This is Mr. Amin Dezhakam's speech on how comparison and feud is made within human beings:
One of the major challenges we encounter during the Second Journey [when an individual is liberated from addiction]—and one that anyone seeking to progress through it will inevitably face—is the issue of possession [being possessed] or being overtaken by negative forces. In the Second Journey, this is unavoidable, this means those who reach the higher stages of this journey will encounter it, and they must remain alert and vigilant if they are to pass through this stage successfully.
The effect of being possessed [by negative forces] is remarkably similar to the effect of drugs. Just as drugs draw a veil over our eyes and dull our perceptions, preventing us from recognizing what is happening around us, possession blinds us in the same way. When we are possessed by the negative forces, we will get angry when people [our family, our guide, …] who genuinely care about us, who speak in our best interest, who become concerned when they see us going astray, may try to warn us that we are heading down the wrong path. Yet instead of appreciating their concern, we instinctively become angry with them. We feel resentment and hostility toward those who are actually trying to help us, [because our senses have been veiled, and consequently we think that these people are our enemies].
At the same time, our other senses become inactive, blocked, or even begin to function in reverse. Day by day our condition worsens, yet under the influence of drugs we stand in front of the mirror feeling our eyes look brighter, that we've become more handsome, that we've never looked better—as the old saying goes, we think we've become “drop-dead gorgeous.” (Humorous remark.)
The very same phenomenon occurs during the Second Journey, except that this time we are not consuming drugs. Previously, there was a visible substance entering our bodies—whether heroin we injected or other drugs we consumed. The substance entered our system, and we could see its effects, which were tangible and observable. During the Second Journey, however, being possessed is invisible. This unseen nature is precisely what makes the Second Journey so difficult.
So what are the forces that cause a person to become stopped and stuck during the Second Journey?
We have already discussed many of them: fear, despair, and arrogance and grandiosity [an exaggerated sense of power, intelligence, or importance]. We have spoken about these as much as we could. They continue to manifest themselves throughout the Second Journey in many different forms. More importantly, however, there is something else we must come to understand: the Divine Laws (Sunan Ilāhiyyah).
In the Holy Quran, God tells us that these divine laws are unchanging—they never alter. These divine laws are the stories mentioned in the Holy Quran—the stories of Prophet Joseph, Prophet Abraham, Prophet Noah, the people of Lut, and prophets such as Job and Jacob—are, in reality, illustrations of these divine laws.
Consider the example of Job. God presents him as a model of patience: a righteous, virtuous, and upright man. Then God subjected him to severe trials. His wealth was taken away, his possessions were lost, illness afflicted him, and hardship after hardship befell him. In response, Job turned to God and said, “My Lord, suffering has touched me; remove this affliction from me.” His faith was being tested. At the most difficult situations and at the crossroad of doing right or wrong, he sought refuge in God, and he moved through the trial and passed this stage.
These stories appear repeatedly throughout the Holy Quran, we do not encounter the story of Moses only once; it is told again and again, as are the stories of many other prophets. Each prophet represents a particular divine law that continues to operate throughout human life.
Take Jonah [or Jonas] as an example. The Holy Quran tells us that when Jonah faced hardship and attained a certain level of power or authority, he lost his balance. He became angry and acted hastily. Every prophet possessed extraordinary qualities. They were individuals who had achieved exceptional levels of development in particular areas. If we look closely, we see that each prophet embodied one or more outstanding virtues: one possessed immense knowledge, another extraordinary patience, another exceptional character and the ability to deal gracefully even with the most difficult and ill-tempered people.
The prophets are, in fact, symbols of human beings who have reached lofty spiritual stations and are then subjected to specific trials and tests designed especially for them.
The stories told in the Holy Quran or other Scriptures are not for only one prophet in particular. God was not speaking only to Jonah or only to Joseph. Had those stories been intended solely for them, there would have been no reason to recount them long after they had lived and passed away. The real audience of these stories is us.
The message of these stories for us is that Be attentive, when you reach a certain level of ability—perhaps, like Joseph, you develop profound insight and the capacity to interpret dreams—you will encounter a corresponding test. Or when, like Moses, you attain knowledge and spiritual understanding, you too will be tested in a particular way.
These are the unchanging divine laws. If we come to understand these divine laws, then we will be far better prepared for the trials that arise during the Second Journey [when a person is liberated from addiction]. That does not mean the journey will become easy; to pass these trials and tests, we will suffer much; however, we are finally able to pass them, when we know these divine laws.
Well, I wanted to mention these ideas now because we'll discuss them in greater depth later. One of the topics we'll return to is these divine laws, and, if possible, we'll also talk about the issue of Possession [being possessed by the Negative Forces]. We'll examine the relationship between fear and anger as two opposing forces, and we'll also discuss power.
In my view, power is one of the most important subjects that should be explored in worldview studies. Every civilization that has collapsed, first attained power, then that power changed to corruption, and ultimately they fell as a result. The same applies to us as a system. We need to understand where power fits within our own structure. Once we understand it, we can continue to grow and elevate ourselves.
Now, let’s put these serious discussions aside, today I'd like to tell you a story—a real story—that relates to many of these ideas, though in a more narrative form. We may not have enough time to finish it today, but that's perfectly fine. Just put in your mind as much of it as you can.
Before I begin, let me mention one thing. Today's worldview session builds upon our previous discussions. Some of you may have joined during the past few months while I was away, so some of these ideas may seem unfamiliar or even rather strange. Don't worry about that. Be patient for a while. Perhaps you'll find it interesting. And if you don't... well, I'm afraid there's not much I can do about it.
