The Twelfth Valley, Part One
In the name of Allah, the Most Merciful, the Most Compassionate,
We begin this session, drawing strength from the absolute power of Allah. Hello, friends, I am Hossein, a traveler and the guardian of this session. (Hello, Hossein).
Please, for our liberation from our most powerful enemy, which is our own ignorance and unawareness, let's observe a 14-second silence and seek refuge in the Almighty.
Silence.
Thank you, friends.
I now ask the esteemed secretary to provide a summary of the previous session's proceedings and the agenda for today.
In the name of the absolute power of Allah,
Hello, friends, I am Fatemeh, a traveler. (Hello, Fatemeh).
Today, the eighth session of the twenty-first round, dated 9th of December, 2012, began at exactly 9:00 AM with the agenda of “The Twelfth Valley”, under the guardianship and leadership of Mr. Dezhakam and me, Fatemeh, as the secretary. Thank you.
Thank you, much appreciated.
Let’s move on to the Valley of the Twelfth. And the Valley of the Twelfth says: "In the end, the first command is carried out."
Now, to reach this understanding, we begin by reading from the Valley, and I will explain it paragraph by paragraph. The Valley has attempted to express the point it wants to make quickly and move on. Each of these paragraphs, if we wanted to explain or act upon them, could easily fill fifty or a hundred pages. But in short, symbolically, it makes a reference and then gets to the heart of the matter.
The Absolute Power: We call Allah the Absolute Power because we accept Him as the source of all power.
The Absolute Power: Just a moment before the devil’s disobedience, when apparently the light was pregnant with darkness, and everything was ready for a great division, He commanded the residents of the heavens to gather. In a grand assembly, He declared, “I have placed a vicegerent on the earth.” This earthly world, or the story of humankind, begins at a certain point, as mentioned in all the religious texts. The story is that on a certain day, the physical part of humanity, its body, was created. The Absolute Power, the Sovereign, or God, gathered the angels and said, “I have done this, and it is very valuable, so bow to him.” This is found in the Torah, the Bible, and everywhere. They all bowed, except one. This means everyone accepted it, but the devil did not. He said, "I am made of fire, and man is made of clay," and that incident took place.
You see, when the Absolute Power, just before this gathering, called them together, it means they existed already. Therefore, life did not begin at that moment. The earthly world did not exist yet, but other worlds did. This shows that the earthly world was created later.
Was the physical body of man created later? Well, where is this gathering? It’s not clear where it is, in the heavens? When it is? It’s not clear either. This is just a process, because what about the nature of these beings, their gathering, and these talks? What is their nature? The physical and earthly body—what is it? For example, I would say it's of a spiritual nature.
In a grand assembly, the Absolute Power declared, "I have placed a successor on the earth." Immediately, the first question the residents in that gathering ask is, "What person? Who?" And then they ask, "With what authority?" Here, authority is very important. The only thing that mattered to the residents was the person who was going to be the successor and the extent and nature of their authority. Similarly, when any of us becomes responsible for something, the first question is always about the extent of our authority and what we are able to do. Why was this important for them? It says: "Man, Adam, or Adam with full authority over his own destiny." See, it doesn’t dwell on the details.
The Valley quickly gets to the heart of the matter and says: "Adam with full authority over his own destiny." So, the one who says "Adam" specifies who the person is, but then it talks about his full authority over his destiny, meaning that authority is one of the most important things. It’s the most important gift God has given to man—power or the power to make decisions.
The residents say: "We have always praised You and remembered You for Your purity and power. Are You placing someone there who will bring about corruption, destruction, and bloodshed?" When it is said, "We have given him authority," they respond: "You are placing someone there who will abuse power, bring corruption, and so on." For example, let’s say you appoint a governor. They might say, "We have given the governor full authority," and the residents might respond: "Well, we accepted you, for example, if you were righteous and so on, but the one you appoint as governor could make our lives miserable. He could bring countless disasters upon us." The response comes: "Have we had a problem up until now? Have you had any problems? You’ve always been here, and you’ve always been present, so there’s no need to choose someone else. Moreover, it could cause problems."
