Seeking Chair: Subud Enterprise Services (SES)

Do you love the energy of starting, building, and sustaining businesses? If so, consider testing for the role of Subud Enterprise Chair at the National Congress in September.

Past SES sponsored events include the Dolphin Tank competition (“Shark Tank,” with love), development and funding workshops, and networking breakfasts.

Recent topics explored have included sustaining regional Centerprises and building national Subud ventures For more information, and a full job description, please contact former co-chairs Hanafi Fraval at fbeco@me.com or Levana Fraval at lfraval@me.com.

From Venezuela to Ukraine: Food and Aid for Subud Communities in War Zones

by Henrietta Haines

Many of you will recall an initiative begun within Subud California in 2017, which raised funds to purchase and ship food directly to Subud members in Venezuela. It has been a great hope of mine that the funds left over after the program could no long send food to our sisters and brothers in Venezuela would be used for survival needs in Ukraine.

For those who may not know the background, these donations came about when many of us heard and were touched by the story of a Venezuelan Subud Sister’s experience of seeing the life she had grown up with disappear. She shared with us the sadness of cultural loss and the sorrow of watching as people grew physically unable to find food.

When I first heard her story, I was in the lovely Northern California church where our group did latihan. The contrast was inconceivable. Within a mile I could have secured enough food in an hour to fill every square inch of my car, feed us all and give away the rest so that everyone there would have had enough to feed their families too. It was an overwhelming feeling that we must do something to ease the suffering.

Our group agreed that we would donate money and use it to send food. As more members across Subud California learned about it, and as we learned how to ship directly to Subud members in Venezuela for distribution, the project grew. In the end we sent tons of staples such as rice, beans and dried milk, and at Christmas, chocolates to allay the sadness and loss they were feeling.

Unfortunately, when a society loses its structure, so many things that were taken for granted get lost. Over time the roads we used for delivery became dangerous and eventually we were no longer able to send truckloads of food through the streets of Caracas. Also, many of our members left Venezuela to become refugees in other South American counties. Fortunately, all funds not used for food and shipping have been kept safe.

Now, a pathway for them to reach the Ukraine has been created through SDIA (Susila Dharma International Association), which has been supporting the needs of Ukrainians members and their families. We are so grateful to be able to redirect these funds to their efforts.

Thank you to all the members who made donations to the Special Fund for Venezuela. That generosity now continues to have a humanitarian impact as part of a committed community supporting our sisters and brothers in another war zone, in another part of the world.

Susila Dharma Int’l Relief Fund for Ukraine

A Message from Suyono Sumohadiwijojo, WSA Executive Director and Hamida Thomas, SDIA Executive Director

As the invasion of Ukraine has unfolded, so too has a growing humanitarian situation throughout the country. Many of Subud members have written to see how we can help. SDIA is designated by the WSA to take action in humanitarian crises where Subud members are ready to become involved in the response. At this time, the Subud Ukraine Chairman has requested to receive assistance such as QuikClot gauze and mats, and other needs will become apparent with time. SDIA is sending an advance of $5000 USD to allow the Subud members in Poland to purchase needed supplies to be distributed by Subud members in Ukraine on the ground.

If you feel to support this cause, please earmark your contribution to the SDIA Emergency Response Fund – Ukraine crisis at susiladharma.org/donate/. Or, to benefit from a tax deductible receipt, send the donation with same earmark to Susila Dharma USA, as outlined at susiladharmausa.org/donate/

Message from the Chair

by Luqman Katz, August 2021

Fresh off our all-encompassing Congress, we hope you are all doing well. We traveled to our local centers, to the nation, and on to Indonesia, all from the comfort of our home. Now, post Congress, things are beginning to unfurl…

Raina Snyder has become our regional SIHA (Subud International Health Association) representative. She hopes to contact all of us to share the work that SIHA does, and how we can get involved with the Subud health and medical community. As a starting point, she recommends viewing the SIHA website and you can reach her at rainasnotaryservices@yahoo.com.

We thank Ralph Davila, Sanderson Morgan, and Paul Nelson for bringing SICA to California. SICA will have a larger presence in our region, as the SICA board hopes to bring latihan, testing, and conversation on the topic of culture and you, as well as cultural entertainment evenings. Stay tuned for an event coming near you.