This is a true story about a man who had reached the highest level in one particular talent. Around the late eighteenth or early nineteenth century—roughly between 1790 and 1820—a man attempted suicide and was taken to an asylum. He was an extremely famous and wealthy individual, someone known throughout Europe. Because everyone wanted to understand why such a successful man had tried to take his own life, a priest was sent to speak with him.
The priest asked, “Why did you do this? What happened? Tell me your story.”
The man looked at the priest and asked, “Do you know who I am?”
“Yes,” the priest replied. “You are one of the greatest composers in Europe. Everyone knows you. Your name is Antonio Salieri.”
The priest continued, “Tell me, then. How could a man with such wealth, such fame, and such respect come to the point of putting a knife to his throat and slashing it from ear to ear? How did you end up here?”
Salieri walked over to his piano and sat down.
Before he began to play, he asked the priest, “Do you know much about music?”
“A little,” the priest answered. “I've studied it to some extent.”
Salieri played a short piece and asked, “Do you recognize this?”
“No,” the priest said. “I've never heard it before.”
“Very well,” Salieri replied. “Let me play something else.”
He played another composition.
“What about this one?”
The priest replied, “No. I've never heard that one either.”
Salieri then said, “Ok, please wait a moment to listen to another piece.”
He played another piece. As soon as the melody began, the priest's face lit up. He immediately started humming along from memory. “Yes! Of course, I know this one. It's a beautiful piece.”
Salieri looked at him and said, “And that is precisely my problem.” “The first two pieces I played were my own compositions. They were written by me. Yet you couldn't recognize either of them.”
He continued, “But this last piece—you knew it instantly. Do you know who composed it?” The priest replied, “No.”
Salieri said, “Everyone knows this man's music. Everyone plays it. People dance to it. They love it. His melodies are performed at every gathering and every celebration. Yet hardly anyone knows who actually wrote them.”
That very night, as they were taking Salieri to the asylum, the same music was being heard playing at a nearby celebration.
This is the story of Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart. Some of you may have seen the film Amadeus. I chose this story for our worldview class because it contains a number of profoundly important lessons.
Salieri begins telling his story: “When I was a child, my father cared about only one thing: worshipping God. He devoted himself entirely to prayer and would not allow me to do anything except religious worship. But I loved music. Whenever we went to church and I heard the hymns, my spirit seemed to soar. Yet he would never let me study music.
“So one day I made a prayer. I asked Jesus Christ to let me shine like a jewel in the world of music—to inspire me with melodies, to grant me beautiful compositions, and after my death, to let people remember me with kindness and make me beloved by all.”
Mr. Amin continued: Salieri was a deeply emotional man. Then, Salieri added, a miracle occurred. The very next day, while his father was eating, food became stuck in his throat, and he choked to death.
Salieri regarded his father’s death as a miracle and his death did not grieve him very deeply [because he believed it had opened the door to the life he had prayed for].
He devoted himself to music and advanced so far that he eventually became the emperor's personal music teacher—the highest position a composer could hope to attain. He composed music for the royal court and became its top-ranking composer.
Then Salieri continues: “While I grew up under those circumstances, Mozart had a completely different childhood. From the age of four, his father was teaching him music. By the time he was six or seven years old, he could perform with his eyes closed.”
He then explains how he first met Mozart. By chance, Mozart traveled to the very city where Salieri lived. His extraordinary reputation had already reached the royal court long before his arrival.
Mr. Amin asserts, as far as musical genius is concerned, no one like Mozart had ever existed, he was truly unique, he composed his first piece when he was only four years old.
By the age of seven, his compositions were already being published, and other composers were performing and drawing inspiration from them. Wherever he gave concerts, audiences were astonished by what they witnessed.
When he was fourteen, he visited a church where sacred music was performed. At that time, the musical scores for these works were kept under strict secrecy. They belonged exclusively to the church and contained extremely complex compositions.
Yet after hearing the music only once, Mozart left the church and wrote out the entire score from memory, note for note. Everyone was amazed. This extraordinary musical prodigy eventually crossed paths with Antonio Salieri.
Remember, Salieri had prayed that he too would shine like a jewel in music, become beloved by people, and reach the highest level of artistic achievement. By every outward measure, his prayer had been answered.
Then one day, while serving at court, Salieri composed a new piece.
The film Amadeus portrays an interesting detail: whenever Salieri composed, he would place a statue of Jesus Christ before him. After writing just a few measures, he would bow his head and whisper, “Grazie, Signore”— “Thank you, Lord.” Then he would write a little more, pause again, bow, and offer another prayer of gratitude. This was the deeply personal relationship he believed he shared with Christ.
One day, Salieri presented a new composition to the emperor. He played part of it, and the emperor was pleased. At that very moment, Mozart arrived at court. “Show him in,” the emperor said.
As soon as Mozart entered, several members of the court began mocking him.
“You Austrians know nothing about music,” they joked. “Real music belongs to the Italians.”
Mozart replied simply, “I compose out of love.” They laughed. “Very well,” they challenged him. “Let's see this love of yours. We'll place the score in front of you and see whether you can play it.”
Mozart answered, “I don't need the score. As I was walking down the corridor, I heard you playing it. It's already in my mind.” “Then prove it.” They said.
He sat at the keyboard and played Salieri's composition flawlessly from memory. But he didn't stop there. He immediately began expanding it on the spot, improvising new passages and developing the piece into something several times larger than the original which was composed by Salieri with lots of hardship.
This film is based on historical accounts and is a real documentary.
The entire court gather to see this astonishing display of genius. They wanted to see who that man was—the man who improvises such music without any preparation.
