Interview with Mr. Amin Dezhakam: Part 1
The snow was falling as I headed to the Academy branch, my mind and thoughts in disarray. Once I arrived, joining the workshop session and seeing the dear Congress 60’s Didebans (Watchers) brought a sense of calm to my mind. During this beautiful week (Dideban’s Week), I felt the absence of Mr. Kourosh (the late Dideban of Congress 60) very deeply, though I was sure he was with us in spirit. My eyes kept turning toward the entrance, hoping to see Master Amin Dezhakam. When he finally walked in, it felt as if a gentle halo of light was illuminating his face. Some people’s names never fade from the heart; the Dezhakam family is one whose name will always remain alive in our memories and affections. After the workshop ended, we went to Master Amin’s office to request an appointment for an interview.
Our meeting with Master Amin that day was a little different from our previous visits, because Hamed and I had just passed the Guide Exams—Hamed as Guide and I as a Newcomers’ Guide in the Male Companion Group. When we spoke with him about our tasks, we felt his kindness up close and sat for a while listening to his words—words that carried the scent of heaven and gave me an extraordinary sense of peace. After our conversation ended, we waited for the interview. The Academy branch was crowded that day, and since Master Amin had returned after a while—and it was Dideban’s Week—many members from Tehran branches and even from other cities had come to offer congratulations, present [their gifts]—envelopes [of money]—or ask their questions.
I could hear Master Amin’s gentle voice addressing those gathered: “I can’t answer any more questions today.” He added that anyone who wished to take a photo should do so quickly, as a couple of members from branches outside Tehran had come for interviews. As I looked around, I noticed the crowd slowly thinning. A couple of people were still insisting on getting answers to their questions, and Master Amin, with that same unparalleled patience and kindness—a proud legacy inherited from his father—calmly and attentively responded to them. Hamed and I had been standing there for more than an hour, waiting for our turn, and only God knows how sweet it felt when Master Amin finally said, “Well then, let’s start the interview. Sorry to keep you waiting.”
Interviewer: Greetings, dear Master, and happy Dideban’s Week to you. Please introduce yourself as is customary in Congress 60.
Master Amin: Hello friends, I am Amin, a traveler. I began my research journey in 1387 (2008) with 2 grams of oral opium and 300 mg of smoked opium, and I reached liberation from addiction on Farvardin 15, 1393 (April 4, 2014). In the same year, I started my nicotine journey, and in 1394 (2015), under the guidance of Mr. Hossein Dezhakam, I achieved liberation from nicotine. My sport activities in Congress 60 include swimming and shooting.
Interviewer: Were there any obstacles or challenges along your X journey?
Master Amin: Actually, it wasn’t the “X” journey in its usual sense [because the X journey is designed for those who have been liberated from addiction with Opium Tincture (OT) and through the DST method, and due to some reasons like incurable diseases, they receive OT and start another journey again to rebuild their X system]. For me, it was; however, a research journey, during which I became a drug abuser first and then entered the cure process.
Interviewer: How can seeking—or not seeking—God’s help with problems and struggles affect a person’s life?
Master Amin: In the Holy Quran, it is stated, “Call upon Me, and I will answer you” (وَ قالَ رَبُّکُمُ ادْعُونِی أَسْتَجِبْ لَکُمْ, Surah Ghafir, verse 60). Mr. Dezhakam also emphasizes in the First Valley that truly believing in God creates a unique inner strength. When you follow the Straight Path (صراط المستقیم), that strength is always present. Actively calling upon God and asking for help reinforces it even further. There is another aspect to consider. When you believe genuinely trust and accept someone, you naturally turn to them for support. If you believe that a Supreme Power is Governing the existence, it would be impossible not to seek help from Him.
If that trust exists in your heart but you do not seek help, an inner contradiction arises. It is similar to how you treat someone you love: if you love a person, you will contact them, check on them, or acknowledge and congratulate special occasions and their birthday. Otherwise—if you do not do these tasks—it means either you do not believe in that person or you have no faith in the power of the Supreme Power. This shows that your connection with God is weak. Even while remaining on the Straight Path, divine support is always available. But when you truly believe and call upon God, miraculous effects occur, as if He is paying attention to you. In this way, the relationship becomes genuinely reciprocal.
Interviewer: Over the years you’ve been in Congress 60, what topic has stood out most prominently for you?
Master Amin: It has varied at different times. For example, at one point it was the feeling of love and possessiveness—my affection and the sense of belongingness of Mr. Dezhakam to me, where I wished he belonged only to me and that all his attention was focused on me. I also discussed this sense of possessiveness in the CD “Barriers to Affection.” Later, other topics became prominent, such as conceit and arrogance, which were particularly noticeable in the early stages. After that, the issue of the “Complex of love” arose. If this complex or knot remains unresolved, it can lead to idolatry (lack of belief in God’s dominance over everything). Next came the matter of free will taking precedence over love. Free will can be seen as the vessel, with love as the content that the vessel holds. The content might be as sweet as honey, but it requires the right vessel to contain it. Another example is the “knot of power,” where people seek confirmation, respect, obedience, or approval from others, or want to do their work correctly and gain satisfaction from it, or simply to be liked. Overall, at each stage of my journey, a particular theme—such as blasphemy [کفر] or other challenges—stood out.
Interviewer: Where did the main idea of the Cognizance Triangle and the Ignorance Triangle come from?
Master Amin: The idea originally came from the challenges I faced at university. I struggled a lot and worked hard to pass my courses because failure could lead to expulsion from the university—though I was temporarily expelled once. Despite my strong desire to succeed, meet the university’s standards, and earn good grades, I wasn’t achieving the results I wanted. That’s when the Cognizance Triangle became clear to me, and I realized where the problem lay. I was very persistent, often spending hours or even days thinking about a single problem. I had strong thinking skills, and naturally, someone with strong thinking should achieve good results. Yet, when I took an exam, I scored a 4! Without much thought, I might have scored a 10. I couldn’t understand why this was happening.
The key lesson I learned was that to succeed, to be capable, or to truly understand the essence of a matter, thinking alone is not enough. There are other factors, and thinking is just one of them. That’s when I realized the importance of proper instruction. I had previously thought attending classes was a waste of time, believing I could achieve better results by studying alone at home. But I realized that learning under proper instruction was essential, and it was my own arrogance that had prevented me from attending classes and learning effectively. That’s when proper instruction came into play, followed by Experience [the other side of the Cognizance Triangle]—it means a person must be in the community, among friends and acquaintances, experiencing different feelings, and using those experiences.
The most important part of the process was proper instruction [one of the sides of the Cognizance Triangle]. I began attending classes, learning, and connecting with others at university. Once the Cognizance Triangle became clear to me, I was able to complete 20 credits that semester with high grades. From that day on, the triangle became even clearer, and I applied it in all areas of life. A year later, I included it in the Worldview Pamphlets.
To be continued…
Prepared by: Companion Mahdi, Caspian Branch of Congress 60, Qazvin, Iran
Typed by: Traveler Mahdi, Caspian Branch of Congress 60, Qazvin, Iran
Translated by: Companion Samira, Legion 18, Sheikhbahaei branch of Congress 60, Isfahan, Iran
Revised and edited by: Elahe
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