Below, we present to you some members of your sweet, sincere and hard-at-it executive committee:

Three members of the Subud California executive committee contemplate their future.

What adorable people they are! I know that I would definitely trust them with my donations to Subud CA, and I am sure you all feel the same way. Please visit our website and click on the donate button. You will make these little guys very happy and will make their jobs a lot easier. Thank you all!

Love, Your Committee

The Fruits of our Receiving

Dear Sisters and Brothers,

As the Ramadhan fast has come to a close, your Regional Committee would like to take this opportunity to ask each of you to forgive us for our faults and any missteps this past year. It is solely our intent to do the best we can on behalf of the entire Region.

Whether having fasted or not, this is still the perfect time to donate to Susila Dharma USA (click HERE) or to a charity of your choosing. Subud remains firstly the latihan and then the fruits of our receiving in helping others.

We wish all of you the best and would like to close with this short quote from one of Bapak’s 1600 talks: Therefore Bapak hopes you will feel that Subud is you and that you are Subud. Do not have the attitude…”let Subud take care of itself, I won’t get involved.”
Stay Well and Connected and Involved,

Raphaela, Jane, Hasan and Luqman

Transformed by Love

Margaret Teichman recently made a donation to Susila Dharma in memory of Simon Whalen. She writes this remembrance of him:

This is in memory of Simon Whelan, a Subud NY brother who in his later years had become quite transformed by the love he experienced in the latihan. Every other week, he would travel alone for hours on public transportation just to do latihan with a sick brother. Later he was joined by another brother and got a ride part of the way.

He would always bring two dozen roses because they brought smiles. These roses were also shared with other rose lovers in the facility. And it happened one day that people began to ask after Simon. They wanted to tell him that the roses they were given two weeks before were as fresh as the day they were first put in water. In fact, one had begun to grow a new leaf. They had never seen anything like this before.

When Simon came for the last time that week, they surrounded him with feelings of love and awe. He got so much appreciation -he was amazed! But he never returned. That was his parting gift of love before COVID took his life a short while later.

May Simon’s love carry forward to help others in need through this donation.

HOLIDAY CARDS ARE BACK!

Make a Difference with Susila Dharma

An invitation from Fauziyah Ishak, Chair Susila Dharma USA

Susila Dharma USA is seeking new board members and, most urgently, a new treasurer. Below are short descriptions of the positions. Find information about Susila Dharma on our website and our Facebook page.

1, Susila Dharma USA Treasurer:

oversee SD financials including donations, payments, endowment fund, taxes
serve as a member of the Fundraising Committee
attend monthly virtual SD USA board meetings and in-person meetings twice a year (quarantine permitting)
time commitment varies but averages 10 hours a month
should have some familiarity with accounting, payment systems, balance sheets, spreadsheets, online banking

2. Susila Dharma USA board member:

serve as liaison between humanitarian projects and the board
serve on one or more sub-committees (Fundraising, Communications, Media)
attend monthly virtual SD USA board meetings and in-person meetings twice a year (quarantine permitting)
time commitment varies but averages 10 hours a month
useful skills: communication, fundraising, writing, basic computer skills, most important is a feeling to serve, interest in the humanitarian projects we support and work as part of a team

Interested? Have questions? Please contact me at fauziyah1214(at)gmail.com. The rewards of SD work are many!

Fauziyah Ishak, Chair Susila Dharma USA

Protective face shields for those at risk from COVID-19

Dainuri Rott (Subud CA at Palo Alto) and Merrill Snell have begun production and shipment of plastic face shields for use as COVID-19 protective equipment.

For high-risk groups in need, including elders, front-line retail, and care/retreat center environments, these shields are available at no charge beyond shipping, provided that they get donations and grants to cover basic costs and keep the lights on. They are very thankful for the initial $500 grant received from Susila Dharma USA’s Melissa Wallis fund.

The shields have been field-tested. A prominent ER physician working on the front lines said “I like the changeable face shield and general size and distance from the face.”

