. Pembantu Pelatih bertugas mengatur tempo latihan (setengah jam). Tamat beberapa bulan melakukan latihan, maka seorang anggota baru biasanya akan siap untuk melakukan satu latihan tambahan tiap minggu seorang diri selama setengah jam. Bagaimanapun juga para anggota dianjurkan dengan amat sangat agar tidak melibihi takaran latihan tiga kali seminggu, masing-masing setengah jam.
Pengalaman anggota di dalam latihan beragam-ragam. Latihan tiap orang bersifat khas, dan ciri latihannya senantiasa berubah-ubah. Pada tingkat awal, yang menonjol lazimnya suara dan gerak-gerik jasmani. Perwujudan seperti itu merupakan manifestasi lahir yang normal terhadap jamahan kekuasaan Tuhan. Hal itu mirip cara alat-alat musik tertentu berbunyi dan bergetar jika disentuh oleh tangan manusia. Tetapi seringkali sifat lahiriah yang keras seperti itu akan mereda sedemikian rupa sehingga makin lama makin lembut dan mendalam.
Latihan kejiwaan Subud merupakan kebaktian sejati kepada Tuhan melalui penyerahan kita kepada kehendak-Nya, dan faal latihan adalah proses pembersihan dan perkembangan batin. Banyak unsur di dalam diri kita yang kotor, baik yang ternoda oleh kesalahan turun-menurun maupun yang ternoda oleh kesalahan kita pribadi. Banyak hal yang masih perlu diperbaiki, dan latihan kejiwaan Subud dapat memperbaikinya dengan cara yang di luar kemampuan kita sendiri.
Hanya kekuasaan Tuhan yang dapat merasuk sampai lubuk jiwa, tempat perbaikan diri perlu dikerjakan. Hanya Tuhan yang tahu apa yang kita butuhkan. Tidak ada ajaran, tiruan, atau disiplin lahiriah yang dapat memperbaiki kerusakan di dalam diri kita. Itulah karenanya, maka di dalam Subud tidak ada manusia yang mengajar sesama manusianya. Hanya Tuhan sendirilah yang bertindak sebagai guru.
The latihan is the basis of Subud. Latihan is an Indonesian word meaning approximately training or exercise, and these words — or their equivalent in other languages — are sometimes used synonymously. But in English the word latihan is usually preferred, since its very unfamiliarity helps to dispel any confusion that this resembles or can be compared with some already familiar concept or experience.
The latihan cannot be taught or imitated, for it arises spontaneously from within after the contact with the Power of God has been received by transmission through a person in whom it is already established, and it is different for each individual according to his or her needs. It does not arise through any human action or volition, nor by the use of the heart and mind, but simply by the Will and Grace of God.
At the same time, the human will is free at any moment to intervene and stop the action of the latihan, which continues only as long as we willingly submit to it. Those who are authorised to transmit the contact –the “helpers” — do nothing to or for the person who receives it. They simply follow their own latihan together with the new member who has come to receive it, and of its own accord the same process then begins in him or her, and continues thereafter to work in them without the need for any use of thought and desire or any act of will beyond the initial consent.
All that is required, either at the time of first receiving the contact or on any subsequent occasions on which the latihan is followed, is an inner attitude of sincere submission of one’s own will to the Will of God.
The latihan is practised twice weekly in company with other members of one’s own sex, accompanied by one or more of the helpers, who are responsible for timing the half-hour period for which it generally lasts. After a few months’ experience, members are usually ready to add a further half-hour latihan alone, but they are strongly advised not to exceed this total of three latihans a week.
Experiences in the latihan vary enormously. It is different for everyone, and for each person at different times. In the beginning it usually takes the form of physical movement and sounds. This is the normal outer manifestation of the touch of the Power of God, similar to the manner in which a musical instrument will sound and vibrate when played by a human being. As time goes on the experiences often become more subtle and more refined.
The latihan is thus unadulterated worship of God through surrender to God’s Will, and its action is one of purification and inner growth. All of us have many impurities, both those inherited and those acquired through our own mistakes. There is much that needs to be put right in us, and this correcting is done in a way that we could not possibly do for ourselves.
No teaching, no imposed discipline and no imitation, but only the Power of God, can penetrate to the level within us at which this work must be done. Only God can know what is necessary for each of us. This is why there is no teaching in Subud by man to man; God alone is the teacher. This process of purification is a gradual one and goes according to the needs of each individual, his capacity to receive it, and his willingness to accept it.
The power that works in the latihan is infinitely strong, but it forces no-one against his will. In so far as we accept and submit our own will to the Will of God the process goes forward. It begins on the physical level and frequently results in an improvement in physical health, but its action can never be predicted. All that can be said is that each one receives what is truly right and necessary for oneself, so long as one truly surrenders and submits one’s own will with patience and sincerity.
The rate at which purification proceeds varies for each individual and cannot be hurried or assisted by any efforts on our part. All that we can do is to accept what we receive and to refrain from wrong behaviour that might undo the work that is being done within us.