The Absolute Power says: "I know what you do not know." He says: "There are things I know that you do not yet know." Then, He taught Adam all the names and told the residents: "Now, tell us what Adam knows." He taught Adam all the things and all the names, and then He told the residents: "Adam knows all the names now. You may ask him questions, and he will answer." The residents responded: "We don’t know anything. We only know what You have taught us."
Here, it was said that Adam knows things that you do not know. When the residents were told, they responded: "We don’t know anything. We only know the things that You have taught us."
The Absolute Power said to the successor: "Then inform them of their names," and He told the residents: "You may ask the successor about what you do not know." And a sense of awe fell upon the residents. Here, the Absolute Power tells the successor: "Inform them of their names." Now, this is a significant point. It is said that God taught man the Names of Allah. But what could these names be? One interpretation is that all things and objects in existence have names assigned to them by humans. Unlike animals, which do not name everything, humans give a name to every object in the world. This is one perspective to consider. We might think that God is teaching humans the concept and essence of names or that He has already taught them. What does this mean? For example, bitterness is a name. You can say something is bitter, but you don’t understand its meaning until you taste it. "Grape" is the name of a fruit, but what does "grape" really mean? Sometimes you have a mental concept of it, but there are moments when you’ve actually eaten grapes, and when you’re asked, "What is a grape?" the taste immediately comes to your mind. Or when someone says "sour," you immediately have a mental picture of that taste. This means that you understand not just the name, but the essence of it. Similarly, when it is said "anger" or "joy," you must fully grasp the whole concept of anger or joy. Beyond each name, there is a concept behind it, and if you can understand that concept, then you truly understand the name.
This is one interpretation: If someone wants to know what addiction is, they may need to experience it themselves to understand the meaning of the word "addiction." If someone wants to understand what a heart disease is, they might need to experience heart disease to truly know what it is. Or if they want to understand what a headache is, they may need to suffer from migraines or headaches themselves to understand what it means. It’s not just an empty name.
It says: "Inform them of their names." The day when these beings gathered in the heavens, that was one stage, and some of us were in the heavens. But today, as we are here, we don’t remember that sky. Have you noticed what I’m saying? That day, in the heavens, we were there, and God made a covenant with us. We were in the heavens, and today we are here! But we don’t remember that sky. When we were in the heavens, we had a name, didn’t we? The scriptures accept this; we were definitely there, and we made a covenant, where He said, "Am I your Lord?" and we responded, "Yes." That day, we had a name; we weren’t nameless. But today, we don’t remember that name. One of the concepts this could indicate is that the beings who were there might have passed through many worlds, and in each world, they had a name. And in each world, that name was forgotten, but Adam could recall the names from before. Another interpretation is that the past is just the past, as we are considered ancient beings. What does "ancient" mean? It means we have always existed, and it’s impossible to specify whether it was billions or trillions of years ago.
Our hidden attribute, our self, has always existed. It might have existed in many different worlds, and one could also point to the names they had in those other worlds where they lived.
Now, don’t dwell too much on this matter; it’s just a brief mention. A sense of wonder arose among the residents, and they asked the successor: "What kind of creation is man?" The first thing they asked was about the nature of man, and this is presented in the form of a story where some concepts are explained through questions and answers, which help clarify things for us. The successor says: "Man is a creation whose hidden attribute, like yours, was made from fire, but the outward form of man resides in the earthly world."
This is how it began. He says: "His hidden attribute is like your hidden form." We know for sure that man is made of two parts: one is the body, and the other is the self. Is that correct? These two parts are commonly referred to as the body and the self, but what is the self made of? The body is made of earth, and the self—what is it made of? The self is made of fire. He says: "Man is a creation like you. Your hidden form is made from fire, and man’s hidden attribute is also made from fire. Whatever essence you are, he is made of the same essence, but there is one thing that sets him apart, and that is his physical form." The outward form of man, which resides in the earthly world, began this way: The Absolute Power first compressed waves and created a world called the earthly world, which consists of stars and galaxies beyond counting. From the particles that make up the earthly world—like calcium, potassium, phosphorus, copper, and iron—He built a city for man, known as the body or physical form. According to a specific process, He sent me to that earthly world, settling me in that city or body for a limited time, yet on the other hand, without limits. He said: "Everything is waves. In the earthly world, these waves became more compressed." He continued to compress and bring these waves closer and closer together, thus creating the earthly world. When the earthly world was created, from the particles of the earthly world—calcium, potassium, copper, and iron—He built a city, my body. Then He said to me: "Enter this city."