TO DONATE: Donations to support the cause are welcomed. The cost of materials alone is $20, not including labor. Donations can be made at: https://www.merrillsnellenterprises.com/

Look for the COVID-19 face shield donation button at the right of the home page. See more photos of the product.

TO ORDER: Send an email with your name, need for a shield, and ship-to address to dainuri@goodlifemobility.org (Dainuri) or madon16108@gmail.com (Merrill) and they will respond with the shipping cost to your location.

Shipments are daily via UPS nationwide, inventory permitting. They will rapidly turn around requests, with customers covering the shipping costs.

Subud Youth Opportunity

Human Force Camp, planned for Crestone, CO in summer 2020 has been postponed due to the pandemic. The 2020 program was to be a hands-on experience learning how to earthbag building, a sustainable construction technique, offered jointly by Human Force, a non-profit focused on volunteering for social change and the Atalanta Association.

The camp is expected to resume summer 2021, and it is likely that two Subud youth scholarships will again be available. If you are interested in learning more about the camp or applying for a 2021 scholarship, please email Rifka Several rifkaseveral@gmail.com and she will forward the information to the event organizers.

Human Force is a member of SDIA and was supported last year by Susila Dharma USA with a grant to hold their Human Force Camp at Atalanta. Previous Human Force Camps in Indonesia and Colombia were funded by those country’s SD organizations and SDIA.

Atalanta is a nonprofit corporation with Subud members on the board. It is also registered as a “member” with Susila Dharma International Association (SDIA). SD USA awarded funding for the 2020 camp, in response to an SD USA grant application submitted jointly by Atalanta and Human Force.

A Social Enterprise Start-up

by Isaac Goff (originally posted in Subud Around the World, Jan 2019; updated Nov 2019)

In the interest of encouraging enterprise by Subud members, I’d like to share with you an outline of a Social Enterprise startup I am supporting.

Here in the USA, neurological and orthopedic surgeries using titanium cages, rods and screws are commonly done every day to correct spinal, neurological, and bone damage due to trauma or deterioration. These titanium bits are manufactured in the USA and Europe and are crazy costly. In Bolivia, the cost of these imported titanium bits & pieces is beyond the reach of the poor and they do without.

At the same time, in India, several factories manufacture these items to the same standards, using the same equipment and the same quality titanium, at a fraction of the cost. Juan Lorenzo Hinojosa, a non-practicing Subud member with whom I partner on Dharma’s Children’s Heart Repair Project, has formed a for-profit company in Bolivia and negotiated a sole distributorship for all of Bolivia with one of these Indian manufacturers.

The business plan is to make these available in Bolivia to the upper and middle classes at significantly reduced pricing and then, with the profits generated, make them available to the poor at no or reduced cost.

An overwhelming number of permits & licenses have now been acquired from the Bolivian equivalents of the FDA, Customs, State & Federal agencies, etc., with much time, effort and expense. With these permissions in hand, our first order has been placed and is en route to Bolivia. We are now in the process of hiring 2 medical technicians who will undergo training by a representative sent by the Indian manufacturer.

Sadly, Bolivia is suddenly in chaos due to a contested presidential election. Everything is in lockdown, rioting in the streets, and nothing is passing through customs. None the less, this will pass and we can get on with helping those in need and without means.

This enterprise is not unlike the Free Cataract Surgery Program I started in 2004 which you can read about here: <http://www.dharmasocialprojects.com/cataract.html>. Opportunities like this abound throughout the world. We need only to look around us and act.

Reaching Across the Border to Mexico

by Mikail Collins, Project Director

The Tijuana Family Outreach Project supports 70 low-resource families in El Florido on the outskirts of Tijuana Mexico. The project provides community integration by building relationships with other neighbors and offers families some of the resources that they need.

We provide special events for Day of the Child, Easter, School Supply giveaway day & Christmas. We have also started a baking project so women can learn to bake cakes and have a way to earn some extra income. We also provide used clothing & household items. On the first Sunday of the month, we offer lunch with craft & games afterward. There is also a monthly nutrition class.

The program events are held in a donated location called Casa Martita after Martha, the woman who coordinates the program and owns the property. It is a shack with a large play area out back with swings, see-saws & a sandpit, plus a kitchen.

