With strength drawn from the Absolute Power of God, we begin this session.
Hello, friends. I am Hossein, a traveler and the session guardian.
(Audience responds: Hello, Hossein!)
I kindly ask everyone to observe fourteen seconds of silence to seek refuge in the Almighty and free ourselves from our greatest enemy—our own ignorance and unawareness.
Thank you, my friends. I request the esteemed secretary, Ms. Mona, to announce the summary of the previous session’s performance and today’s agenda. Hello, friends. I am Mona, a traveler. Today, dated January, 21, 2014 [in Iranian date: Bahman, the first, 1392], the fourteenth session of the twenty-fourth period, under the guidance and guardianship of Mr. Dezhakam and , Ms. Mona, as the secretary commenced at exactly 8:30 a.m. with the agenda: “The Duties of the Pupil”. Thank you.
Mr. Dezhakam: Thank you, the esteemed secretary. I will read one paragraph, then I will proceed to the discussion. This paragraph is from “Ra’ad” (Ra’ad is one of Mr. Dezhakam”s masters, and in Persian this word means Thunder). This paragraph dates back to April 2001. Ra’ad: “Peace be upon the man who enters through hearts and prescribes remedies with compassion, while others trained in the academy of life are incapable of interacting with and prescribing for travelers [those individuals who are under treatment to cure their addiction. Salutations to you, O old friend. It is good that you have absorbed the messages in this way and applied them in words. You needed to learn these matters while awake. Now you know well that the world, in all its dimensions, is undergoing a new change, and we are somewhat behind in our own land—of course, I mean our country and earth [Iran]. It is incumbent upon you that through this new movement, its expansion, and the understanding of man [and guiding them] towards evolution, actions should be taken to facilitate this, the primary foundation of which is the existence of these forgotten human beings [addicts]. Everything in action, combined with correct thought, wisdom, and calculated compassion, is priceless. Your movements in all affairs are very acceptable and sustainable.”
Mr. Dezhakam: The most important point for us is that we gain the ability to enter through hearts with compassion. No one can enter hearts through anger or force. I have told you many times: All human beings have two faces—one is very wrathful, stormy, and rebellious, and the other is very calm and dignified. All human beings. I believe that inherently bad people do not exist at all. God did not create any human being whose entire essence is badness. Their root and origin are not evil. Based on the situation a person experiences, they show one of their faces. Perhaps when circumstances arise, the most compassionate human beings can transform into the angriest and maddest of creatures. Those who cannot even harm or kill a butterfly or a sparrow might end up killing hundreds of people! It all depends on which face humans show us. Therefore, it is we who are the determinants. We determine how people behave and how they react. That reaction is in our hands. So this law applies to all human beings—both to the guide and to the pupil. What you can accomplish with compassion, you cannot accomplish with anger, irritation, or arguments. But you must learn how. When I say “show compassion,” I don’t mean always be compassionate. When a ferocious lion attacks, that is no longer the time for compassion—so compassion is valued in its place.
All humans are good; humans are not bad. It is about how we behave! Either we can provoke people through our behavior, or we can goad them and make them angry! A person comes and behaves a certain way with you. Perhaps they have been filled up (with negativity) by some people, perhaps they have been provoked, perhaps their ignorance has been exploited. That is why I always tell you: Pay attention to the depth of people, to the depth of their words. Go inside them. Do not just listen to their talk—see what is inside them.
Therefore, we accepted a case (addiction) that has been abandoned by other people who had once accepted to cure it. That case is the definitive cure and achieving balance for an addicted individual. The agenda is “The Duties of the Pupil”. You see, we have tried in Congress 60 to choose our words carefully, because the words themselves carry their own concepts and awareness. For example, in Congress 60 we use the word “traveler” to address the addicts. These words didn’t exist in this context, I mean they have been invented or newly named for a set of concepts. For example, the word “traveler” is used for a substance user or an addict who intends to cure their addiction. In the past, people thought that anyone who uses substances is a traveler! No (with a laughing tone)—not every addict is a traveler! The difference between a traveler and an addict is this: An “addict” is someone who uses, constantly uses drugs, and wants to keep using. However, a “traveler” [مسافر] is someone who no longer wants to use drugs, who has started their treatment, and who is traveling from darkness into light, from ignorance to cognizance and from humiliation to dignity. A “Companion” [همسفر] also carries its own meaning. Again, in Congress 60, we use the word “Border guard” (Marzban مرزبان), which has its own meaning—the one who has to ensure both the geographical border of the Congress 60 branch and the border of “Laws” and the sanctity of Congress 60, all of which are entrusted to him. He must protect both the material borders and the spiritual borders.
Or we come to the “Watcher” (Dideban دیدهبان)—those authorities in Congress 60 who must oversee the entire matter, see, observe, and diagnose. All these words are used in their proper place. When we say “Guide” (Rahnamā راهنما ). We do not say “sick” or “patient” here. We do not call the addicts sick—that may be the common term, but in Congress 60, addicts are not called “sick”. In Congress 60, they are not called “patients”; they are not even called “addicts”. And the one who seeks to guide them toward recovery is not called a “therapist”! In Congress 60, we have no therapist, no physician, no social worker, no counselor—we have none of these. In Congress 60, we have a “Guide” (Rahnamā) and a “pupil” (Rahjoo رهجو)."
