The seventh session of the 83rd round of Congress 60 educational workshops, specifically for travelers and companions, was held on Thursday, December 4th, 2024, at 10:00 AM. The session was led by Mr. Hossein Dezhakam as the master of ceremony, with companion Nahid as the secretary, and the agenda was "The Eleventh Valley and Its Impact on Me.
Hello friends, I am Hossein, a traveler.
I hope you are all doing well. Thank God, I am doing well too.
Today is December 4th, 2024, and it is 10:08 AM. We are at the Academy building in Tehran.
The topic for this week's agenda is "Bubbling Springs and Rushing Rivers Reach the Sea and the Ocean." Before diving into this subject, let me mention that we have the Foundation Week of Congress 60 coming up, which has been postponed for a short while.
The Foundation Week of Congress 60 isn’t just about celebrating my birthday; it represents the very foundation and establishment of Congress 60 and the start of its journey. My birthday marks the starting point for all of us—a beginning for all the members of Congress 60.
During this week, the purpose isn’t to celebrate with festivities or decorations. Instead, we focus on discussing and reflecting on the foundation and principles of Congress 60. Senior members will share their experiences and memories. I’ll go into more detail during Foundation Week, but before that, I want to emphasize something important:
According to our established rule, a guide only receives gifts from their own students. This applies to me as well. Only those for whom I have served as a teacher—whether as a personal guide, a smoking cessation guide, or a substance recovery guide—should give me gifts. Others are not obligated to do so.
I also kindly ask guides not to organize their students into groups to bring gifts to me in places like the park or elsewhere.
The topic we’re addressing is the Eleventh Valley or Pathway. From the beginning, we believed that treating addiction requires three key components: the body, the psyche, and worldview. When I was drafting the theories for addiction treatment, I came across the concept of worldview and realized how significantly a person’s thoughts and mindset play a role in this process.
However, as I progressed, and especially now when I reflect on it, I’ve come to see that worldview is not just for us or for those recovering from substance addiction. It’s a concept essential for all human beings.
Why is it necessary for everyone? Because it teaches a method and approach to life. It encourages a more positive outlook, a perspective filled with peace, free from resentment and envy, leading to a healthier life.
A person who lies, harbors grudges, feels envious, or seeks revenge primarily harms themselves.
That’s precisely why even God deemed it necessary for humans to learn worldview (perspective on life). To teach this, He sent prophets to guide humanity. The prophets had no intention of teaching anything else to humans except worldview.
Prophets didn’t come solely to tell us there is one God—although that is certainly a part of their message. But the concept of God’s existence is just a single statement. The major part of their mission was to teach us worldview—to help us understand how to live, how to think, and how to perceive the world and our role within it.
If we take a closer look, we see that worldview is present in all aspects of life. For instance, when Zoroaster came, his message was nothing more than “good thoughts, good words, good deeds.” The rest of his teachings also revolved around the same principles, such as: don’t pollute water, don’t defile the earth, and don’t cut down trees.
At that time, there were no lighters or matches, and fire was respected because it purified and destroyed harmful microbes. Similarly, the earth was honored and revered. If we truly respected the earth today, we wouldn’t litter the north of the country with so much waste! Roadsides and beaches wouldn’t be filled with trash, fruit peels, bottles, and garbage.
This kind of behavior shows a lack of respect for nature. It certainly doesn’t reflect that we are the descendants of Cyrus the Great or Darius, or that we are Shi’as who follow Imam Ali. All these proud identities mean nothing if our actions betray them.
Why do you destroy forests? Why do you build houses along riverbanks, disregarding the natural boundaries? These were the lessons they came to teach us.شروع کرد
Prophet Moses came with ten commandments. And what were those commandments? Do not kill, do not steal, do not lie, do not commit corruption—these were all part of his teachings.
What about Prophet Jesus? It was the same with him. He, too, taught worldview principles. For example, "Woe to those who cheat in measurements". Even the smallest good deed you do, or the smallest evil act you commit, you will be held accountable for them yourself.
These were the lessons he began teaching humanity. So, I realized that this is something necessary for all of us—not just for specific people, but for everyone.
Our companions, who do not consume any substances, have still been greatly impacted by the worldview. It has significantly changed their thoughts and perspectives. This is why, in ancient times, our great scholars devised steps for teaching worldview, such as Attar, who traveled through the seven cities of love. These seven cities are the same as the seven valleys of Attar. Similarly, Jami, with his eight valleys, starts with longing and ultimately reaches unity.
In Congress 60, in order to reach this understanding of worldview, we have outlined 14 valleys. Whether they come from Attar or Jami, the final valley always leads to unity—unity with God. The journey through these valleys helps us reach the oneness of God.
I replaced the concept of unity and oneness of God with the valley of love, because love is exactly this. "Allah loves the good-doers" – God is love. If we have turned God into a vengeful and criminal figure, that is our interpretation, not the true nature of God. Therefore, the last valley becomes the valley of love, where we go through to reach the fourteenth valley and learn love.
If someone has passed through the fourteenth valley, either they are a guide in Congress 60 or an agent, and they must have truly internalized the teachings of the fourteenth valley. If they understand what the fourteenth valley is about, they will speak to people gently, not with sharpness or arrogance. They do not boast, they do not look down on others, but rather, they love and care for people. When others make mistakes, they will correct them from an educational perspective, but with what kind of feeling and language? Anyone who insults others or speaks harshly has not yet reached the fourteenth valley.
