William White’s Legion News (Laleh Branch, Karaj)
Master’s Words:
Hello friends, I’m Khatereh, a traveler.
This week’s agenda is Judgment and Ignorance. In Congress 60’s teachings, we have the Cognizance Triangle and the Ignorance Triangle. The sides of the Ignorance Triangle are fear, despair, and arrogance. In our prayers, we say: God, save us from the most powerful enemy we have, which is our own ignorance. Because every mistake we make in life, and every wrong action, is the result of our ignorance. Usually, no one deliberately does the wrong thing. That’s why Mr. Dezhakam says: No one is truly bad. If a person does something wrong, it’s simply because they don’t yet realize the true value of good, or the true harm of bad. At the entrance of Congress 60’s branches, it is written: “First, recognize unknowing, so that you can truly understand what knowing means.”
In the First Valley, we learn what thinking or contemplation is — that before doing anything, we should pause and reflect, asking ourselves questions such as: Is this action right or wrong? Will what I say or do lead to a positive outcome or a harmful one? If I feel unwell or face a problem, will smoking help? Will it solve anything, or will it only add to my troubles and trap me further? In our first journey to recovery, we use the best remedies available. Opium Tincture (OT) and nicotine gum are the most effective substitutes, helping repair the body’s endorphin system — impaired by years of smoking or drug use — so it can function properly again.
But on this path, negative forces are always lying in wait, ready to deceive us in the most attractive ways, this is essentially the role of negative forces. In the CD “Inner Structure”, Mr. Amin explains this beautifully: every structure¬¬—whether positive or negative—strives to preserve and sustain itself. Negative forces always support one another and act together, because they know that if I manage to remove one foundation of this structure—for example, if I overcome my addiction—the next step will be to work on smoking, overweight, and other inner darknesses such as judgment, gossip, blame, and so on. That’s why, from the very first step, the negative forces or darknesses try to stop me—to prevent me from cutting off even the first head of this seven-headed dragon.
So, to prevent progress, obstacles first come from within, attacking through the sides of the Ignorance Triangle: fear, arrogance, and despair. First, fear takes action: What will my life be like if I stop smoking? How can I stay calm? What will fill that empty space? Next, arrogance intervenes: I came here to overcome my addiction; why are they interfering with my smoking? Why are they giving me so many orders? Transcribe the CD, remove your piercing, say and follow instructions— do they think I don’t know what’s best for myself? Then, despair steps in: I can’t do this. My problem or illness is different from others. My situation is unique. The path is too long. It’s impossible…
When I began my journey (to be liberated from addiction), the illnesses I had were just starting to show themselves. The doctors had told me that if I didn’t receive medical treatment, I would become paralyzed and have to use a wheelchair. But I had faith in Congress 60, and I chose this path. I must come to terms with myself so that, with the power of thought, love, and faith—and with the help of Congress 60’s recovery method—I can reach the desired outcome.
When we begin our journey, we may face many challenges and obstacles — this is the law of opposites. When I spent years serving negative forces and being part of their army, if I now want to change my path, they certainly won’t roll out a red carpet for me. In every way, they will try to block my progress. I might break a leg, go bankrupt, face emotional problems, and so on. Staying on this path depends on my will and resolve. If they are strong, I can endure these challenges. External forces may put me under pressure, but I have a set of powerful inner forces—Aql (wisdom), faith, and thought—which I can use to succeed in this struggle.
When the enemy attacks my city with drones, missiles, or other weapons, I can neutralize the attack with air defenses and other equipment—as long as my defensive forces function properly, the person operating them is alert, i.e. if I am fully prepared and vigilant, I can neutralize the outer forces’ actions. This way, before the missile hits my city, and before fear, despair, or other negative forces can overwhelm me, I can eliminate them immediately and prevent them from reaching their target.
We cannot stand in the middle. I cannot support what is right one day and what is wrong the next. I cannot smoke one day, chew nicotine gum another day, use both together sometimes, and go completely cold turkey on others—these approaches don’t work. I must choose my path: either I fully commit or I don’t.
Judgment is one of the most important issues emphasized in Congress 60 and is also mentioned in the Sanctity of Congress 60, the Code of Conduct, which is read twice in every workshop session. We do not have the right to blame others, speak behind their backs, or gossip. For example, if I see one of my fellow travelers dozing off or smelling of smoke, I might judge that they’ve smoked and skipped their program. I might even tell others and harm their reputation. Yet perhaps my friend didn’t sleep well last night and is simply tired, or they live with a brother or father who smokes, which makes their clothes smell, or there could be countless other reasons. All of us have good days and bad days. Judgment belongs to God, but in Congress 60 [the only exception of this rule is the judgement made by a person about themselves and the one made by a teacher about their students], then a Congress 60’s guide must make judgements about their pupils. The guides need to know whether the pupil is following the program or not, and perform the necessary checks so they can help if there’s a problem.
We have a narration from Imam Sadiq (the sixth Shia Imam), who said: “If you judge someone, you will not die until you do the same action once you have blamed.” We cannot know the full circumstances of others’ lives; perhaps, if we were in their situation, we might react even worse.
Our focus should always be on ourselves. Every lesson we receive in Congress 60 is meant solely to help us recognize and correct the darkness within—it is not about others. We are all experts at spotting others’ flaws; we judge and pass verdicts too easily. Each person is a package of both good and bad.
Anti-values, such as judgment, slander, and lying, strongly affect our endorphin system, just like smoking or drug use, disrupting the body’s balance. That is why this topic — Judgment and Ignorance — is one of our most important lessons. I hope that by putting these teachings into practice, we can reach our best state of well-being.
Typed and Submitted by: Traveler Khatereh, Laleh branch of Congress 60, Karaj, Iran
Translated by: Companion Samira, Legion 18, Sheikhbahaei branch of Congress 60, Isfahan, Iran
https://www.congress60.org/News/424557/%D8%A7%D8%AE%D8%A8%D8%A7%D8%B1-%D9%84%DA%98%DB%8C%D9%88%D9%86-%D9%88%DB%8C%D9%84%DB%8C%D8%A7%D9%85-%D9%88%D8%A7%DB%8C%D8%AA-%D9%86%D9%85%D8%A7%DB%8C%D9%86%D8%AF%DA%AF%DB%8C-%D9%84%D8%A7%D9%84%D9%87-%DA%A9%D8%B1%D8%AC