A guide (Rahnamā) is someone who makes the path clear and shows the way. The name itself explains it [in Persian, Rahnama consists of Rah+Nama, Rah means way and Nama means the person who shows the way. If you want to climb Mount Everest, a local from that area, who might not even be literate, comes and shows you the path. What do they do? They point the way. The greatest geography professors from the University of Washington, Harvard, and elsewhere—when they are on Mount Everest, they must say “Yes, sir!” to whatever that guide says. They must follow his instructions, because he knows the way. If they don’t listen to him, it could lead to their death. It’s his expertise. He has no diploma at all. His diploma is written on him—an unwritten certificate that says this person knows this work. So, a guide—what do they do? They make the path clear, they show the way. Therefore, a guide in Congress 60 is not a sage, not a doctor, not a therapist, none of those, not a counselor. What do they do? They show the way. Who is a pupil (Rahjoo رهجو)? Rah + Joo (path + pupil): someone who seeks the path. We use the word Daneshamooz “Danesh + Amooz” for the word student: Danesh means knowledge and Amooz means someone who learns knowledge; they are being educated to gain knowledge. Then they reach a stage where we no longer call them a “student” (Danesh Amooz), but Daneshjoo [University student] consisting of “Danesh + Joo” (knowledge pupil): someone who themselves seeks knowledge. Or we have the word Jangjoo (جنگجو) “Jang + Joo”: someone who seeks war; or the word Razmjoo “Razm + Joo”: someone who seeks battle. Here we have Rahjoo, “Rah + Joo”: someone who searches for the path. A pupil or a pupil tries to find the path. They don’t know the path; but [here] they find it. So the person who comes to Congress 60 must be a pupil, they must be given the name “pupil” [pupil]. Someone who does not want to seek the path and find it cannot come to Congress 60 at all; they are of no use to us. When we speak of the duties of the pupil (pupil), the first duty is inherent in their name: they must want to find the path. Which path? The path to recovery from addiction, the path to health, the path out of darkness, the path out of fear, the path out of humiliation, the path out of hatred. A person wants to find this path. If they want to find this path, then they enter Congress 60 and become a pupil.
If one’s parents force them and bring them here to Congress 60 by force, that person does not become a pupil [pupil]! That becomes a “by-force pupil”—I don’t know what to call them. It happens by force, and therefore this person cannot be considered a pupil at all. A pupil is someone who comes of their own accord. As someone once said: if you want to become a Muslim, this must be reflected in your own thought, word, and deed. If you want to be a student or pupil, this must be reflected in your thought, intention, speech, and action. Here we are dealing with a pupil or pupil. We have not patients here. You take a patient to a doctor; the doctor pulls his tooth with pliers or with their own devices. Whether the patient is Christian, atheist, religious, German, Russian—it doesn’t matter. Whether the doctor knows the patient’s language or not, they pull the tooth. Whether the patient speaks Russian or French, to the doctor, it doesn’t matter at all. Whatever language they speak, the doctor uses their own tool and extracts the tooth. Or if the heart is bad, the doctor splits open the chest, cuts it, grafts the vessels, performs a bypass, and so on. Whether the patient speaks Persian or Arabic, whoever they are, it doesn’t matter at all—the doctor does their own job. But this does not hold true here! In Congress 60, a person must be a pupil. That is a patient is different from a pupil. Here, a pupil must want it themselves. So if someone does not want it themselves, they never become a pupil. Therefore, the term “pupil” applies to someone who, with their own mind or thought, words, and actions wants to find the path. This clarifies our duty. If the person doesn’t want it, they will be removed from the process. So, when a pupil enters Congress 60, the first thing they do is to be a Congress 60’s guest for three sessions. We consider three sessions to give them the opportunity to see whether they accept Congress 60 or not. Does Congress 60 suit this person or not? Can they cure their addiction here or not? Usually, during these three sessions, we don’t give any specific program, except in certain special circumstances where we might do a little adjustment. So when they come here, they are a guest for these three sessions. They can continue to come, or don’t, they can decide to stay or go—there’s no obligation. But at this point, this person is not yet called a pupil; they are called a “newcomer”. They are not called a “traveler” either. This person is just a newcomer, because it is not clear whether they will stay or go. After three sessions, the person chooses a guide. When an individual chooses a guide, then they become a pupil, then they become a traveler. In two or three sessions, the person might be confused and not yet familiar. But within these three sessions, the person enters the stage of choosing a guide, and they must choose their guide themselves!
"When a person wants to choose a guide, they must choose their guide based on their own feeling. They must trust their own intuition. The person should never go by what other people say. They may say “Go with so-and-so”. The newcome should not accept anyone’s recommendation. They must trust their own feeling in this matter. I have never recommend any guide for the newcomers and this is what my assistants in this part testify this matter. I have never directed anyone toward any guide! Perhaps in one or two special cases with very specific circumstances, or a particular illness, I might have said, “Go to and select So-and-so as your guide,” but I have never recommended anyone in any other case. Neither have I said “Go here” nor “Go there.”
Neither I nor all those who work here in Congress 60 are allowed to tell a pupil, “It would be better for you to go with so-and-so; this person is better or more qualified.” None of this exists—absolutely not. Whenever they ask us, “Which one do you say is better?” we say, “We don’t know! Choose your guide yourself.” They say, “Between these two, or these three, which one do you say I should go with?” We say, “We cannot tell you which one to go with. Go wherever you yourself want.” So within these first three sessions, after gathering information, they must conduct some research—which sometimes they don’t do, because they have not become a member of Congress 60 yet and still lack sufficient information. Then they must choose their own guide based on their own intuition and sensation.
