Volume 5, Issue 8, page 4

ers" for others who have asked.

Subud, definitely, is not a form of
Yogi. In "Concerning Subud ", Bennett warns
against such "outside forces" as breathing
exercises (which he says are likely to
upset the delicate balance of certain
body functions), and "meditation" and
"concentration", which he condemns as a
form of exclusion, and therefore, negative. This, he says, closes the channels
thru which influences of the higher centers should flow.

Nor is Subud to be considered a method
of healing, altho there have been reported some startling case histories. Probably o n e of t h e most prominent, which
brought Subud to the attention of the
press -- especially the "yellow " journals --
concerned the actress, Eva Bartok, who
was able to avoid a serious operation and
the loss of an unborn child thru contact
with Pak Subuh in 1957. (The word "P alF"
means "Father':) Subuh himself emphasizes
that he wishes to do nothing without the
co-operation of the medical profession,
And what are some of the benefits? One
does not become divorced from his chosen
creed, he takes his new understanding into his church with him -- whatever that
faith may be. He is liberated somewhat
from the "like and dislike" polarities,
which so dominate the material world,, and
gets a taste of detachment. Subud, rather
than demanding celibacy as a state of
purification, is supposed to return sex
to the state of human completeness. But
no promiscuity. Even in the latihan, men
"open" men and women "open " women -- except
in a husband-wife relationship. Another
benefit is freedom from fear, since it is
held that attachment to the material
world is the principal cause of human apprehension. And well it might. As long as
man thinks he must strive for retention
of his personality