Residents: "How was the earthly world created?"
Successor replies: "The earthly world, in terms of vibrations and wavelengths, is completely different from the world you live in. That’s why earthly beings cannot easily perceive your world or other worlds."
They ask: "What is your world—the earthly world—like?"
Successor responds: "You cannot comprehend it."
Why can't they comprehend it? Because every being has its own receivers. And what are our receivers? Our senses. Our vision, for instance, is limited—we can only see wavelengths from red to violet. We cannot perceive infrared or ultraviolet. If an entire world were created from ultraviolet waves, we wouldn't be able to see it. If a structure or a building were made of infrared waves, it would be invisible to us.
He says to the angels: "You cannot touch it."
The Absolute Power created the earthly world by breathing love into the particles or waves through induction. Love, by its nature, has a unifying force—it brings things together. Hatred, on the other hand, pushes things apart. A lover and a beloved are drawn to each other, they come together. If you love canaries, you will always be surrounded by them. But where there is hatred, separation follows.
He says: "Love sent forth a power into the particles, bringing them closer together. The Absolute Power, in creating the earthly world, breathed love into the particles or waves through induction. Under the astonishing force of love, some of these waves drew nearer and became denser, forming the initial core of the earthly world. Then, it was as if He planted it like a tree in our current world—just as planting a single walnut can, under the right conditions and with the presence of essential forces and raw materials, lead to billions upon billions of walnuts."
He says: "Once it was gathered together, the first atom or molecule was formed."
They ask: "How did the vast universe come to be?"
Look at the systems of the universe; observe the patterns. Everything follows a pattern—there is no difference. Just as humans multiply, so do fish. Chickens lay eggs, and other creatures such as sheep, deer, and gazelles also reproduce—each in its own way. The principle is the same. Take agriculture, for example. How do you get billions of walnuts from a single tree? You plant one walnut, and then, through the combined forces of water, soil, wind, and fire, it grows into a tree that produces countless more walnuts.
He says: "The same thing was done with the first atom. It was planted like a walnut tree, nourished with other forces, and supplied with energy from different sources. Bit by bit, it expanded until it became this vast universe filled with galaxies."
To put it in the simplest terms—He planted the universe.
I won’t dwell on this for too long, just a brief mention before moving on. But think about it—planting a single walnut can lead to billions upon billions of walnuts. The universe follows the same principle. Humanity follows the same principle. There was once just one Adam and Eve, and now—how vast has their lineage grown?
With the planting of the initial core of the earthly world, the forces of alteration and transformation automatically came into action. This is an important point—once the worlds were planted, the initial core activated an inherent force of alteration and a force of transformation. Just as a walnut seed splits underground before sprouting, the initial core of the earthly world also split open, and thus, the earthly world was born. Over millions upon millions of cycles of alteration and transformation, it reached its current state. And one day, it will redeem and return to its original point.
Consider how a wheat seed, when planted, cracks open before a sprout emerges from within it. A walnut, too, must break apart when planted. Any seed you plant must split open—must crack—so that something new can emerge from within. The earthly world is no different. That initial core split open. The so-called Big Bang—the great explosion—occurred.
If you were to magnify the sounds within a walnut as it cracks, you would hear an immense noise, a deep cracking sound as the shell splits apart. Then, suddenly, something far greater emerges from within. How does such a vast tree come from a single walnut? The core of the physical world follows the same principle: from within a single seed, such a vast creation unfolds. And, like the walnut tree, it draws additional energy from water, air, soil, and other forces.