It is possible for a newcomer wants to survey (which guide to choose) during this period; however, it is a bit difficult. They must be wise to make a (good) decision; and only God knows how wisdom (in an individual) works, and the rest must be done based on their own intuition and sensation. If they trust their intuition, it’s far better than listening to others” recommendations.
Of course, it might happen that a pupil’s intuition leads them to join a particular legion [a group of pupils under the supervision of a Congress 60 guide], but that legion is closed. That’s not the newcomer’s fault. So the pupil should choose at least two or three potential guides in their mind, so that if one is told their legion is full, they can choose another guide, in this case, a newcomer must memorize the potential guides’ names and remember their names as they want to enter their legion.
The next stage: once a newcome becomes a pupil, once they fully step into the role of a pupil, they must have a goal. A pupil is not without purpose, we cannot claim that a pupil wants to find the path, but they have not any goal. Their goal is to cure their addiction and reach recovery. It’s in their own interest to reach recovery. Once they enter a legion, they must believe in Congress 60. If they do not believe in it, they shouldn’t join. That’s why they are allowed [to think] for three initial sessions are for—to help them figure out what to do and what not to do.
Fortunately, when it comes to deciding whether to stay in Congress 60 or leave, Congress 60 has a very good setup and helps the pupil. How does Congress 60 help? Through role models. A newcomer or pupil can look at the role models. Our job here is not like [those surgeons] who have done ten nose surgeries or a hundred, and five of those hundred turned out beautifully, and they only show photos of those five—pretty people with nice eyes and eyebrows where everything matches—while the other ninety-five, who ended up with terrible ugly noses, are never shown. That’s not how it works here. Everyone we’ve worked with is present. Most of those who have reached liberation from addiction are present. A newcomer and pupil can see the role models with their own eyes. When I give consultations to newcomers, sometimes during the conversation I say, “Look—this person, this person, this person, these four helping me right now—this one used to be crystal meth consumer, this one used to use crack, this one used to opium.” And they say, “What? No way—there’s no way they used to use.” That’s the point. Because the newcomers are shown real role models, they can make a decision.
And once they make that decision, they need to believe. Once they enter Congress 60, from that point until they reach liberation from addiction, certain things become forbidden for them—meaning, from Congress 60’s perspective, it is their duty not to do them. They must either come to Congress 60 for curing their addiction or go to another group. They cannot do both simultaneously. They can come as a guest, but they cannot participate in Congress 60’s meetings and at the same tile other NGOs’. They must either be an NA (Narcotics Anonymous) pupil, a Congress 60 pupil, or an “X” pupil—I mention NA because it’s well known. They must either join another group or join Congress 60. They cannot attend two groups at the same time. That is one of the duties of a pupil.
The person cannot say, “There’s no harm in it—I’ll benefit from both Congress 60 and NA.” NA has many positive qualities—I’m not saying NA is bad. Not at all. NA is very good and very successful. What I mean is, the individuals must choose one, because neither our paths nor our goals are the same. In the past, members used to say, “Our goals are all the same.” Now I say: no, our goals are not the same. For example, one group’s goal is “quitting addiction.” Our goal in Congress 60 is “curing addiction.” These are different. Quitting addiction and curing addiction are not the same thing. Each group has its own goal. An individual must choose to either go there or come here. Either an individual comes to Congress 60, or—if they want to come to Congress 60 and also attend meditation classes—no, they are not allowed. They must either attend Congress 60 classes or go to meditation. An individual is not allowed to come here and also attend spiritual classes—no. Congress 60 says it is forbidden. As long as you are coming to Congress 60, come here. When you are finished with Congress 60, go somewhere else. Because attending both groups creates confusion. If you want to go to spiritual classes and also come to Congress 60, know that Congress 60 has so many educational resources you need to use and learn from that you won’t have time for that other thing. But when you are done here, go wherever you want, and you will be farewelled. However, the period of your first journey to cure your addiction in Congress 60 is like a period when you are in the hospital. During this period, an individual must believe in Congress 60. Next, they must believe in their guide. The pupil must have belief in their guide. If they don’t, it won’t work. They must have faith in their guide, otherwise, their addiction won’t be cured and the guide must build this trust. As one of Congress 60’s guide once said to his students: “For your own benefit, imagine that I am really knowledgeable and sage.” It is in the pupils’ best interest to assume their guide is knowledgeable; and the guides are truly knowledgeable, in the area of substances and addiction treatment, [they know what to do] and pupils must trust their guide. All guides lead to results—some slightly lower, some slightly higher.
One of the pupil’s duties is to have complete trust in their guide. The next issue: when a pupil’s first journey (course of treatment) begins, the pupil must leave everything they have outside the door of Congress 60. Everything they own is worth nothing to Congress 60. When the pupil enters Congress 60 in the addiction curing process, all of that is worthless. All titles one carry are just a name. Someone may come to Congress 60 with a doctorate—that doctorate is worth nothing here. Here, they are a pupil. They are afforded the respect of a pupil, and we do respect them—we must respect them. Here, they receive the respect of a pupil, but not the respect of a doctorate. They may come in as an engineer—they receive the respect of a pupil, not the respect of an engineer. They may have a bachelor’s degree, a master’s degree—none of that matters. This person might be an international instructor or coach in some field, a world champion calligrapher, a world champion skier—all of this is worth absolutely nothing during the first journey. The only things that have value during the first journey are traveling correctly, staying on track, and being disciplined and ordered.