Now imagine what Salieri must have felt. His entirety collapsed. His [belief] system was suddenly broken saying “I prayed all these years. I worshipped God. I devoted my life to Him. And now this young man has overturned everything I had—in a single minute.”
The next scene in the film shows Salieri standing before the statue of Christ, glaring at it with bitterness. “Thanks a lot, Signore,” he says sarcastically. “You've treated me wonderfully.” The story continues. Mozart becomes the darling of the court and wins everyone's affection. Yet Mozart was not only a musical genius. He was also an intensely emotional and affectionate person. He loved his family deeply, treated people with genuine respect.
He was remarkably straightforward in expressing his feelings as well. He believed strongly in family, remained loyal to his family and loved other human beings.
Everyone in the city gradually drifted away from Salieri and toward Mozart. They were captivated by him. From that point on, Salieri's world began to fall apart.
There was also a young woman Salieri loved. He even composed operas inspired by his feelings for her. But now she spoke of no one except Mozart. “Have you seen him?” she would say. “Do you know what he's capable of?”
Ironically, the only person who could truly appreciate Mozart's music—the only one who could grasp its greatness with his whole being—was Salieri himself. He understood it more deeply than anyone else. Therefore, an intense inner struggle began.
A battle raged within him between God and his own desires.
His lifelong dream had been to become the greatest in the world of music, he wanted to stand above everyone else, but what happened? Now, he had been overturned and eclipsed. Salieri’s rival was so brilliant that Salieri had no way of defeating him through any honest or straightforward means.
So what was he to do? Mozart's family was living in poverty. They eventually turned to Salieri for help. When he reached the point where he could have helped them, he chose not to. Instead, he quietly worked against Mozart at every opportunity. He undermined him until Mozart was dismissed from the royal court. He devised every scheme he could to destroy Mozart.
One day, when Mozart's family had fallen into desperate poverty, his wife brought Salieri some of Mozart's musical scores. As Salieri looked through them, their beauty moved him to tears. Mozart's wife asked softly, “Will you help us, please?”
He said nothing. He simply walked away and closed the door. The film then shows him taking the statue of Christ he had always prayed before and throwing it into the fire. It is at that moment that he decides to take revenge.
Now ask yourselves: why does a human being reach such a point? Most of us are unaware of many realities. We see only this small segment of life that lies before our eyes. Everything beyond it remains hidden.
As a result, we constantly compare our own efforts with the efforts we see other people making. If we see we have worked harder yet achieved less, jealousy naturally begins to arise.
Our (analogical) Reasoning starts to compare our own efforts with others, telling us:
“You studied for five hours while someone else studied for four. If you receive a score of eighteen, then they should receive sixteen. That seems fair.”
Doesn't it? Or: “You exercised three hours a day while someone else trained only two hours. If you finish first, they should finish third.” But suppose you train five hours every day while someone else trains only thirty minutes, and yet they win first place while you come second, your reasoning refuses to accept this result.
Actually, this is the Ordinary Wisdom which rejects this result. The basis of the Ordinary Wisdom is the logic that two plus two equals four. In this way, the fact that another person who studied for only 30 minutes came in first is not acceptable for the Ordinary Wisdom. It must be mentioned that even the Ordinary Wisdom performs its function correctly. The problem lies elsewhere. Very often, the information we use as the basis for comparison is incomplete.
We compare ourselves using only people’s visible efforts; however, much of their effort remains invisible to us. Sometimes we cannot notice the efforts they make. This happens constantly in everyday life. Thoughts like this “My husband works ten hours a day. Her husband works only six. Why does he earn ten times more than my husband?” or “I work myself to exhaustion around the house. My neighbor does much less, [then, why does she earn more love than me?]”
These comparisons occupy our minds every single day. We repeat them endlessly in different forms.
The first of all, I have to tell you something that should put your mind at ease: Most of the information we rely on is simply inaccurate, we simply do not know how much effort one had exerted. The data we collect about other people's lives is incomplete.
Even here, in Congress 60, we have gradually come to understand something important: This present life is not the whole story. Every human being has a history. Every person carries a past that we know nothing about. We don't know what hardships they endured before. We don't know what sacrifices they made in private. We don't know the suffering they have silently carried.
Let me give you an example. A person enters Congress 60, begins the journey to cure his addiction, settles into the [DST] program within a month, continues steadily for ten months, and is liberated from addiction. Another person begins his journey, stays for three months, then quits Congress 60 after three months. After six months, again he returns to Congress 60, travels for four months, changes his guide and again he quits Congress 60. Two months later he comes back again, chooses another guide, stays in the guide’s legion for three weeks and again changes his guide, and after four weeks in that legion, he quits Congress 60 again, and relapses, starting to consume crack, then ice and his condition becomes worse and worse and eventually again, he returns back to Congress 60.
Then he looks around and says:
“I came here three years ago. Back then this person wasn't even here. How is it that today he's a Marzban (boarder guard) while I'm still a miserable traveler in the First Journey? Is that justice? Is that fair?”
Here's another example. Someone introduces another person to Congress 60. He himself has only been attending for a few months, consuming one gram of opium within three days, but he brings a newcomer with him to Congress 60.
The newcomer commits himself to the journey, progresses steadily, reaches liberation from addiction, becomes a guide, and eventually mentors ten travelers and guides them to be liberated from addiction.
Meanwhile, the person who introduced him quits after five months. A year or two later he returns. He attends a meeting and sees the very person he once introduced standing at the front of the meeting as the duty Marzban (border guard), making announcements and serving the organization.