Likewise, when the universe came into being, it drew from certain unknown energies—energies we have yet to comprehend. He says: "One day, it will also be destroyed." Just as it has reached this point, it will one day cease to exist—returning to waves.
But the key point is this: the waves that formed the earthly world and the waves that will arise from its destruction are the same. However, from the perspective of knowledge and awareness, they are completely different—because knowledge and awareness do not remain static.
Since the raw materials for creating the earthly world originated from your current world, neither you nor the people of Earth can truly comprehend them.
He says: "Waves came together and created this world. Then, one day, this world will once again explode and return to waves." But he also clarifies that the waves that initially formed the world are different from the waves that exist now.
We were nothing, and then, as they say, we came into this world. Eventually, we will leave this world and return to nothingness—at least in the physical sense. What remains is our essence, our self. However, the state in which we arrived is not the same as the state in which we depart. Though it is still the same self, it has undergone transformation—it has been educated.
The waves, too, have accumulated vast amounts of knowledge and information within them.
He tells the angels: "The raw materials for creating the earthly world were taken from your world. That is, the elements of your world were compressed and transformed into something else. Just as the earthly world is beyond your comprehension, your world is beyond the understanding of those on Earth."
The Residents ask: "As a human being, what qualities do you possess?"
Now, this is the key point: the question is not about philosophy, but about our very nature—what are we? One of the most important aspects of our existence is free will. This means that whatever happens to us, whatever choices we make, the power to decide lies in our own hands. We are the ones who determine our destiny, whether we use this ability wisely or not.
Then, he asks again: "What qualities does a human being possess? What makes us different?"
The Successor responds: "We have acquired knowledge. Knowledge exists within us. Furthermore, most of the attributes of the Absolute Power (God) exist within us, albeit on a much smaller scale."
When he says that knowledge is within us, it means that everything we need is already embedded within our being. Consider this: if you try to teach a baby goat geometry, mathematics, or the principles of logic, it will not learn. It will simply get up and bleat—because such knowledge does not exist within it. But if you take a human being and teach them mathematics, they will learn—because that knowledge is already within them, waiting to be recalled.
“Remind them, for you are only a reminder.” (Quran: 21) We do not teach a human being something entirely new; rather, we awaken what is already within them. You cannot teach a goat a language, but you can teach a human being—because the capacity for knowledge exists within us, while it does not exist within the goat.
If you go to the Lut Desert and dig as much as you want, you will never reach water—because for you to find water, it must already exist underground. The same applies to a gold mine or a coal deposit—you can only extract something if it is already there.
Likewise, these qualities are embedded within human beings; they only need education and training to uncover them. Everything is already inside us.
We have acquired knowledge, and it resides within us. In the same way, most of the attributes of the Absolute Power (God) exist within us, but on a much smaller scale. He says: "Just as God possesses all qualities, many of these qualities are also embedded within us—but in a limited capacity."
We have often said that if God is generous, a human being can also be generous. If God is noble, a human being can also be noble. If God has the power to will something into existence, a human being also has the ability to create—though in a different way.
We must discover these qualities within ourselves through education and experience. And because we have free will, we hold complete responsibility for shaping our own destiny. The goal is to reach a level of awareness where we can distinguish the right path from the wrong one.
If we move toward values, we will find peace, comfort, joy, and enthusiasm. But if we move toward anti-values, we will be led into restlessness, fear, anxiety, humiliation, hardship, and suffering.
We have been given complete free will to navigate this challenging and winding journey, so that one day, we may attain full awareness. If we choose the right path, we will reach peace and prosperity—but if we choose the wrong path, we will fall into misery and despair.
Residents: With the knowledge, attributes, and free will that you possess, don’t you think there is a risk of corruption, bloodshed, and destruction on Earth?
Successor: Yes, you are right. That is a valid concern. These things can indeed happen—especially when we take on a physical body.
He says: Particularly when we enter the physical form, we lose all recollection of our past, including the covenant we made with the Absolute Power and even this very gathering. However, everything is stored in our subconscious, in our archive, or what is known as the Preserved Tablet.