The only things that have value during the first journey are traveling correctly, being disciplined, and being ordered. The criteria are: courtesy, discipline, conscientiousness, and curing one’s addiction. None of those other things are criteria in Congress 60, nor do they have any value here. They have value outside of Congress 60, but not here. Why don’t they have value? Because if they had value, they wouldn’t have let you become an addict in the first place! I am a heroin addict, but I also have a post-doctoral training in space navigation. That’s great—but what does it do for my addiction treatment? Nothing.
This also applies to companions (family members), and it makes no difference. A companion comes to Congress 60 because her son is using drugs. The parent may be a minister or hold a Ph.D. in something—that means nothing to Congress 60. In Congress 60, the only title that a companion carries is simply “a companion”. It doesn’t matter to us if a companion is a doctor herself, because her husband or son is a drug-abuser. They may have a Ph.D. in whatever. In Congress 60, this lady is just a pupil. The fact that an abuser’s parent is a doctor or a high-ranking official—that’s fine, that’s wonderful—but what does that do for their son’s addiction treatment? Nothing. Because if their doctorate, money, wealth, or position had any real value, it could have prevented their son or husband from becoming an addict in the first place.
My point is, those things have value outside [Congress 60], but not in curing addiction. Here, they must lower their head and say, “Yes, sir.” Here, they become a pupil. And a pupil is not just a traveler. A companion is also a pupil. All the female companions—every single one of them—are pupils when they enter Congress 60, they must sit down, and listen. The men are the same. When pupils enter the journey, some of them—especially in the beginning—sit down and say things like, “This paragraph should be phrased differently from a literary perspective.” I tell them, “That is none of your concern. Just do your own work.” Or they say, “It would be better if we passed the baskets [for collecting voluntary money] around at the beginning of the session instead of at the end.” Or, “This Order Guardian [one who keeps order in Congress 60 meetings] should handle the order differently.” Or, “You shouldn’t say hello so much.” We say: “None of this concerns you. For now, just complete your educational stages.” They need to understand that their opinions are not useful here.
For example, now that I want to form a financial legion, I have said to exclude those on their first journey. The rule is: to join the financial legion, one must pay five million tomans minimum; all branches will form a financial legion. We form financial legions to buy and build land and such for Congress 60. An individual on his first journey came and said he wanted to join the financial legion, he said, “I will pay twenty million tomans,” I say, “Cross his name off the list.” He has come and said, “Sir, I want to give twenty million tomans.” I said, “You cannot give. Cross their name off.” Another person came and said, “My son is in Congress 60. I am willing to donate a piece of land worth five hundred million tomans.” I said, “We don’t want it. We won’t take it from you. We won’t accept it from you. When your son gets better, then give. When you have completed your second journey, then give the amount of money you want. Even their money is of no use here.
People may laugh and say, “Oh, Mr. Dezhakam, someone is offering twenty million tomans and you won’t take it? Are you crazy? They are donating land worth five hundred million tomans and you refuse?”
I say: If that parent donates five hundred million tomans worth of land, their child will never reach recovery. Their child is on the first journey. They will come here thinking that because their father donated land, instead of taking one cc Opium Tincture [OT], they should take 15 cc. Because their father donated money, this young person shouldn’t have to taper his dosage of OT. Because their father donated land, even the Didebans [Watchers] should stand up in front of him, show respect, greet him. And deep down, they will think: “You poor, wretched guide—my father gave all of this to you. If it weren’t for my father, you would be out on the sidewalk.” These are the dialogues that go on inside their heads.
I say: When your child reaches liberation from addiction and becomes a balanced person, then I will accept your help. In other words, we do not accept help from just anyone. Because they are not in balance—they are not stable. If they were balanced, yes. But since they are [in the first journey and therefore] not balanced, we cannot accept. When someone offers me about 500 million tomans and I don’t accept, I may be called a naïve or stupid; however, I do not accept that money, because I receive this money, their son won’t be cured and liberated from addiction. Because they think when they have donated money, now they can violate the rules of Congress 60 and they can behave however they want, they expect that the Didebans respect them, stand up upon this person’s entrance; and say hello; because this son may think “ oh, my father has donated that much money so that this guide can serve here, otherwise, you poor guides had to hold your classes in sidewalks. These dialogues may occur in their minds; however, when you are liberated from addiction and you are balanced, I can take your help and money. Then, we do not accept money from whoever offers, because they are not balanced, I do not these people’s donated money or land, because their duty here is to be cured and liberation from addiction is most important matter.
All pupils need to understand this point: some of them think that if they provide extra services to the guide or to Congress 60, they will get better. No—that is not how they get better. Not at all.
Even if they donate five hundred million tomans worth of land, they won’t be liberated from addiction and they won’t feel well. Whenever any of my own relatives want to come to Congress 60, I tell them: Do not introduce yourself at all. No one should know that you are related to me. If you want to get better—because this is not like the relation between a doctor and patient. This is different—it’s a guide and a pupil relationship. They think that if they bring the guide gifts all the time, they will get better faster. No—that is not how it works at all.
If a pupil takes their guide to their house every night, feeds them dinner, takes them out, up north to a villa—this is strictly forbidden in Congress 60. Some people secretly think that if they take the guide up north to a villa, slaughter a chicken for them—or a duck, or a goose, or give them a sheep, or do this or that, or do different things for them, and then fill the trunk of their car with fruit—that their traveler will get better quickly. I swear by God, by the Prophet, by the saints—their traveler will not get better at all. These pupils will stop listening to their guides. So, it is part of a pupil’s duty to understand this.