Immediately his mind begins whispering: “I brought him here. If I hadn't introduced him to Congress 60, he'd probably still be injecting drugs—or maybe he'd already be dead. Is this fair? Is this justice—that this is what happened to me?”
We make these kinds of comparisons all the time. And when we do, the outcome is almost always the same: we develop feelings of hatred and resentment.
Sometimes that resentment is directed toward another person. If not toward them, then this hatred is directed toward God. And if we happen to be exceptionally “good,” we turn it against ourselves and we hate ourselves. Isn't that true? It has three dimensions, is it true or not?
In the end, every comparison we make leads to one of these three outcomes. Either our relationship with other people is damaged, our relationship with God is damaged, or our relationship with ourselves is damaged.
Any one of these is enough to ruin a person's life. Just imagine someone whose relationship with themselves has completely hurt. What could be worse than constantly despising yourself? Such a person can no longer continue the journey. His entire inner system begins to collapse.
Or consider someone who always feels that God owes him something—someone who is perpetually in conflict with God.
This is why I'm saying that these comparisons are really nothing more than an excuse for the Commanding (or Carnal or Lower) Self [the nafs al-ammārah] to seize the control of the person [Aql (wisdom)].
The Commanding or Carnal Self——is always waiting for an opportunity to take charge. It looks for the conditions that will allow it to rule.
And what are the Commanding Self’s favorite conditions?
Certainly not sitting in these chairs. These seats are uncomfortable for the Commanding Self—they're full of spikes as far as it's concerned. If a person wants to sit on these chairs in Congress 60, the Commanding Self is hurt!
Where would it rather have you? It is far better for it, if you go out of Congress 60, if you go to streets instead of staying in Congress 60 meetings or even if you leave Congress 60, it wants you to be anywhere except Congress 60.
So the Carnal Self manufactures and produces these comparisons in order to push the Wisdom toward the edge of a cliff. It feeds the wisdom incomplete information, and now merge this incomplete information with partial understanding, emotional turmoil, and distorted perceptions. Mix all of those ingredients together in one pot—see what happens next?
The lower Carnal self cooks them into a stew and serves it to Wisdom. The Wisdom, acting according to its own sense of justice, takes this flawed, distorted information and begins analyzing it. Now remember: [based on the sixth valley] sensation is the first force that sets the Wisdom into motion. Sensation is the Wisdom’s fuel, just as gasoline is the fuel of a car. Now imagine replacing gasoline with gunpowder. What would happen? Or imagine filling the fuel tank with nitroglycerin instead of gasoline. The engine turns over once or twice—and then it would explode.
The same thing happens here. The lower Carnal Self finds something like fuel and hands it to Wisdom. Wisdom, completely unaware of the deception, begins processing the [distorted] data, analyzing it, reasoning with it. And what happens next? Wisdom becomes trapped, it loses its balance. As people say, it ends up checkmated.
The Lower Carnal Self is constantly using comparison to checkmate Wisdom. Don't imagine that random thoughts simply drift into your mind for no reason. They don't appear out of thin air. Everything has a cause. The Lower Carnal Self exactly what it is doing. We are the ones who don't. we are the ones who are not diligent, but the Lower Carnal Self fully knows what it is doing and is an expert in its job.
Look at what happened to Salieri. When the position he had built for himself was suddenly threatened, he began comparing himself with Mozart,
“I endured so much hardship. My father stood in my way. I struggled through all kinds of difficulties. My family, my circumstances—I reached this point only through relentless effort.”
You know how some people like to talk about the hardships of their past?
They'll say, “We studied by the light of an oil lamp. You studied under floodlights.” They're simply venting their anger and hatred. (Audience laughs.)
Salieri tells himself:
“I've sacrificed everything. I've spent forty years struggling. I've worn myself out. I've ruined my eyesight. I've endured hardship after hardship just to reach this position. And now this young upstart comes along and destroys everything I've worked for in two minutes. Is this justice?”
He turns to God and asks, “Is this justice?” He turns to Christ and asks the same question. Then he picks up the statue of Christ and throws it into the fire. What happens next? If you watch the film, you'll see that Mozart's wife comes to Salieri and pleads, “Will you help us? We're poor. We need your help.”
She shows him Mozart's scores and manuscripts. Salieri reads them. He listens to the music. He enjoyed the music and realizes that they are beautiful. He recognizes the beauty of all pieces with every fire of his being, but now he stands at a crossroads. He must either choose to help Mozart or to follow the command of his Carnal Self.
Every time a person is overtaken by the lower self, it is through this kind of crossroads. It never happens all at once. There is always a moment of choice. Salieri reads the scores, and they bring tears to his eyes. Yet he ignores what his sensation is telling him. Instead, he chooses power and throws the statue of Christ into the fire and swears revenge. “I'm going to destroy you. I'll make your life miserable.”
Mozart, being a highly sensitive and emotional man, is deeply affected by these attacks. Salieri's attitude was, “You laughed at me? Now I'll be the one laughing at you.” He wants revenge.
Knowing that Mozart's family is desperately poor, Salieri secretly sends someone into their household as a servant—a spy—to steal Mozart's manuscripts and report everything that happens inside the house. He does whatever he can to undermine him.
To make a long story short, Salieri eventually succeeds in driving Mozart out of every opportunity available to him. He schemes constantly. He blocks every path. He ensures that no one will hire him.
By this stage, Mozart—much like many of us during addiction—had become dependent on alcohol. That is how the film portrays him. I cannot say with absolute certainty that every detail is historically accurate, but it appears entirely plausible.
