Spiritual Movement Finds Home In Spokane This Week’s Gathering Of Faithful A Prelude To International Convention Of 3,000 Next Year

With guidance from God, Subud is coming to Spokane.

More than 450 North American followers of this spiritual movement are gathering downtown this week. Next year, as many as 3,000 members will be here for several weeks, the biggest international gathering in Spokane since Expo.

Locally, Spokane has fewer than two dozen Subud members. But it was one of a handful of cities with the public facilities that would accommodate Subud’s unique worship needs, as well as a trade show, an art display and a legislative session.

Subud world leaders prayed over the short list of sites.

“They all came back definitely in favor of Spokane,” said Rifka Bullen, site coordinator for the 1997 World Congress. “And the people here have been really wonderful. It really has surprised me. There hasn’t been any fear or distrust from anyone.”

Bullen, a Subud follower for 20 years, moved to Spokane from Southern California last year to do advance work for the international gathering, which happens every four years.

Since then, the most frequent question she hears is: What is it?

Her short answer: “It’s an international non-profit corporation and a spiritual experience.”

In response to Spokane’s curiosity, Subud is hosting two public events this weekend. A variety show at The Met begins at 8 p.m. tonight and an open house runs from 1 to 3 p.m. Saturday at the Red Lion City Center.

The word Subud is an abbreviation of the Sanskrit words, Susila Budhi and Dharma. Taken together the words mean follow the will of God with divine power that works from within and without.

“It kind of defies intellectual explanation,” said Sonja Davis, a Spokane woman who recently joined. “It’s something that you learn to trust.”

Subud was founded by Muhammad Subuh Sumohadiwidjojo in 1925. Known by his followers as Bapak, he was living in Java, Indonesia, when he is said to have had a spontaneous spiritual experience that brought him closer to God.

Upon request, he taught others how to have a similar experience until his death in 1987. That led to the unique worship called latihan.

During a latihan, women and men gather separately. They sit quietly before God in a bare room. After 20 minutes or so they then “stand up and experience God,” Bullen said. Followers participate in two group latihans each week and one private one.

People often sing, dance, talk, walk or bow. Each person has a different experience, Bullen said.

“We have separate latihans so that I don’t feel shy about any movements I might make,” Bullen said.

Only Subud members are allowed into the latihans, which are occurring at the Red Lion City Center this week and will take place in the Convention Center next year.

“That’s because it’s such a personal, private experience,” Bullen said. “We ourselves have our eyes closed.”

Subud is not a religion itself. In fact, members are often deeply involved in their own faiths, including Christianity, Judaism, and Buddhism.

It is a form of worship that allows followers to get closer to God, enabling them to follow his will, Bullen said.

For Davis, a mother of three and lifelong Protestant, her experience in Subud led her to convert to Catholicism. It also led her to change jobs. A former Hospice nurse, she now works in an administrative position for the organization.

“For me, life got easier,” she said. “I feel calmer, more centered.”

Bullen said that her experience caused her to become a more devout Jew, studying the teachings and doctrines of her religion.

“Subud has no dogma, preaching or priests,” Bullen said. “People keep their own religion.”

Because each person is different, their experiences with Subud will be different. But followers like Davis and her husband Tom often report feeling tranquil, composed and closer to God. They say decision-making, particularly involving life changes, comes easier and with clarity.

“I tend to be pretty skeptical,” said Tom Davis, a poet and a retired English teacher. “But I feel more balanced, stable.”

Anyone over age 17 can join Subud. Members are not allowed into their first latihan until they have completed a three-month education of Subud. Although there are no requirements of members, many of them participate in the international organization, which is run largely by volunteers.

There are 50,000 members worldwide, 2,500 in the United States.

As a company Subud has three branches, one for welfare, one for youth activities and one for culture and the arts.

The corporation runs several social projects in Third World countries including health clinics, schools and orphanages.

Much of the discussions and voting that will occur at the international conference will involve the direction those three branches will take over the next four years, Bullen said.

Members of Subud never evangelize. They only offer information when asked. Subud has several home pages on the World Wide Web, as well as contacts in most regions of the United States. In Spokane, anyone wanting more information can call Bullen at 328-9703.

“Mostly, we want people to know that we are normal,” she said. “We don’t shave our heads or anything. There is nothing in this standing quietly before God that is contrary to any religion.”

, DataTimes MEMO: This sidebar appeared with the story: VARIETY SHOW Subud, an international spiritual movement for people of all faiths, is hosting a variety show at The Met at 8 p.m. tonight and an open house from 1 to 3 p.m. Saturday at the Red Lion City Center.