Everything must remain balanced. If the pupils want to give their guide a gift, I have no objection. Give it on the appointed Guides’ day, during the appropriate ceremony. But let them give it out of love and affection—not because they think giving it will make them get better faster. That will not make them better at all. We have many examples of this—people who did such things and never got cured.
One of our relatives wanted to come and enter Congress 60. Their liberation from addiction was just a few days ago. Amin had told them: Do not introduce yourself at all until you reach liberation from addiction.
My own brother came, went up to get his OT syrup, and the person in charge of OT asked him, “Are you a Dezhakam? Are you a Master Dezhakam’s relative?” Because his last name was Dezhakam, he said, “We just share a similar last name—our names are similar, our family names are alike—but we have no other relationship.” And that’s how they continued until he reached liberation from addiction.
To every friend of mine, every relative who comes to Congress 60, I advise the guide: Be strict with this person. Be even stricter. If you love me, if you love Dezhakam, be strict with this pupil so that they get cured and recovered.
So one of the key points is that the pupil must understand that their own knowledge—whether they are a companion or a traveler or whatever—is of no use here. You sit in your legion as a companion and want to recite Hafez, recite Rumi’s poems, quote hadiths, do those kinds of things—it is of no use in the legion. If you know Rumi’s poetry so well, if you are such an expert on Hafez, why didn’t you raise your own family properly? Why did they end up in such disarray [why are you so upset]? If you know so many hadiths, why didn’t you use them to prevent your son, spouse, or loved one from becoming a drug abuser? Now that they already became abusers, set those things aside for now. Go sit down, read your own “Valleys” (Congress 60 educational texts), listen to your own CDs, and do your own work.
The next issue is that you must have belief in Congress 60. One must believe that Congress 60’s method will lead you to treatment. Congress 60 is not the goal. I have said many times: Congress 60 is a means. It is a vehicle that can take you to liberation from addiction. The worldviews of Congress 60 are not the goal. They are the means, the tools. You must read and study them in order to reach liberation from addiction. You must believe in Congress 60, believe in your guide, believe in the treatment method. Come, look, see—when you see that all these people have been successfully cured using one method, you must obey and say “Yes, sir.” When you accept the treatment method, you must accept the guide’s words. If the guide says “reduce your OT amount”, the pupil must say “Yes, sir.” If they say “increase,” you must say “Yes, sir.” Whatever they say, your response must be “Yes, sir.”
The pupil should not offer suggestions to the guide. Do not come to the guide and say, “In my opinion, it would be better to reduce by half a CC,” or “In my opinion, it would be better not to reduce the dose this week,” or “In my opinion...” — put your opinion is of no use. Whenever a pupil comes to me and says “in my opinion,” even if that opinion is correct, I will not follow it. I say, “I did not ask for your opinion. Instead, I ask you questions: Is your sleep good? How are you? Do you have pain in your feet? What’s wrong? Do you have any problems?” We [guides] must ask questions [not the pupil].
Look—we are not doctors. And when I say that, God forbid, I mean no disrespect to doctors. Let me give an example so you understand better what I mean. A doctor or psychiatrist goes to a clinic and has to see forty patients. Because there are few doctors, doctors have little time, and there are many patients, within two, three, four hours—half a day or a full day—they must examine forty patients. When they have to see forty patients, and they don’t have time. They visit the first forty patients this week or this month. The next forty patients might be seen by another doctor. The patient may have to come back in a week, two weeks, a month, six months, a year. They have no time. Plus, they have to make a living. There are a thousand constraints for doctors, [that is why doctors or psychiatrists do not talk to their patients].
However, in Congress 60, you have lots of time and your patients here are not constantly changing [each guide has about 20 pupils in a legion]. Your patients are consistent. Twice a week, you visit your pupils. You need to talk to them. Ask them: “Is your sleep good? Is your sleep not good? Do your feet hurt? Do your feet not hurt?” You have this opportunity because you are with them consistently. Talk to these three today, the next three tomorrow. This is the opportunity. And the patient must have complete faith in Congress 60’s treatment method.
Next, they must believe in the medicine—in the Opium Tincture “OT.” You must have faith in it. If you don’t have faith, you will not reach liberation from addiction. So there must be belief in the treatment, belief in the teachings of Congress 60. They must trust the teachings of Congress 60, accept them. They must use the educational texts of Congress 60.
Look—addiction is not so simple that you can come, take a pill, undergo some treatment, and be done—off you go, back to your life. You witness that each of you spends three hundred, four hundred hours in educational workshops just to get recovered from addiction. At least three to four hundred hours of education are needed—meaning your work is very, very hard.
Your inner journey [where you want to change your habits and traits] is far, far more difficult [than the outer journeys]. For an outer journey, you buy a ticket and go to China, go to America, wherever you want. But the inner journey—that is very, very hard. Because Congress 60 addresses the body, the mind, and the worldview—because worldview is part of the treatment. When one believes in the method of Congress 60, I mean when a person has complete belief in the worldview; worldview here means educations provided by Congress 60, it means all the Valleys, [celebrating] guides’ week and other trainings.
You must have complete belief in these. As part of the pupil’s duties, they must work on one [educational] CD per week. The guides dictate this, all pupils must listen to one CD. The guides must bring about a transformation in pupils. That addicted person must truly die. The addicted person who enters Congress 60 must die. A “traveler” must emerge from within the addict. Like the phoenix in mythology—they say that when the phoenix wants to reproduce, it beats its wings so violently that it catches fire and turns to ash, and from that ash, a new phoenix arises.