Martha has attracted a strong team of local volunteers who contribute to the success of the project and are dedicated to supporting their neighbors. There are also visits by counselors from the Counseling Department of the University of Baja California.

Funding comes from a yearly grant from Susila Dharma and from a variety of generous individuals. Read more about the project on SDUSA’s newsletter HERE. Make a donation to the Tijuana Family Outreach Project on Susila Dharma website HERE.

San Diego Center Partners with SICA

As a part of a local event called “Art Around Adams”, the Subud San Diego Center partnered with SICA to host their third “Artists and Friends” exhibit and sale on Saturday, June 1st, 2019.

It was a delightful afternoon of sunshine, music, and food, offering a variety of art by local artists at the Subud House. The exhibit attracted many of the visitors who came to the event, which was happening all along the street. Subud members Renata Reid and Susan Van Winkle displayed their work, along with others from the local community, and many other members of the center helped with setup and logistics.

Here are views of some of the wonderful art displayed for sale:

The Fruits of our Labour – We Humans

By Stefanie Brown, South Devon Group, Subud Britain

In July 2018, Emmanuel Williams (of Subud California) and I co-edited, contributed to, and produced a poetry anthology called We Humans containing poems from 76 Subud members in 17 countries. We stated that proceeds would be donated to the Subud International Cultural Association (SICA). I am pleased to report that on 24 January 2019 we sent just under $400 to SICA.

SICA gave us funding for the project at the outset. I would like to share with you a letter received from Latifah Taormina, a former SICA Chair and outgoing SICA Board member, in response to mine. I had written to her to arrange to transfer the money and I said “A big thank you to SICA for funding our project in the first place. I’m so pleased we have been able to give you some money back, to help towards other cultural projects.” Here is what Latifah wrote:

Dearest Stefanie and Emmanuel,
Thank you so very much for your good work. I want to especially thank you for something you said just now. Of all the grants that SICA has given to people for creative projects, yours is the first project to give back to SICA more than what you were given, and you are the first person to express such gratefulness to be able to help SICA give to other creative projects. I have tears in my eyes as I write this.

Thank you and Emmanuel for such a gift.

A long time ago, when SICA and SDIA were new, Salamah Pope asked Bapak, informally, what was the difference between the two, in terms of their mandate. Her translation of what Bapak said was “we do Susila Dharma to repair the mistakes of the past, and we do SICA to build a more HUMAN future.” You live up to the title of the anthology, We Humans. Thank you for being one. Thank you more than I can say.
With love, Latifah

I reproduce this in the hope that more of us creative types will have a go at a project that could bring in funds for SICA, or that those who are not creative might feel moved to donate. You can do that at: https://donatenow.networkforgood.org/ilovesica.

If you would like to buy a copy of We Humans and donate to SICA that way, whilst enjoying some excellent poetry(!), please go to www.lulu.com and search for either ‘We Humans’ or ‘Stefanie Brown’.

Thank you to SICA!

Stefanie Brown
South Devon Group
Subud Britain

Losing Chairs and Seeking Houses

The recent issue of Subud USA has a delightful story from Latifah Taormina, “The Tragic Tale of the Disappearing Chairs.” Latifah traces how hundreds of Bentwood chairs came from the improv theater group “The Committee” in San Francisco to the Subud Marin Center in 1972 and links it to the importance of contributing to SICA. Read her story here and make you own contribution to SICA here.

When chatting about this story, Latifah mentioned another tale from the annals of Subud California, from the time when the region began its search for Subud houses. Here is an excerpt:

“Because of the work I had done with the San Francisco group’s housing committee, I was able to attend a most interesting meeting with Bapak during his visit to California in 1968. It was with the regional helpers and committee with regard to the ownership of future Subud houses in California.

At one point I asked Bapak, “If San Francisco has $5,000 in their house fund, but Subud Los Angeles finds a property first and needs our $5,000, that Subud San Francisco would have to give it to them?” Bapak smiled and nodded. “Yes,” he said, in English.