Yes, the potential for bloodshed, corruption, and all manner of chaos certainly exists. This is because, once we inhabit the body and the city of existence, we forget our past—our gathering, our covenant, and the promises we made. Yet, deep within our subconscious, this knowledge remains, influencing us in ways we may not fully perceive.
However, when a person reaches a high level of knowledge, wisdom, and awareness, and when they have developed the necessary capacity, they can access their past information—their subconscious archive. At that point, they will realize how the entire universe, and even multiple worlds, are contained within them.
Yes, you are right—the potential for corruption, bloodshed, and oppression certainly exists. But you must also know that the Absolute Power has taught me... (silence falls)
He says: At their current level, humans may not be able to comprehend this. However, if a person reaches an advanced stage of knowledge, awareness, and wisdom, and if they develop the patience to endure, they will gradually become aware of their archive and subconscious realm. Eventually, all humans can gain insight into their past—into their covenants, past events, and even their former names. But for this to happen, one must attain a high level of knowledge and awareness. And so, he says: Yes, you are right. Given the current state of affairs, the risk of bloodshed, corruption, conflict, and destruction does exist.
That is exactly how it is. Right now, if you listen to the news, you’ll hear reports about Helmand Province in Afghanistan—stories of theft, robbery, and kidnappings, with even some police officers allegedly involved. Now, whether these reports are true or not is another matter. But just imagine how far negative forces can infiltrate, leading to corruption, bloodshed, and destruction.
But if one attains that level of understanding and awareness, they will realize that all worlds exist within them.
He says: Yes, all of this—bloodshed, corruption—does happen. (Silence follows.)
The residents ask: What? What did he learn?
He replies: He learned that in the end, the first command is carried out.
Command means order. At the very end, the original command is fulfilled. Command means decree. At the final moment, the very first decree is carried out.
And command means "Be, and it becomes". When we say something must be, when we set something in motion, eventually, it will come to pass.
Residents: What is the meaning of the phrase: "In the end, the first command is carried out"?
Successor: On Earth, achieving any goal requires taking time into account. Any desire or command can only be fulfilled over time. For example, if your initial command is to produce rice, you won’t have rice immediately. You must first plant the rice seeds, nurture them, and wait until, in the end, you finally harvest the rice and become its owner.
Likewise, we must observe events unfold until we reach the final stage of human creation, where the results will become clear. Here, it is evident that on Earth, everything happens according to time.
You may ask, "But can things happen outside of time?" The answer is yes—some things do happen in timelessness.
Right now, if we imagine constructing a tower that reaches the Moon, all of you can immediately visualize it in your minds. Suppose we want to create a horse with seven heads, as big as this building—you instantly picture it. Or if we imagine making a Pepsi bottle two meters tall and purple, you can form that image in your minds right away. See how quickly things are created in timelessness?
Now, in certain other worlds, this process also occurs—things are created instantly. But we won’t go into those details now.
The point is that in timelessness, everything can be created instantly. But can the same be done in the physical world? No, because in the physical world, things require time.
For example, if we want to grow rice, the initial command is to plant rice, but the final execution—the moment we actually have rice—comes only at the end of the process. The same applies to wheat: we plant the wheat, water it, and only in the harvest season, around July, do we finally obtain it.
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He says: You mentioned time! What is time in the material world? He says: You mentioned time, because they exist in a state of timelessness do not recognize time.
The successor says: Nothing in the material world is at rest. As it was said, the material world came into existence from the condensation of waves, and since the waves were in motion, the space that emerged from them also became mobile.
I read it from the beginning: The successor: Nothing in the material world is at rest. There is nothing in the material world that is motionless. We have nothing in the material world that is static. All the particles, atoms, electrons, and protons are in motion. There is no fixed entity. We ourselves are in motion. Even our cells—some of them die and are regenerated. Everything is in motion. We ourselves are in motion. Nothing is fixed.
As it was said, the material world came into existence from the condensation of waves. The material world was formed from the condensation of waves, and since the waves were in motion, the space that emerged from them also became mobile. Because the waves were in motion, the world they created was also in motion. The domain where this mobile space moved was called space. This moving space began its movement, and the Earth started to rotate on its own. The domain where this moving space operated was named space, and from the combination of moving space and this domain, time emerged on its own in the form of one, two, and three—something that could be measured.