As I have said, no human being is inherently bad. It is human teachings and human interpretations that have made people bad. We must provide correct education. In my opinion, for several centuries, correct, practical education has not been given [to people]—the right measures have not been taught. If we want security and peace to be established among us, education must certainly be provided and the educational CDs must certainly be used. He must believe in the Sanctity (Hormat حرمت) of Congress 60. When the “Sanctity of Congress 60” is read, we must believe in it. When it says: “Do not speak against anyone, do not blame anyone, do not pry into anyone’s affairs, do not lie”—we must abide by that.
The educational CDs must certainly be used. He must believe in the Sanctity of (Hormat) of Congress 60. When the “Sanctity of Congress 60” is read, we must believe in it. When it says: “Do not speak against anyone, do not blame anyone, do not pry into anyone’s affairs, do not lie”—we must abide by that. A pupil should not establish outside connections with Congress 60 members. When a pupil believes in the sanctity of Congress 60, they should not associate with first‑journey travelers, become friends with them, or hang out with them. Someone once said, “I didn’t follow the sanctity of Congress 60, leave it—they [Congress 60] talk too much. Then I went with a first‑journey traveler, before our friendship, I used opium; however, through associating with him, I even learned how to cook opium-extract, then my drug changed to opium-extract.” Through these communications, another person will learn to use crystal meth. Many things are learned from first‑journey travelers. Therefore, a pupil must believe in the sanctity of Congress 60.
Everything stated in the “Sanctity of Congress 60” must be fully believed and followed. They must believe in the rules of Congress 60. I repeat again, liberation from addiction is an extremely difficult and seemingly impossible task. From the perspective of people on this planet and various groups, it is impossible to cure addiction. From the world’s perspective, curing addiction is impossible. Only we, Congress 60, have come and said: it is possible. With all these conditions, I don’t want to scare you by saying it’s very, very hard. It is both hard and easy. If you follow the things I am telling you, it is easier than a piece of cake. Those who stray and are not following the program are miserable people, wretched people, poor souls. They are people who do not understand. They are people who have not experienced the joy. If they stay on the right program [DST protocol] and follow it correctly, there is a pleasure in the first journey that exists nowhere else. Nowhere else can you find this pleasure. If they follow the program correctly in the first journey, they experience a joy that they will not experience in the second journey, nor in the third [from Mr. Dezhakam’s perspective, human beings are to travel through three different stages or journeys]. The first journey [to be liberated from addiction] is a very, very good stage. Some people, out of misery and wretchedness, ruin it. They turn it into a disaster. They enjoy neither their first journey, nor their second journey when they are liberated from addiction. Therefore, it is important to believe in these rules. Believe in the Border Guards (Marzbanān). Whatever they say, a pupil accept it, act upon it, listen to it. It is among the duties of the guide to elevate the Border Guards [position], to protect their standing, and to train their pupils—to discipline them and to speak about them in such a way that when pupils go to the Border Guards, they speak politely and respectfully. Teach your students. If the Border Guards are strong and powerful, you will have peace and comfort in your legion. So you must respect them. The Border Guards, in turn, must treat the guides with respect. And the pupils must do the same. Therefore, they must believe in the Border Guards and understand that the Border Guard can hold them accountable and plays a very important role in their journey.
A pupil must believe in the treatment. They must believe in balance—that they can be fully liberated from addiction and reach recovery in Congress 60. Another matter that is among the duties of the pupil is attendance in class. A pupil must be present in the educational workshop 15 minutes before the session begins. They should not think that they can just come at legion time and say, “Oh, this is all repetitive—I already know all of it.” [after the public meeting, the legion consisting of a guide and their pupils gather together and the guide provides education and discusses a CD and the pupils share their own contributions based on the CD].
A pupil must know that they don’t know anything. If they knew, they wouldn’t be five minutes late. You must attend all workshop sessions from the very beginning—15 minutes before the start time. Another duty of the pupil is to understand that the traffic problem has been solved in Congress 60. And time itself has been invented in Congress 60. Outside, there are two major problems for people. One is traffic—everywhere they go, they arrive late and say, “It was traffic.” The other is that they don’t know time—time hasn’t been invented yet. For example, they say a conference starts at 9:00 a.m., but it actually starts at 10:30 a.m. You ask, “What time is the appointment?” They say, “Tomorrow between 9 and 10—is that good?” And the other person says, “Yes, that’s fine.” Well, what kind of appointment is “between 9 and 10”? Because time hasn’t been invented yet.
However, I say, “[be there], tomorrow at exactly 10:00, or exactly 9:00, or 9:15, or 9:10. [and all the members are there at the supposed time]” You see, outside Congress 60, time hasn’t been invented—but in Congress 60, it has been. Because when my session is at 9:00 a.m., it starts exactly at 9:00 a.m.—maybe two minutes to 9:00 or one minute to 9:00, I start. It is very rare for me to start at 9:01 or 9:02. So, time has been invented in Congress 60. But in some places, it hasn’t. outside Congress 60, a session is to start at 9:00 a.m. At 10:30 a.m., we ask, “Why haven’t you started?” They say, “Because the Minister was supposed to come—he hasn’t arrived, and we won’t start until he gets here.” Three hundred people sit waiting for the Minister. What if the Minister never comes? Send his deputy. Send his director general. They are supposed to teach me—I am supposed to learn from the Minister.