Mozart falls into a miserable state. His clothes become worn and tattered. He performs in shabby, third- and fourth-rate venues simply to survive.
Salieri also knows something else:
People love Mozart. So he approaches him in disguise and asks him to compose a Requiem. Just as, in Iran, poems are sometimes written in praise of the dead, in Europe it was customary to compose a Requiem—a funeral mass or musical lament—for someone who had died.
Wearing a mask so that Mozart cannot recognize him, Salieri says, “I want you to compose a Requiem.” Mozart asks, “For whom?” Salieri replies, “For someone who is writing a requiem for himself.”
Normally in that time, the composer would be told the story behind the deceased—a young man, a young woman, a soldier killed in battle—and would compose the music around that theme. But this time, Salieri asks Mozart to compose a requiem for a man who is unknowingly composing the music for his own funeral [for himself]. Salieri intends to buy the work.
As Salieri recounts all of this to the priest, the priest can scarcely believe what he is hearing. The priest is horrified and his eyes widen in disbelief.
Finally, the priest asks Salieri, “Why would you do such a thing?” Salieri answers, “Because I knew he was dying. He had become an alcoholic. I knew he wouldn't live much longer.” “My plan was simple. After he died, I would perform the Requiem as though I had composed it myself.” “I would tell everyone that I had written it in honor of my dear friend Mozart. I would conduct the performance and announce that this masterpiece had been composed by Antonio Salieri as an expression of his love for Mozart.” Then people would say, “Oh, how decent Salieri is, Salieri is the man who has made this [great] requiem for Mozart! In that way, I would become the one beloved by everyone. And in the end, I would be the one laughing at Mozart. Mozart would be buried in the ground, while I inherited his fame and people would eventually love me.”
But events unfold differently. Fate has other plans. Mozart completes the Requiem, yet it never falls into Salieri's hands in the way he had intended. Mozart dies at the age of thirty-five. Because he dies in poverty, he is buried in a mass grave alongside the city's poor.
In those days, poor people were simply taken to and buried in a mass grave. They would throw the body into a pit, cover it with quicklime, then throw in the next body, and the next. Once the pit was full, it would be covered with earth. No one even knew exactly where these people were buried.
That was how Mozart died. He passed away under those conditions. By the age of only thirty-five, he had composed nearly 800 musical works. Perhaps he is not especially well known here in our country, but if you travel to Europe or America, you'll see how deeply he is revered. Fifty years after his death, people finally erected a statue in his honor. Only then did they begin to recognize the true value of his genius.
More recently, researchers have even suggested that listening to Mozart's music can enhance children's cognitive development and may improve their IQ. If you have the opportunity, watch the film Amadeus. It doesn't portray every aspect of Mozart's personality accurately, but it contains many valuable insights.
I've spoken at length today. I shared this story because perhaps, later on, we'll return to it and uncover even more lessons hidden within it. These comparisons we make are extraordinarily important.
Mozart was given the gift of music because he loved [music], because he had faith in God. Even when he himself was poor and had no firewood to heat his own home, he composed music for charitable causes and donated the proceeds, he made pieces of music and held concerts for the poor. Whenever people would lose their jobs, he organized concerts to raise money for them and gave his money to charities. Salieri also wanted music. He had emotions. But why did he want these gifts? He wanted them so that he would become famous, powerful, admired, and number one.
Unreasonable desires, combined with comparison, can ultimately destroy a human being.
If, at that crucial moment, Salieri had chosen to help Mozart instead of growing enmity and trying to destroy Mozart, perhaps Salieri himself would have found salvation. Perhaps his position, too, would have grown. However, he chose another path.
At every point where a person stumbles, there is always a genuine crossroads. There are always [at least] choices [either to select the virtue or vice]. Our responsibility is simply to remain aware when that moment arrives.
Thank you all for listening.
The transcription of Audiofile “Comparison”, part 2 by Mr. Amin Dezhakam
Last session, I told you the story of a man who lived for only about thirty-five years. Although his genius, his talent, and his human qualities were extraordinary, his life was filled with hardship. He endured immense suffering and ultimately died in poverty. That, too, was one of the divine laws.
Only fifty or seventy years after Mozart's death did people finally build a monument to him in Salzburg. Only then did they begin to understand his true worth. And now he has obtained his true place that he deserves.
But during his lifetime, he held no such position. He was completely an unknown man. He died in obscurity. The passage of time, however, has a way of revealing the true nature of things. Many great human beings are not fully appreciated while they are alive. Some are scarcely recognized at all.
Only later, when people begin to realize the impact of their work and the influence they have on humanity, do they finally receive the recognition they deserve. Why is there often such a long delay [between a genius and the people’s perception]? Because when these geniuses receive their insights or discoveries, the world itself is not yet ready to receive them. The necessary foundation has not yet been prepared. Years must pass, so that gradually people change, and gradually, until it becomes capable of understanding what those individuals had already seen.
Imagine showing someone an extraordinary painting, a magnificent piece of music, a beautiful sculpture, or any great work of art. Or imagine writing a profound mathematical formula on the board—a formula capable of transforming life on Earth. Would everyone who looked at it experience the same feeling? Of course not. Many people would look at the painting and get nothing from that painting. Many would listen to the music and feel no transformation. Many would stare at the mathematical formula without understanding what it meant at all.
Human beings possess sensation as a means of transmission and reception. So the receiver within a human being must also be developed. [Our sensation acts as both a transmitter and a receiver]. What needs to grow within us is our capacity to receive—to absorb meaning, understanding, and truth.
