Reynold Bean passed away on September 9th, 2020. Here are warm remembrances from his family and friends.
From Hamilton Bean, Reynold’s son, to Rachmat Martin: Reynold Bean died suddenly, yet peacefully, last night at the Zen Center in Boulder. He was with the community he loved. Thank you for being a presence in Reynold’s life.
From Rachmat Martin, Santa Cruz Center: As most of you will remember, Reynold was the 1st Chairperson of Subud California when Bapak set up the various regions around the country. And he became the 1st Chairman of Subud Santa Cruz thereafter, after moving from Palo Alto. He was the leader in our purchase of the Carmel Valley Center from Joan Baez in 1969. I had expected to visit Reynold in Crestone on my next trip there.
From Loretta Covert to Rifka Several: I wanted to let you know that Reynold Bean passed away yesterday. A couple from the Zen monastery moved to Boulder and brought Reynold to live with them there. They found him in his room in the morning sitting on his couch. He apparently died peacefully before bed.
From Rifka Several: I was able to visit Reynold last summer when I was at Atalanta (the Zen monastery is in the same complex as that Subud project) and indeed he was quite peaceful there! His duties were in the laundry and he joked that at least when he dropped things they didn’t break. He was not in good health, and the Crestone monastery is quite rural, so probably that is why the couple moved him to Boulder.
People will remember Reynold was quite active in Subud as regional and national chairs multiple times. Reynold, Harris Clemes, and Hamilton Brannan formed an early Subud enterprise: APOD (Association for Personal and Organizational Development) and I was a young office assistant to them! Here is a Subud Voice article by Reynold about becoming a monk.
This Raina Snyder our Santa Cruz center will hold a selamatan for both Reynold Bean and Herbert Taylor.
It will be outside masks required and waiver forms signed.
Comfort and peace to the family members.
I sent pictures of Reynold throughout the fifty plus years I had known him and he replied “Thank you so much for the pictures. I sure wish that my memory was working better so I could remember where they were taken. It’s hard to imagine how much older the folks in those pictures are. Some of the people I was so close to at the time are long gone. I have had the good fortune to have become friends with Illia and Halimah my exwives. My third wife who was not in Subud passed a few months ago. I have spent the past nine years in a Zen Buddhist monastery. Now in Boulder with a small group that is trying to build a Zen Center here. It’s an exciting project. As in my former home, I continue to do the laundry in my new home, though I do it slower!
I hope you and your family are well and despite winding up as a Buddhist
— practitioner, Subud remains the most significant portion of influence on my life. As was true in Subud my life in Buddhism is mostly about the people with whom I live and work. It also has been a good life.
Love
Reynold”
What I wrote back to Reynold, “It is really good to hear from you! Looking back I realize you had a strong impact on developing the Subud organization and on my life as well! I have fond memories of the Subud California and Subud USA board meetings, even though some were not all that harmonious! I want you to know that I really appreciate all the work you did for Subud. I know it was not always easy!
Love and good wishes,
Rachman”
I did not realize he would pass away before he could answer my last email! He was a good friend and a major influence in the development of the Subud organization!
Link to pictures of Reynold dating back to the mid sixties!
https://photos.app.goo.gl/jZssjbHd45RMR4KT9
Thank you for sharing these!
Simón Cherpitel
Rachman — thanks for sharing these notes 🙂 the sort of real stuff we see so little of here 🙂 addenda: i shared with Reynold a particular evidence of Subud, which he once told me about maybe 45-+ years ago: that he’d never received any ‘flashing lights’ – ‘exotic revelations or visions’ – or anything spectacular or blantantly spiritual or other-worldly as “evidence” like so many members have or did at that time 🙂
Thank you for posting this remembrance of my father. I have set up a small website of his writings if folks would like to learn more: https://reynoldbean.wordpress.com/