Reaching the fourteenth valley requires a lot of effort; it’s not something that can be achieved in just one year. Perhaps one must come and go from this world thousands of times to truly understand the fourteenth valley. It is something that requires a very high level of cognizance.
In this path, the eleventh valley tells us that bubbling springs and rushing rivers all reach the sea and the ocean. The sea and the ocean are symbolic of reaching that source, whether we call it divine grace or something else. The ocean is the largest thing we know. A rushing river wants to reach the ocean, to reach a vast place. Therefore, reaching the sea or the ocean means reaching the ideal state, God, or achieving unity.
Here it says "bubbling springs"; we have many springs. A bubbling spring is one that is constantly flowing. The source of the Mississippi River is constantly flowing. Perhaps for centuries, water has been coming from it and flowing. The source of the Nile River has been flowing for years and centuries, coming from the heart of the mountain, from the snow, from the ice, and it keeps moving, because it is bubbling and always in motion, eventually reaching the sea and the ocean. But the Zayandeh River does not reach the sea or the ocean; it reaches the Gavkhouni Wetland. The Helmand River does not reach the sea or the ocean; it reaches Lake Hamun, which is now dry. Therefore, there are rivers, but they do not reach the sea or the ocean because if they were truly rushing, they would have been able to find their way and reach the sea.
It’s trying to tell us this: when a spring becomes bubbling, it transforms into a rushing river. In other words, if the spring doesn’t bubble, it won’t become a rushing river. This means that every individual must become their own bubbling spring, must stir from within, must find the treasure within themselves.
Now, when I say "the treasure within," understanding and grasping it is very challenging. But if we reach a certain stage, we’ll realize that our treasure lies within us. The source of love is within us; it’s what grants us love. No one else can give us love—it’s our own inner being that grants us love.
The source of peace is within us; it’s our inner being that brings us peace. When we look at everything, we’ll see that it’s our inner self that holds the key to wisdom, to love, and to peace. All of it comes from within.
Envy is within us, resentment is within us, ill will toward others is within us, and cursing others stems from within us. If we reach a certain awareness, a level of wisdom, I don’t think we would curse anyone.
When you attain awareness, you stop cursing others because you come to realize that humans possess both virtues and flaws. People make mistakes.
In my new CD, I explained something that will soon reach you: the average IQ of a normal person is 100. Gifted individuals have an IQ of 120, geniuses are around 140, less intelligent people may have an IQ of 80, and those with significant intellectual challenges might have an IQ of 60. However, most people fall around the average of 100. Now, here's the interesting part: when a person becomes angry, their IQ instantly drops to a third of its normal level. For example, someone in the gifted category with an IQ of 120 would see their IQ drop to 40 when they get angry—placing them below the category of less intelligent individuals.
In fact, anger can reduce a person’s functioning to levels lower than those with severe intellectual challenges. This is a reality. Take, for instance, someone driving a car who gets into an altercation after a minor collision. The other person might say something rude, and in a fit of anger, the first individual grabs a steering lock and strikes the other person, leading to an intentional murder charge. In that moment, their IQ has dropped so drastically that they become less rational than the least intelligent person. They turn into someone completely foolish, saying and doing things they will undoubtedly regret later.
Worldview means understanding that when someone says something harsh to you—whether it’s your loved one, your partner, or your friend—especially in a moment of anger, you should realize that their IQ has temporarily dropped, and they’re acting less rationally than even the most foolish person. Whatever they say, just let it go, roll it over in your mind, and don’t take it to heart. Don’t hold grudges or create enmity. This is what it teaches us.
So, when someone becomes a bubbling spring, everything they need is within themselves. When we get angry at someone, the greatest harm is done to ourselves. When we gossip, the greatest harm is done to ourselves. This is the essence of worldview: it teaches us that even the smallest act of goodness returns to benefit us, and the smallest act of wrongdoing comes back to harm us.
If we want to achieve results, we must become a bubbling spring—constantly active, never ceasing our efforts, and never losing hope. When a bubbling spring loses hope, it stops flowing. When a rushing river loses hope, it halts its movement. Therefore, we must strive to combine knowledge with self-purification to transform into a bubbling spring. Once we achieve this, we will keep moving forward.
While moving forward, is the path always smooth? Is it ever steady? There are mountains ahead, massive rocks blocking the way, cliffs, and valleys. For example, look at Niagara Falls—it traverses immense cliffs but never falters. Similarly, in the journey of life, you’ll encounter obstacles: stones, boulders, valleys, and precipices. Yet, a rushing river doesn’t stop. We are the same. A small ant might see a cup of water spill into its nest and think the world is ending. Likewise, when we face minor problems, we often feel as though the world has collapsed. We imagine we’ve been struck by tragedy, cursed, or burdened by misfortune.
So, there’s no guarantee that if we become a bubbling spring or a rushing river, someone will always create a smooth concrete channel or a beautiful path for us and say, “Here you go, proceed this way.” There will always be many challenges along the way. That’s enough for now. Hopefully, we can all become bubbling springs and rushing rivers. Thank you.
Contributions toward the Agenda:
During the contributions towards the agenda, Mr. Dezhakam stated: "The human body is far more advanced than thousands of artificial intelligences and computers combined. With an understanding of body language, this weight loss happens naturally. This method of healthy nutrition is astonishing because it increases weight for thin individuals and reduces it for those who are overweight. This is a testament to the intelligence of the human body."
Translated by: Marjan
12/13/2024
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