One, two, three—that is, seconds ticking: tick-tock, tick-tock. That is time: an hour, two o’clock, five o’clock, the first month, the second month, Saturday, Monday—everything is measurable and countable. Then, once again, he says: Time emerged on its own from these two.
Of course, you, who continue to exist in a state of timelessness, are incapable of understanding time and its miracle—unless you enter the physical body and set out for that realm.
He says: You who exist in timelessness cannot comprehend time, just as we who exist in time cannot comprehend timelessness.
Residents: What is the miracle of time? What is the benefit of the miracle of time?
Successor: It is the miracle of time that gave waves the opportunity to change in nature over time, leading to the emergence of gases, liquids, and solids.
He says: It is the miracle of time that gave waves the chance to change in nature within the material world. From their transformation, gases, liquids, and solids came into existence. Then, through this process, plants appeared, grew, diversified, and multiplied. Plants continued to emerge, multiply, and increase in number until animals began consuming them.
Then came humans. Humans were created when the material world and plants already existed. Plants were there, and animals were there, and then humans came into being. So, plants emerged, grew, diversified, and multiplied so that animals—and then humans in their physical form—could step into existence, increase in number, and comprehend the joy and value of being and living.
Humans came into existence to perceive the pleasure and significance of existence and life. Thus, one of the essential aspects of being in the dimension of time is experiencing and enjoying life while going through the earthly educational stages, which is an immensely valuable experience.
Therefore, we are waiting for the final stage, where the first command is fulfilled, and we go through the process of earthly education in this cycle of time and the dimension of life. But we are all waiting for the moment when, in the end, the first command is carried out—meaning that all stages must be completed.
Thus, both creation as a whole and every individual must successfully pass through time to achieve their desired outcomes.
The conclusion here is that both creation and every individual must pass through time to reach their desired outcomes. If you want to achieve something in life—whether it’s learning tailoring, embroidery, swimming, a new language, construction work, saving money, studying, or even treating illnesses—you need time. There is no shortcut; there is no way to bypass time. Anyone who tries to eliminate time from the process will inevitably face problems and difficulties.
In any process—perhaps this point I’m about to make is not directly related to this valley, but I’ll mention it here anyway. One of the members gave me a small clipping from a newspaper, and I think it’s worth reading. While it’s not directly tied to this discussion, I’ll include it in the valley.
It’s the same with cigarettes—we say that cigarettes must be replaced with edible gum, and then that gum should be tapered gradually over a year, decreasing bit by bit, until the treatment is complete.
A study examined the relationship between cigarette smoking and the incidence of inflammatory bowel diseases in women. Among women with intestinal disorders—specifically those with Crohn’s disease—both past smoking history and current smoking increased the risk of the disease. There was a direct correlation between the amount of cigarettes smoked and the level of risk reduction. However, in cases of ulcerative colitis, current smoking did not reduce the risk, but quitting smoking led to a significant increase in the incidence of ulcerative colitis within the first two to five years after quitting.
Do you see what happened here? This means that for someone who smokes, the effects of smoking itself weren’t necessarily examined in this case. However, for a woman who smokes, if she suddenly quits smoking, the risk of ulcerative colitis increases significantly. In other words, both smoking and the abrupt cessation of smoking can contribute to an increased risk of disease.
There was a direct correlation between the amount of cigarettes smoked and the reduction in risk. In the case of ulcerative colitis, smoking itself did not reduce the risk of developing the disease, but quitting smoking led to a significant increase in ulcerative colitis cases within the first two to five years after quitting. This increasing effect continued for over twenty years.
This study was conducted using data from 336 recorded cases of Crohn’s disease and 400 recorded cases of ulcerative colitis within the Nurses' Health Study, which monitored 299,111 individuals over a span of forty years.