Of course, he would say that. Gotong-royong is a core tenet of Indonesian life. It means mutual cooperation to achieve a shared goal. While we may not have known that particular phrase that was how we worked when we started The Committee (an improv theater Alan Myerson and I started in San Francisco in 1963). But as soon as Bapak said that, I overheard a member who’d been cooking dinners to raise money for the San Francisco group mutter to herself, “That’s the last dinner I’m cooking.” Yes, we were all in Subud, but none of us were saints.” (excerpt from Ha Ha Among the Trumpets, © Latifah Taormina, a memoir still being edited).

Since then, Subud California has established a regional housing fund that is only used to provide loans to centers that want to repair or purchase a Subud hall. Centers have developed successful enterprises which enabled them to pay back the loans and maintain their properties. Our region has come a long way!

Pick up the Slack!

Adapted from an article in SES USA and Raynard von Hahn 

“Centerprise” is the name to describe a Subud center that has an enterprise integrated into the group’s activities. Often, the centerprise involves renting space in the group’s property. The funds generated may then be used to support that local center, the national organization, and WSA’s activities.

A NEW TOOL FOR COMMUNICATION

Raynard von Hahn initiated a new way for groups with centerprises to communicate and share information last year by establishing a private group for Subud Centerprises on Slack. Slack is a free collaboration application. Since the 2018 World Congress, this Centerprise group on Slack has taken root, and many groups that have enterprise operations around the world have already signed. With good reason; the amount of valuable information on the site is a real service to centerprise groups.

Interested? Subud Groups may join the Slack website by invitation only. This is to protect the confidentiality of the information on the site. If you think your group should subscribe, talk it over with the committee, and make a group decision to contact Raynard at rvh@genesislaw.ca.

A RESOURCE FOR ALL GROUPS

There are many useful documents available, as well as the opportunity to establish contacts with other centers for input and advice. The goal is to build up the Slack site so that it will be a resource for group chairpersons and hall managers to better run their group’s centerprises including:
1. Learn about other Subud centers and their centerprises
2. Share best practices (e.g., sample rental agreements, housing handbooks, etc.)
3. Connect with one another using the Workspace Directory.
4. Share useful experiences by uploading to the site.

Many California Centers are engaged in rental activities and could benefit from this new tool for sharing best practices within our Region and around the world.

Latifah Taormina and Isaac Goff honored at World Congress

Two members of Subud California were recognized for their contributions to Subud at the World Congress:

SICA honors Latifah Taormina

The SICA Board honored Latifah Taormina with its lifetime achievement award. Latifah’s many contributions to Subud and the arts include her role as SICA President, 2010-2014, ongoing participation on the SICA Board, and launching SICA’s Poems for Peace® initiative that spread to 14 countries. After residing many years in Austin, TX, Latifah moved to Orange County, CA in recent years.

SESI honors Isaac Goff

Awards recognizing the commitment of entrepreneurs to supporting Subud’s social and human work were presented at the 2018 World Congress by Hadrian Fraval, outgoing chairman of SESI.

Isaac (center) with sons Sampson (left) and David (right)

Isaac Goff, the founder of Dharma Trading, which has supported social projects for many years. Through the proceeds of their business, Isaac and Renee Goff have helped thousands of children achieve a better life, through access to needed healthcare and education.

Isaac and Renee are longtime members of Subud CA at Marin. As they were unable to attend the Congress, Isaac sent a video message, which you can enjoy here.

Two California Initiatives win SESI awards!

Subud members from around the world competed for a share of a $100,000 award pot offered by SESI at the World Congress. There were forty-eight presentations about Subud-led enterprises and projects, made over a three day period. Each participant made a challenging “Shark Tank” style three-minute presentation before an audience and a panel of three judges. The judges then selected 20 finalists.

One of the 20 finalists was given a private grant and, to their surprise, the remaining19 finalists had to give their presentations again. Osanna Vaughn, who organized the event, was clear that their committee wanted the Subud community to witness what members inspired by the Latihan were doing all over the world. And it was inspiring — the projects were as unique as we are as members.

The expectation was that the second presentation would again winnow us down to even fewer in number. But two days later, when it came time to name the final finalists, Osanna announced that all 19 would receive grants! What a gift! What a recognition for all these very fine projects.

