"Stairway to Subud" by Anthony Bright-Paul

"Stairway to Subud" is an auto-biography of Anthony Bright-Paul starting from his elementary education in Christian boarding schools, to living under J.G. Bennett in Coombe Springs and practicing Gurdjieff's system, to finally ending being "opened" in Subud and spending the rest of his life with this connection.  Although the book is primarily intended to describe the author's life in Subud, it contains probably the most detailed description of the life at Coombe Springs and the Bennett Gurdjieff group there, which consists of about 45% of the book.

The author describes the eventual stagnation under Bennett's leadership who himself did not know what to do next when Mohammed Subuh appeared from Indonesia through Hussein Rofe and became the new raison de vivre.  Although Bennett will eventually leave Subud as well, and embark on a series of findings of different gurus and teachings until his death, many other Gurdjieff students, like the author, will find in Subud what they always looked for.

The second half of the book explains some of the basic concepts of Subud like the Latihan Kejuwan, the spiritual exercise, the concepts of Jiwa and Nafsu, etc.  The spread of Subud outside the Gurdjieff circles until the Gurdjieffian roots became irrelevant, even a bother, is described in great detail, as well as some of the internal strife.  Towards the end the book becomes more autobiographical and describes mostly the author's life and meetings with old friends from Gurdjieff groups and early Subud groups.

The book is rich in many excerpts and voluminous quotations from other books on Subud and from the writings of Pak Subuh and J.G. Bennett.  It excels in presenting the daily atmosphere in Coombe Springs, of which this is the only detailed account, so it can be compared to the several accounts of the life at the Prieure under Gurdjieff himself.