Now, why am I bringing this up? My point is that a person who smokes and tries to quit by eliminating time from the equation—someone who has been smoking for years but suddenly decides to quit without considering the factor of time—can suffer serious consequences. Look at how abruptly quitting smoking can have a destructive effect on ulcerative colitis. Not only does sudden cessation negatively impact ulcerative colitis, but it may also have harmful and damaging effects on many other diseases.
That is why smoking must be tapered gradually over the course of a year before being completely stopped. We cannot eliminate time from the process.
Therefore, both creation and every individual must successfully pass through time to reach their desired outcomes. There is no way to remove time—unless one steps outside the realm of time entirely. To reach the final stage, one must go through the phases of change and transformation before arriving at the stage of outcome or release.
Of course, on Earth, there are also three fundamental forces—infusion, revival, and motion—that guide us toward our desired results and ultimately to the final stage.
Residents: Explain the three stages of alteration, transformation, and redemption.
These three stages—alteration, transformation, and redemption—must be applied in all matters.
Was today’s lesson a bit heavy? No, not heavy—just a lot, wasn’t it?
Well, in any case, the point is that we must go through the stage of time. Without considering the element of time, we will face difficulties and challenges. And as we pass through time, we must go through the three stages of alteration, transformation, and redemption.
Then, the Successor asks:
"Explain the three stages of alteration, transformation, and redemption. What exactly are these three stages?"
The Successor responds:
These stages are among the most important, fundamental, and destiny-shaping principles. They bring the law of "In the end, the first command is carried out" into action. These stages play a crucial role not only in the visible structure of the material world—such as waves, gases, liquids, solids, plants, animals, and humans—but also in the unseen aspects, including human intellect, thought, speech, behavior, and actions.
Through the passage of time, these stages gradually transform a person with limited wisdom into a wise and enlightened individual.
Whenever someone departs from this world, another person is born; when one reaches their destination, another begins their journey. As one traveler sets out on their path, another arrives at their destination. When a person’s life comes to an end, another steps into existence. As our wise ones say, for every book that is closed, another is opened; for every Hallaj who is hanged, thousands more will rise from the earth.
Everything is constantly in a state of alteration. We are always encountering individuals who lack wisdom, and this entire system is the work of creation itself. Beyond the existence of the universe, life itself is a source of joy, and every human being must embrace and experience life. At the same time, everything is undergoing change—what kind of change? The alteration of the ignorant into the wise. There is a purpose behind it all; the universe is persistently transforming those lacking wisdom into enlightened individuals. It is an inherent part of the structure of the physical world, gradually refining the uninformed into the wise and aware.
Had the processes of alteration, transformation, and redemption not occurred within existence, the universe would have fallen into stillness, immediately stopping and collapsing into destruction. Therefore, in the grand design of the universe, for an unwise person to evolve into a wise one, there must be change—these three stages of alteration, transformation, and redemption must take place.
For example, when you extract grape juice and store it in a jug, barrel, or any other container, the liquid must gradually, step by step, undergo alteration before it can transform into vinegar or wine. This progression must happen in tiny, incremental steps before it reaches the stage of transformation. The same principle applies to human beings—change must happen little by little, bit by bit, leading them into the next stage. Healing from illness occurs in the same manner; it happens gradually, step by step, until the disease is overcome. The same applies to substance dependency—it must be reduced little by little, step by step, until the person reaches the stage of transformation and becomes a healthy individual.
As we move into deeper discussions, the topics become more specialized. To prevent these higher-level valleys from turning into six or seven CDs worth of material, I sometimes read a bit faster. But of course, you are all knowledgeable, so I only need to provide a brief and concise explanation.
One of the words used by the secretary was joftak (lashing out with both feet), and I’m sure some of the words I use may be unfamiliar to you. Only some of you might know their meanings. Take lashing out with both feet, for example. Nowadays, with urbanization, animals are rarely seen in cities. But in the past, cities had carriages, donkeys, horses, and mules, and we would observe them up close.
Normally, a donkey or a horse kicks with one leg. You’ve probably seen how they do it. But sometimes, they rear up and kick with both legs simultaneously—that is called joftak. (The term refers to a donkey or horse kicking with both hind legs.)