Otherwise, look at the world today. Knowledge is everywhere. Great works of art are everywhere. Information is abundant. Nearly every kind of learning imaginable already exists. But how much of it do we actually engage with each day? How much do we make connections with them?
In reality, we are strangers to much of it. We do not even know much about them at all. We have no idea what they are or where they are. We do not know their topics. Why is it so? Is it because the world lacks knowledge? Because truth does not exist? Because there is no knowledge available? Of course not. Truth is everywhere. Knowledge is everywhere. It is simply scattered all around us.
Take the Qur'an, for example—a book filled with profound wisdom. Yet many of us feel little desire to truly engage with it. Often, we treat it as a decorative object to place on a shelf. Sometimes we use it as a kind of protective charm. Before leaving on a journey or going to an examination, we pass beneath it. During weddings, the bride or groom may walk beneath it, or it may be held over their heads as a blessing. Sometimes it is opened at ceremonies, someone recites a few verses in Arabic—while most of those present understand none of what is being read—then it is closed again, returned to its place, and every few months someone dusts it off. Life goes on.
What truly matters for human beings is whether we possess the capacity to receive it. The world is overflowing with knowledge, wisdom, and art. Unless the proper structures are developed within us, however, we cannot absorb any of it.
Think of the earth. There are countless fields, but can pistachios be grown in every one of them? Of course not. A pistachio orchard requires very specific conditions. Likewise, rice cannot be grown just anywhere.
The soil must contain the right balance of minerals. The water supply must be suitable. The proportions of potassium, sodium, calcium, and other nutrients must fall within certain limits. The climate must have the proper balance between day and night temperatures. Seasonal variations must remain within an appropriate range. Rainfall must reach the necessary level. Only when these conditions exist can rice grow successfully.
Human beings are exactly the same, each of us is like a field. If something is to grow within us—whether poetry, mathematics, or any other form of understanding—the proper soil and necessary conditions must first be prepared. Once those conditions exist, knowledge becomes like a seed planted in fertile ground. Then it begins to grow.
Before that, the seed may sprout—or it may not. Even if it sprouts, it will not bear fruit. Or perhaps the crows will eat it before it germinates. Or the sun will dry it out before it ever begins to grow.
The same principle applies in every area of life—necessary conditions must be prepared first. Addiction is no exception. Many people remain addicted for years. Recovery and liberation from addiction become possible only when the proper ground has been prepared within them—when the desire for change exists and matures and the necessary conditions have developed.
Only then, when someone comes here [Congress 60] and hears the words of a guide or consultant, do those words penetrate deeply; and sensation is made. Hope begins to emerge. The heart becomes warm. A sense of vitality returns. Suddenly the person feels, “I can do this.” But if the ground has not yet been prepared, even the most powerful words produce only a brief emotional ripple that quickly disappears without leaving any lasting effect.
All human beings share the same fundamental gifts from God. God does not give one person a Self (Nafs) but deny him Wisdom, nor grant another spirit while withholding sensation, nor give one person a mind while depriving another of spirit. Every human being has received these gifts.
The difference among people arises elsewhere. The difference lies in the stage or level of Self (nafs), in the maturity of one's contemplation, in the level of one's wisdom, in one’s level of cognizance, in how thoroughly one's feelings have been purified, and in the quality and quantity of one's energy. These are the things that distinguish one person from another.
And all of them ultimately return to the Qur'anic principle:
“Man shall have nothing except what they strives for.” [Surah An-Najm, verse 39]. [Everything depends upon [our own] effort.]
Suppose I am able to learn languages, or suppose I am able to learn mathematics. That happens because I first prepared my own field. I plowed the soil, removed the stones, and enriched it with fertilizer. Then, when a teacher plants a seed [a seed of mathematics or languages], it grows.
If your field is still barren and salty, the same seed will not grow there. But if you also cultivate your land—remove the rocks, prepare the soil, irrigate it properly, and provide the conditions it needs—then the seed will flourish there as well. There is no difference [among human beings].
God makes no distinction between one field and another. The sun shines on both. Rain may fall for one or the other, but if the divine mercy embraces a filed, this field will receive rain too.
Therefore, every one of us is like a piece of land. Our task is simply to prepare the proper conditions within ourselves. If we look at life this way, our perspective changes.
I can tell you honestly that I used to struggle greatly with jealousy—especially in matters of learning. Whenever a teacher explained something and someone else understood it while I didn't, it drove me crazy. I was completely frustrated. I didn't know how to deal with it. It felt as though a revolution had erupted inside me.
Likewise, whenever someone performed a task better than I could, I found it extremely difficult to accept. That was simply jealousy.
Jealousy rests on two foundations. The first is that we ourselves have not yet prepared the necessary conditions within us. We have not cultivated our own soil. We have not removed our impurities. Our field is still full of salt.
The second is that we have not yet understood an important truth: If someone learns more quickly, if someone progresses through their journey of liberation from addiction more smoothly, if someone consistently carries a better state of mind, or if someone succeeds more readily, it is because they have already paid the price required for that achievement.
If a person can truly feel and develop this belief within themselves, then the whole issue of comparing themselves with others becomes irrelevant. They are simply left with themselves and their own shortcomings. They no longer go around finding fault with other people, nor do they try to undermine someone who performs better than they do. They no longer feel the need to prove, for example, “If you sing better than I do, instead I can dance better than you.” Nor would they try to sabotage someone’s performance—for instance, by making their leg broken so that they cannot dance properly, or by putting something in their tea so that their voice does not sound good—and then take pleasure in their failure, so that the person puts that whole matter aside.