We are delighted that two projects presented by members from Subud California were among those receiving awards:

Emmanuel Williams (Subud CA at San Joaquin Valley), being unable to make the trip to Germany, made his very effective pitch via a video recording. He asked for funding to produce and distribute via social media 20 short video stories to help teenage girls cope with a range of life challenges, from bullying to overuse of screen time. This creative project received an award of $2500.

Henrietta Haines (Subud CA at Walnut Creek) requested funding to enable the Venezuela Food Connection to expand beyond sending food shipments to Caracas to also deliver seeds and Spanish language educational material and “how to” books for urban gardening.

The Venezuela Food Connection received $3000. Thank you to the SESI donor and to the Judges who worked so hard for more than a week to make this possible. And, thank you to all the other donors who have made it possible to send food to Venezuela for more than a year. In the photo below, Henrietta (far right) enjoys a celebratory a moment with Subud members involved with food relief activities from India, the United Kingdom, and Venezuela. Next to Henrietta are the President of Subud Venezuela, her mother (behind her), and Sandra Diez.

A complete list of SESI winners and awards is available here.

The Culture Compass

Wandering around the Subud Village at the 2018 World Congress in Freiburg provided something new to discover and enjoy at every turn. One of my favorite things to ponder each time I passed was a set of related displays about the “Subud Compass,” which came in several formats. The first component of this was a series of posters prominently placed along the main walkway, which highlighted this Bapak quote about the four stages Zat, Sifat, Asma and Af’al which together comprise “a sort of compass” for life.

However, if one wandered over to the adjacent section of the Subud Village devoted to activities of SICA, these four stages were presented in a different format which used the acronym IDEA, short for the four stages of Intention, Direction, Effort, and Achievement:

The view of the four key elements was then further expanded and specifically identified as a CULTURE COMPASS, as below. What I found to be most intriguing (and indeed illuminating) about this version is that this compass incorporates the Subud Wings and shows a way of thinking of them as integral parts of a whole:

This view of the compass suggested that by first knowing and appreciating your intention, then identifying your direction of service, using that direction to establish your creative effort or work, and achieving outcomes and results, each of us can attain well-being and balance in the world.

To me, this was a profound expression that the purposes of all four Subud wings can be manifested by each of us in a meaningful, essential and personal way. Creativity is found in every area of endeavor and culture is expressed through all kinds of work.

Sadly, I missed a presentation about the Culture Compass by SICA Chair Sebastian Flynn. I hope to read a summary or notes about his session to learn more about this view of the world and of Subud.

— Elizabeth Trudell

Thank you on behalf of Subud Venezuela!

Dear Brothers and Sisters,

Donations from Subud CA, other parts of the country and Canada, with last minute help from Susila Dharma board member Abdul Mu’Izz, have supported the 3^rd shipment of food to Venezuela. This shipment weighs in at 550 lbs. and is mostly rice, beans, lentils and corn flour. But, this time there is a box of chocolate milk mix for each family – a little Christmas present.

We have received a heartfelt thank-you letter from Trina, our Subud member who alerted us to the very severe food needs of our Subud family in Venezuela. An excerpt from her letter is below.

Thank you all for making this outreach personal and possible.

Henrietta Haines, for the Walnut Creek Subud Center

—————————————————————————————

Dear Appreciated and Adored Subud Family

I see them and I think … who gave life to whom? Every day I wonder … What would have been my life, since I arrived in California without the support, love, and company of my Subud sisters and brothers … My Subud family has been my emotional, material and spiritual foundation, which has helped me survive and overcome the journey, now living in this imposing nation.

Subud Venezuela is immensely grateful for the humanitarian aid it receives from brothers and sisters in California. They are currently preparing an excellent report of the second shipment of food received (for families outside Caracas) with photos and evidence that will demonstrate the levels of poverty, hunger and basic needs that our people are suffering. On behalf of Subud Venezuela, I THANK Subud California for feeding stomachs, hearts and Venezuelan souls.

I wish that this Christmas overflows with blessings to my Subud California family and that the New Year will give them tons of health because, as we say in Venezuela, “The rest comes by itself””

I LOVE YOU MUCHIIIIIISIMO

Trina