Now, in human behavior, some people—excuse me for saying this—are like donkeys in that, at one stage, they might throw a single kick. But once they reach a certain position or status, they start kicking with both legs! That’s the point I wanted to highlight.
The second issue is about exams. I don’t hold exams, nor do I design questions that everyone can answer. Exams aren’t usually designed so that everyone can answer them—they’re designed so that people can’t answer them. So, you should never expect to know the answers to every exam question. That’s not how it works.
Another important point in Congress 60 is that the idea of an exam being "hard" or "easy" is completely meaningless. It doesn’t matter whether an exam is difficult or simple. For example, let’s say 800 people take an exam. Out of those, only the top 100 will pass, while the remaining 700 won’t. It doesn’t matter whether the race is at 60 km/h, 120 km/h, or just 2 km/h—the only thing that matters is that the top 100 make it. It’s the same with exams: 800 people take the test, but only 100 are meant to pass, while up to 700 won’t, and that’s completely normal.
This is called grading on a curve. What does that mean? Well, sometimes if everyone scores high, they might set the passing grade at 20, meaning even a 19 would be considered a failing score. If the exam is too difficult and scores are lower, they might set the passing grade at 15, 16, or even 12—it all depends on the overall performance of the group. So, in an exam, two factors are important: first, what you’ve written, and second, what others have written. That’s how exams work.
Then some might say, "Why not just accept everyone as guides? What’s wrong with that?" Should all 800 people pass and become guides? Some things need to exist in moderation. Right now, I’ve heard there are around 50,000 unemployed doctors in the country. So much effort and resources were spent on training these doctors, yet they have no jobs. The same would happen if we overloaded Congress 60 with guides—what would they do? It wouldn’t work. Things that are scarce are valuable. Why is gold valuable? Because it’s rare. Meanwhile, scrap iron is scattered all over the streets. Do you see gold lying around in the streets? No. Steel rods, beams, and iron bars are everywhere, but gold is not.
So, we can’t have too much of something. We calculate and bring in a reasonable number of people as guides so that we can actually provide them with the necessary support while maintaining balance.
These were the key points I covered. Now, onto the next point—like how I included a question about cooking in a worldview exam. You need to understand that our subject is worldview. We teach worldview—we don’t teach philosophy, mysticism, history, or religious studies. Worldview means how we see the world—how we see our family, our relationships, our interactions with society, our relationships with our spouse, friends, and siblings. How do we create harmony? How do we connect with people? How do we cultivate good social skills?
Well, one of the most important aspects of human connection is food—cooking food and eating together at the same table. This is the highest form of worldview. In today’s families, people don’t even eat together anymore. They don’t even eat the same food! One says, I’ll have sausage and cold cuts, another says, I prefer ham, someone else says, I want pizza, and the mother of the house says, I’ll just reheat last night’s stew. Everyone eats something different! The father says, Fine, I’ll grab something on my way home, and that’s it. They don’t even share a meal together anymore. Cooking at home is disappearing, and that’s why everyone is getting sick. With all these canned and fast foods, people either suffer from constipation or diarrhea—their digestive systems are a mess. Everyone has some kind of gut issue, from irritable bowel syndrome to all sorts of colitis. If you go to a doctor, you’ll see endless cases of colitis and digestive disorders.
So, if we can find a way to bring family members together and have them eat at the same table, that is the highest level of worldview—it’s practical worldview. That’s what application means. Worldview applies to every aspect of life—exercise, aerobics, maintaining relationships, going to the park for a run, even practicing rhythmic movements. All of this is part of worldview.
Worldview isn’t just about asking abstract questions like What is the spirit? What is the self? We can’t keep discussing those forever! At some point, we also need to talk about how to make a good Ghormeh Sabzi or Gheimeh stew, or how to cook a delicious Abgoosht. Many people have actually brought their families together just by learning to cook a good meal. That, too, is part of the bigger picture.
That’s enough for today’s lesson. Thank you all. We’ll pick up next time from alteration. Thanks again.
Translated by: Companion Marjan
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3/24/2024