In the previous session, we said that the comparisons we make are based on information that is extremely incomplete and inaccurate. First of all, we do not know our own past, nor do we know the other person’s past. That is one point. We do not know their command, and we do not know our own command either. In other words, I do not know why I have come into this world, what point I am supposed to reach, or where I am supposed to go. I do not know where that person is supposed to go, either.
If they arrive somewhere sooner, perhaps they are going to Karaj [from Tehran], while if you arrive later, perhaps you are going to Mashhad [from Tehran]. So, those who are heading to Karaj get there in half an hour, while the one who is heading to Mashhad even after five hours is still on the road. There is no reason to be jealous of them. You do not know where they are going, and you do not even know where you yourself are going.
Moreover, we do not know where the other person started from. Perhaps they are going to Karaj and started from Tehran¬sar; perhaps their home is in Tehran¬sar and they are traveling from Tehran¬sar to Karaj. We, on the other hand, may be going to Mashhad and have started from Tabriz. We do not know the starting point, and we do not know the destination either. The only thing we look at is the [duration of] time. For instance, I have been learning a language for three months, while some other people have been learning it for two months, and they are ahead of me. Or for instance, I have attended Congress 60 for six sessions, while some other people have only been coming for two sessions. I have been skiing for three months, while they have been skiing for only two weeks, yet they ski better than I do.
We always look at time. In the comparisons we make, time plays a very important role. If we put all the things I have mentioned together, we can reach the conclusion that comparison is one of the principal, powerful, effective, and practical tools of the Carnal or Commanding Self (Nafs-e-Ammareh) for completely leading a person astray from the path of their own life.
We look at things superficially and think that justice has not been carried out: “He got the answer in half an hour, while I got it in an hour.” So, in our minds, we try to restore justice. We then start looking for shortcuts. We begin making plans. This is precisely when a person enters the phase of scheming—thinking and trying to figure out how they can pull that person down and move ahead of them.
At that point of scheming, destructive and demonic forces come into play. They are waiting for precisely this opportunity: for a person to become caught up in comparison, start comparing themselves with others, and arrive at a contradictory conclusion. Once that happens, these forces direct their [demonic] forces toward the person. They send all their forces with full strength. This is where the phrase “human being’s Self was inspired with wickedness” (Surah Ash-Shams) comes into play.
In other words, when we want to devise a plan to ruin someone’s work, the negative force comes beside us and says, “Do this. Make this move. Do that.” It unconsciously places the necessary information right in front of us. It sends some of its forces to assist us.
If you look at the above-mentioned film; Salieri would go to different places to obtain Mozart’s most private and personal information. People who came into his path were perfectly suited to the plans he wanted to carry out; they helped him completely. He then began to destroy and sabotage Mozart and establishes connections with negative forces.
These connections, which are formed because of that unreasonable desire, initially feel very pleasant because we achieve the result we want. Our plan moves forward smoothly. We can sabotage someone’s work, get ahead of them, damage their reputation in the eyes of others, and make ourselves look good.
But later, as this sabotage continues and the desire is finally fulfilled, we are left with a guilty conscience. And apart from that guilt, there is the time we have wasted and the wrong path we have taken. On top of all that, these negative forces have now attached themselves to us.
They become attached to us; they establish a connection with us and become entangled with us. Once this bond [the bond between us and the negative forces] has been formed, it cannot easily be undone. From that point on, even if a person wants to turn around and move toward the Straight Path (the right and bright path of virtues), these forces will no longer let them go. They do not give the person even a moment of peace.
When the person wants to sleep, the negative forces do not let them sleep. When the person wants to think, the negative forces do not let them think, why? Because when the person wants to think or wants to sleep, it shows they want to return [to the right path] and the person is now trying to move in the opposite direction from the negative forces. However, the negative forces want to seize the person and pull them toward darkness [that is why these negative forces do not let the person sleep or think].
This is a very important point. We often assume that if we have gone down the wrong path, we can turn back whenever we choose. We think all we need to do is repent, and everything will naturally begin to fall into place. But if we truly understood what is at stake, we would see that it is not so simple.
Take a concrete example. Consider people who become involved with the mafia. Many of them have certain abilities and desires, but they lack the patience to pursue those ambitions in normal conditions [through what they have in hand]. They do not want to work hard to earn money or build a life gradually.
Instead, they are welcomed into an organization that offers them illegal work. They carry out those illegal tasks and, in return, receive enormous sums of money—one hundred times more than what they can earn through legitimate work. They are given wealth, luxury, expensive cars, and anything they desire.
But eventually, there comes a point when they grow tired of that life. Their ambitions have been fulfilled, and they decide they want to leave the mafia and live a normal life. Yet the mafia asks, “where do you want to go? Once you have entered, you are not simply allowed to walk away. You came in alive, but the only way out is as your corpse.
At that point, you have control over nothing. Your will is no longer under your own control. Your wisdom is no longer under your own control. Even your feelings are no longer under your own control. All of these hidden dimensions of your being have been opened like the gates of a city. The self has been laid bare, and these destructive forces have entered, made themselves at home, and taken up residence within you. The body of human being is no longer secure. The mind is no longer a safe place. You want to concentrate, but you cannot. You want to enjoy the beauty of nature, but you cannot. And that is where the real problem lies.
At the core of the matter is the issue of energy. To fulfill our wants, we need energy, and when we obtain that energy through the wrong means, we may indeed gain something—but in the process, we lose far more.
God tells human beings: If you perform a good deed, I will reward you tenfold. Satan makes a remarkably similar promise. He says, Do what I ask, and I will reward you as well. The crucial difference is this: God asks you to act first and then grants the reward. Satan gives the reward upfront. He pays first—and then he takes ten times as much from you as he gave you. If he were fair in accounting, he would settle the account at ten times what he gave. At other times, the cost may be far greater; you may end up paying a hundredfold for what he gave you.