I am supposed to learn from the Director General. I am supposed to learn from the President. Learn what? Punctuality. If the Minister, the President, or the lawyer is invited to a session that starts at 9:00 a.m., he should be there at 9:00 a.m. so that I can learn from him. If I don’t learn from him, from whom am I supposed to learn? If the Director General has been supposed to start at 9:00 a.m., he should be present. When he shows up at 9:30 a.m., I learn from him that I should be late, and I suppose that just like him, I, too, must arrive late. That is why we say that in some places in Iran, time hasn’t been invented yet. I have very rarely seen a conference, an exhibition, a meeting, or a research session start at the exact stated time. Starting on time, as announced, seems impossible. There are very few places where it happens—or where it ends on time—it just doesn’t happen. When you see that a group of people—doctors, director generals, presidents—don’t know how to be punctual, what exactly are we supposed to learn from them?
So, when you see that a group of people—doctors, director generals, presidents—don’t even know how to be punctual, what exactly are we supposed to learn from them? Someone who doesn’t know how to manage their own time—believe me, everything else they say is worthless.
Therefore, the pupil must understand time. They must know time. That means a pupil who is a heroin user, a crack user, a crystal meth user—someone everyone looks down on—must learn to be punctual. They must learn to respect time, something that director generals and many prominent figures do not respect. They must learn to be on time.
People are not the punchlines of a Director General who was supposed to come at 9:00 a.m. but shows up at 10:00. It’s not that person’s fault, it is everyone else’s fault. If they start the session on time just twice, the authorities will pay attention [and will be punctual]. It seems that outside of Congress 60, the later you are, the higher your status. If the session starts at 10:00 a.m. and you show up exactly at 10:00, that means you have no personality at all—you’re insignificant, you’re nobody important, you’re just someone with nothing to do. It is believed that the later you arrive, the more important, more prestigious, more valuable you are. They think if the session starts at 9:00, and you show up at 9:30, 10:00, 9:45, or 40 minutes late—then you are a very important and impressive person. This is totally wrong.
The meaning of some words have been twisted [in our culture], for instance, a thief is called “clever.” It’s all been distorted. A traitor is called “clever”—no, not at all.
Anyway, the pupil must know time: they must be present in their class 15 minutes before the session starts, and present in their legion.
Another duty of the pupil is to serve. Service is something that makes the traveler feel good—travelers don’t realize this [truth that serving here will make them feel good]. Congress 60 has no servants. In no branch of Congress 60 do we have anyone called a janitor, a maid, a tea server, or a cleaner—not at all. From the very beginning, the structure of Congress 60 has been this way.
In any office you go to, there is a tea server. In any office, employees from other organizations come to clean the floors. For example, I am an employee—someone else has to come sweep my room, someone else has to wash the floor, someone else has to brew the tea. In Congress 60, we have none of this. All duties are our own. And the interesting thing is that whoever wants to serve must come early. It’s all connected, and it makes them feel so good.
When they bend down to pick up a cigarette butt from the floor—that is service. They themselves feel good. They pick up a fallen plastic cup—they feel good. They take a mop and wash the floor—they feel good. Just give it a try. It creates connection. So, another duty of the pupil is to serve.
Some people think that mopping, cleaning, or taking out the trash is beneath their dignity. No—in Congress 60, it’s the opposite. The more a person serves, the more people love them. The more they clean, the more connections they make. That’s why we said: leave your [social] status outside. Because if someone comes and sits in Congress 60 thinking, “I am an engineer, I have a master’s degree, so I shouldn’t hold a broom”—we don’t have that here. They must enter the stage of service. If they do these things, they will reach recovery quickly.
When you enter Congress 60, elections are held in every department. You will get better soon and reach recovery. When you are liberated from addiction, you may want to become a guard, you may want to become a secretary. They may give you a microphone to pass around, serve tea, or do other tasks, this way, people see you. When they see you, when they see that you are helping, bringing tea, passing the microphone, cleaning—they will vote for you [in elections].
All the members who work in publications—in later periods, when they want to become Border Guards, they become Border Guards very quickly. Because they are serving. People see them, recognize them, and vote for them.
Congress 60 members must vote for you so that you can take on roles. When you become a guard, you feel good—you feel wonderful. They must vote for you, so that you can take a responsibility [like border-guard]. And for them to vote for you, they must see you serving. If you just sit there with all your airs and graces, not lifting a finger, no one will ever vote for you. Not in ten years. Even if you attend the elections ten times, they will not vote for you. So, another duty is serving within the legions.
Next: you should not have expectations from Congress 60. The only expectation you should have is that it cures you. You go to the hospital—your leg is broken, or God forbid, your back is broken. They put a cast on it, they hospitalize you, they fix your leg, they cure your illness. But the hospital won’t find you a spouse, will they? They won’t find you a job. They won’t introduce you to a charitable loan fund. They won’t pay for your medication. It’s the same here. You come here to get liberated from addiction. This place is not for finding friends, finding a job, or making social connections.
Another duty of the pupil is to pay for their own treatment medication themselves. This is the pupil’s responsibility—they must afford the cost of their medication, OT, themselves. They say, “I don’t have the money.” Where did you get the money for drugs all this time? Ten times this amount—you used to pay for drugs. You must provide your own medicine. Work hard, make an effort, pay for your medication, and have no additional expectations from Congress 60.
Other pupils and companions should also have no extra expectations from Congress 60. If their traveler comes to Congress 60, we will treat them. If they do not come, there is nothing we can do.
