The Founder of Subud

"There is something like a light within the inner self that can guide people to act in accordance with the path for their life.” *
Bapak Muhammad Subuh Sumohadiwidjojo

Muhammad Subuh Sumohadiwidjojo was born in central Java, Indonesia in 1901. He died in 1987 on the morning after his 86th birthday.

Pak Subuh, a practising Muslim, grew up performing the daily Islamic prayers and observing the annual fast of Ramadan. In his youth, as an avid spiritual seeker, he tried many spiritual methods, such as practising a particular form of fasting known as prihatin, in which he would cut down on various pleasures, most commonly food and sleep. Subuh would also regularly practise dhikr, an Islamic form of prayer that acknowledges the greatness of Allah through rhythmic, repetitious chanting.

In addition, Pak Subuh sought advice from a number of teachers, including a Sufi Sheik. He was also trained in Pencak Silat, an Indonesian martial art, and occasionally practised samadhi (meditation). Despite the sincerity of his efforts, he was frustrated by these methods and he found little satisfaction in the advice of the various teachers he visited, since most of them said they had nothing to teach him and that he would eventually find his own way. As a result, Pak Subuh stopped seeking guidance from spiritual teachers and instead concentrated on work and study.

As the eldest son, Pak Subuh became responsible for the welfare of the family after his father’s death. He married in his mid-twenties, had children and worked as a bookkeeper while training to be an accountant.

In 1924 Pak Subuh had a life-changing experience as he was out walking late one night. He described this experience as seeing a ball of light in the sky that appeared as large and bright as the midday sun, and which illuminated the surrounding countryside. He described how he saw this ball of light fall towards him and felt it enter the top of his head, the physical reverberations of which were so strong he thought he was having a heart attack.

Pak Subuh has shared this story many times, but was always careful to stress that we need not believe his account of events and, on the contrary, we are free to consider it an illusion. But whatever happened to him that night, he was from then on a changed man, and subsequently Subuh awakened to his capacity to connect with and follow his own inner guidance, which initially took the form of physical movements. As his experience deepened his understanding grew wider and he received indications of future events, a number of which came to pass, such as his later travels around the world.

After some time Pak Subuh's friends began to notice significant changes in him and they expressed a wish to share his received technique for inner development, and in 1933 he began to pass on the latihan to others. He did this simply by surrendering to his own experience in the presence of those who wished to also feel the subtle, transformational energy that we follow in Subud today. (N.B. If you are interested in experiencing the latihan in Subud, please read the section 'The Latihan' that explains more about the process.)

* Muhammad Subuh Sumohadiwidjojo, from the book Susila Budhi Dharma.