When a person enters into evil actions and attempts to bargain with destructive forces, the nature of the bargain is always the same: they pay you upfront, but they settle the account later.
The story of Doctor Faustus illustrates this perfectly. It tells of a learned doctor who longed to fulfill his deepest desires. The Devil appeared to him and said, “Whatever you want, I will give it to you. What could be better than that? Any woman you desire, any amount of wealth—you shall have it. If you wish to replace a king, I will give you that power as well. You will be able to decide who rules.”
The point is that, on our own, human beings possess have no power. By ourselves, we cannot fundamentally alter the world around us or profoundly influence other people. To do that, other forces must come to a person’s aid, they must be placed under a person's command.
This is where the idea of the jinn comes in. These are presented not as fictional creatures but as real beings that place themselves at a person's service. Through these negative forces’ assistance, a person is able to disturb the minds of others, interfere in their affairs, distract them, or obtain information that would otherwise be inaccessible. These forces prepare the way for him, just like soldiers who advance ahead of an army to clear the ground before the commander arrives. As a result, the person's ambitions are fulfilled.
In this transaction, both sides have gained something. The person achieves their corrupt or unreasonable desires, while the negative forces achieve theirs. But what is their exact desire? Negative forces can only flourish in a place where awareness and wisdom fail to grow. The vital condition for their growth is to stop the growth of awareness and cognizance. What happens if this process occurs? The necessary condition for their growth is provided. A society, a community, or even an individual must remain trapped in a state of unawareness. As long as knowledge and understanding do not develop, the conditions remain favorable for these negative forces to continue their activity.
The same principle is applied to addiction. How can addiction continue to dominate a person's life? Only if that person never develops genuine understanding of addiction itself. This is how negative forces act, when we come to Congress 60; and as we sit, we may suddenly feel exhausted during a session. We may think, “I'm too tired. None of what is taught sinks in. Congress 60 is useless, it wastes my time, it's pointless. Nothing will come of it. This is just a waste of time.” This disappointing feeling leads us to leave the meeting, go outside for a cigarette, or simply go home. The result is that we deprive ourselves of the opportunity to be present and to learn.
Fear works in a similar way. Someone asks, “Would you like to serve as a volunteer host [to welcome the comers]?” We immediately respond, “No, not me. Let someone else do it.” They ask, “Would you be willing to carry the microphone?” We answer, “Not today. I don't feel like it. Give the job to someone else.” Or they ask, “Could you help with the cleaning?” and we reply, “I'm in a hurry. I need to get home soon.” So we refuse to participate in the services provided in Congress 60.
If the person is suffering from grandiosity, it is very hard for them to do the service; they feel that such tasks are beneath their dignity. They may be embarrassed to perform simple acts of service, believing that doing so diminishes their status. All of these attitudes ultimately produce the same outcome: the person gradually withdraws, gives up, and walks away from Congress 60.
Once a person leaves Congress 60 and no longer remains part of it, they stop learning will not receive any education and teachings. And when learning stops, addiction is free to continue its existence.
This is why all the ways we avoid participating in the Congress 60 matter. We skip the meetings. We do not volunteer to carry the microphone. We avoid service. We neglect our Legion sessions [we don’t participate in legions]. We do not participate in the legion or in the meeting. We arrive so late that everyone has already shared their experiences and the meeting is ending, with only the financial report left to announce. All of these seemingly small behaviors have one underlying purpose: to prevent a person from acquiring the cognizance, and therefore, addiction continues its living in us; and all of these obstacles originate from the Carnal or Commanding Self.
The Carnal or Commanding Self orchestrates and plans all these situations, arranging events so that, just as you are about to leave for Congress 60, an unsuitable friend suddenly calls and invites you somewhere else. Many people have experienced moments when they intend to take a positive step, only to find unexpected obstacles appearing in their path, almost as though something were deliberately trying to block them. I think nearly everyone has felt this—unless they were so deeply intoxicated that they never noticed it. (Laughter.) I certainly have.
Perhaps you decide to begin something important, and suddenly you become ill. You catch a cold. Or you cannot sleep all night, and the next day you miss your scheduled program. All of these disruptions are the work of the Commanding Self. By employing various means, it arranges circumstances so that cognizance never has the chance to grow. That is its sole objective. It has no other agenda. It does not need to pursue anything more complicated; it simply remains focused on preventing the development of wisdom and awareness.
Returning to the earlier discussion about comparison and judgment, the process unfolds in stages. At first, a person begins to feel that justice does not exist. They conclude that there is no fairness in the world—that God is not just, and that justice has no place on earth. Once they accept that belief, they enter what could be called a game. What is this game? The game of reaching unreasonable or illegitimate desires. To achieve those desires, a person needs tools and power. At that point, the restraining or negative forces offer exactly what is needed. They place those tools at the person's disposal, enabling them to obtain what they seek.
But the negative forces also have their own objective. Human beings possess immense potential, and people who are intelligent, capable, talented, and resourceful are especially valuable to them. What is the use of a person who lacks ability, initiative, or talent? [Nothing]. Why would such forces invest their effort in someone who has nothing to contribute?
Instead, they focus on those who possess intelligence, skill, creativity, and influence. The negative forces empower such individuals, support them, and provide them with the means to advance. Those individuals then begin to act, and through their actions they obstruct the growth of cognizance and awareness in the world.
Thank you for listening to me.
Translated by Elahe