If companions keep coming for six months but their traveler does not come—well, they must leave Congress 60 after six months. I don’t recall exactly how long this period is, but for a certain period they are allowed to come without a traveler so they can learn how to bring their traveler in. After that, if the traveler still hasn’t come, they must leave [this rule; however, is not valid now [2026] and has totally changed, and a companion can only enter Congress 60, when their traveler comes in].
We have no obligation—for example, it is not our job to pay someone to come and talk to our traveler, to our addict.”
“No—here, we only accept whoever comes on their own feet. Otherwise, we do not accept them. Another issue is that under no circumstances should one have extra expectations from Congress 60, because we have tried those things before, and they only caused us problems and disputes. Things must be such that there are no obstacles between us.
If someone suggests, for example, that we should provide some kind of assistance to Congress 60, I say no. I don’t want any such help for our members. There should be a separate organization—for job placement, another office, another NGO whose job is job placement, where a Congress 60 traveler can go and say, “I want to work,” and they find them a job. Another NGO should handle financial aid. Those things belong elsewhere. Our work is within our own bounds [merely curing addiction], and we cannot step outside those bounds.
The most important issue—the key duty of the pupil—is that a pupil must fix themselves. They must help themselves. They should not expect help from others. That old saying—“Neighbors, help me so I can manage my spouse”—no. we have not such a thing that others come and help me so that I can make this journey and be liberated from addiction. That’s not how it works. They must take responsibility for themselves, work themselves, strive themselves, they themselves have to try to cure their own addiction. These are some of the matters I have mentioned. There are other points that have come to my attention, and I will raise them as well.
Those on the first journey—for a while, first-journey members don’t know certain things. But after two, three, four sessions, they must learn. Who is supposed to teach them? The guides must teach them in the legions. Some people who have been coming to Congress 60 for eight months or a year still expect even the senior members and other guides to greet them—to greet and say hello to a particular woman, for example. The guides must teach them. This is the guides’ duty. We say: the guide has not raised them properly.
If a person from a legion is ill-mannered and disrespectful, who is at fault? Their guide is at fault. What has the guide given them? Over this past year or six months, they have given them nothing but hay! The guide is supposed to teach them politeness and decency.
Another issue is supporting the baskets (donation baskets). Again, the guides must teach this. We do not receive money from America, from the United Nations, nor from the government of the Islamic Republic of Iran—from no one. We do not take money from anyone. The money comes from Congress 60 members themselves.
Every pupil must know that their treatment in Congress 60 will cost around seven to eight million tomans. The help comes from the members of Congress 60 themselves—either they contribute money or they contribute service. The guides and border guards—even I myself, as the head of Congress 60—if we were to take salaries, we would have to be paid a great deal. But we work for free. Therefore, supporting the baskets is one of our duties.
All members must support the baskets and put money into them. We should not have to remind them. As the old Persian saying goes: “The pot is open—where is the cat’s shame? [when someone has the opportunity to steal from people who have helped them so much, shouldn't they feel ashamed of doing it?]”. Even if no one tells you to support the [money] baskets, shouldn’t you take care of it?
I opened a section on the Congress 60 website for audio files—to upload the educational CDs onto the site. I have uploaded many—I think twenty-seven or twenty-eight. A few days ago, I looked and said: every time you download an audio file, deposit one thousand tomans into this account. If you have the means, do it. If you don’t—meaning you don’t have bank access or financial means—then don’t.
Within eighty-seven days, five thousand downloads were made. How many people paid? Out of five thousand people, eleven paid. If not a single person paid, it wouldn’t matter to me. It doesn’t matter to me at all. When we provide these resources online, Congress 60 members have to pay for them. If you cannot pay there, then give the cost to the publications. Say, “I downloaded three CDs—here is three thousand tomans.” These are expenses we must consider.
The [money] baskets must be supported. I must know that when I enter Congress 60, tea, sugar, electricity, water, and phone are available for me for free and I must support the baskets so that the expenses can be met. Sometimes you look—someone throws in the oldest, most worn-out hundred-toman note in the basket. One of the miserable things that the Border Guards are faced with is over small change. People think they are giving that to a beggar. A [torn] hundred tomans banknote, two hundred tomans, one which even a taxi won’t take it, even a grocery store won’t take it, no one will take it, but they throw it in the basket.
Some people do this. Torn money—hundred-toman notes, fifty-toman notes, torn, ripped, shredded—money that even a charity box wouldn’t accept—they throw it in the basket. Those who truly have nothing should not give at all. Those who have nothing—I ask you, I beg you—do not give a hundred tomans. Do not give two hundred tomans. Keep it for yourselves. But if you can, you must donate. As the old saying goes: “The pot is open—where is the cat’s shame?” Some consideration must be given to this matter.
When they are liberated from addiction and they enter the second journey, they must know that they have changed. They must know that this liberation is important, that it is valuable. When they enter the second journey [when a traveler is liberated from addiction [their first journey finishes and they enter their second journey], this is very important, very valuable. Or when one year has passed since their liberation, they celebrate a birthday for their freedom—they should value this liberation.
Some people, at the time of liberation from addiction, wear clean clothes, they are very excited, they are neat and orderly, they wear white clothes—and it is very beautiful. But some do not change at all.
I have explained the duties of the pupils to the best of my ability—as much as I could—and have shown that it is both easy and difficult. Thank you. Thank you very much.
Translated by Elahe, Sheikhbahaei Branch of Congress 60, Isfahan, Iran