In the Name of the Almighty God
The seventh session of the 87th series of Congress 60 educational workshops, for travelers and companions, was held with Mr. Hossein Dezhakam as the master of the ceremony and guardian, and companion Shahin as the secretary. The agenda was "Judgement and Ignorance," and the session took place on Wednesday, July 1, 2026.
Mr. Dezhakam's Remarks:
Hello friends, I'm Hossein, a traveler.
I hope you're all doing well. Today is July 1, 2026—the tenth day of summer. Spring passed so quickly, and before we know it, summer will be over too, and we'll be welcoming autumn.
As for Congress 60, our country has been going through a war, as we all know. Naturally, we've had our ups and downs. We also faced a shortage of OT, but thanks to the measures we put in place, the problem was resolved. One thing, in particular, helped us a great deal: it stopped the price of OT, which had been climbing like an elevator, from continuing to rise. Instead, prices began to come down. Many clinics that had been unable to provide our OT syrup even called us and said, "Come and collect your syrup." Thankfully, things are gradually returning to normal.
As for our educational workshops, we've entrusted the decision-making to the border-guards, agents, and the liaison watcher in each city and branch. They have the authority to decide whether a branch should remain open or be temporarily closed, depending on the conditions in their own area. If fighting breaks out or there is bombing, they should immediately close the branch. Under wartime conditions, it simply isn't right for three hundred people to remain gathered in one place. The area should be evacuated without delay. People shouldn't stand around or form crowds. These are regulations that we all need to observe. Fortunately, we've managed to handle this situation fairly well.
Our production also slowed down somewhat because the OT situation was unsettled for a while and there were disruptions. That was only natural. But now production is steadily picking up again and is returning to full capacity, which is certainly good news.
We also handed the Academy building back in good spirits. We thanked them as well, because their building had been in our care for twenty-five years, and we were able to use it free of charge throughout that time. Now they need it themselves, so we returned it.
As for the classes and educational workshops that are now being held here, they will continue under the name Academy Branch. Whether it's the Saturday, Monday, or Wednesday workshops, or the Family Group sessions held here, the name will not change. Even though we're now in the Simorgh Building, these are still the Academy workshops, and that identity should remain.
That's another important point I wanted to mention.
As for the examinations, last week we awarded the Orange Scarves to nearly two hundred members. This coming Saturday is a holiday, but the following Saturday, God willing, we'll present the Pistachio-Green Scarves and the Newcomer Scarves as well.
Other than that, everything in Congress 60 is moving along steadily and smoothly. For a while, the number of newcomers had dropped a little, but recently I've been receiving reports that they're increasing again. More newcomers are joining us, and things are gradually returning to their normal course.
We had also considered moving the Academy to other branches, but in the end, it was decided that it would remain here. (Is the microphone muted or not?) The decision was made because the Family Group guides and the travelers' guides did an excellent job. They made sure their pupils didn't gather outside in crowds. Fortunately, this is a large building, so everyone comes inside, and from the outside it almost looks as though nothing is happening. They handled it very well. That's why we decided to keep the Academy exactly as it is and continue holding its workshops in this building.
We also wanted to make sure the neighbors wouldn't be disturbed by the noise, so we sealed the windows and soundproofed them to keep the sound from carrying outside. We also installed a second door at the entrance to act as a sound barrier. Thankfully, the noise no longer reaches outside, and that's a very positive improvement.
Wherever we are—whether here or anywhere else—we must always be considerate of our neighbors. When three, four, or even five hundred people gather in one place, it naturally affects the surrounding area. In some places, property values used to drop as soon as we arrived. Fortunately, we no longer put up large signs, so that happens much less often now. In the past, when there was a sign that read Addiction Treatment, property values in the area would immediately decline.
The same is true today in general. Properties located next to a police station, a hospital, a mosque, or a school often lose value because those places bring more traffic and congestion. People have trouble finding parking, and it creates inconvenience for the neighborhood. That's one of the reasons we chose not to put up a sign here. These are the kinds of considerations we always need to keep in mind.
That's also why we hold workshops only three days a week—either on odd days or even days—so that the building and the neighborhood remain quiet on the other days and our neighbors aren't inconvenienced. This is something we need to be very, very mindful of.
There is another issue that was recently brought to my attention. I was told that in one of the branches, when the legions gather and it's time for the closing prayer, some guides have everyone hold hands. Then they ask one member to stand in the middle and say, "Stand there so the rest of us can channel our energy to you."
That's simply nonsense. It's this whole idea of "energy transfer" again. We hold hands, someone stands in the middle, and somehow we're supposed to send our energy to that person. What energy are you talking about? Where exactly are you going to get this energy from?
Please don't do things like this. It's just another version of wanting to receive something for free—without effort, without hard work, without earning it. It's the same mindset of hoping that somehow you'll gain something without paying the price for it.
I have taught you all of this. And when a lesson is taught, you should understand that in existence, nothing is given to anyone for free.
A person must strive, make effort, and work hard for their own energy to rise. Standing in the middle while others “send their energy” to you has no meaning and produces no result. It’s just another attempt to obtain something for nothing. In this world, there is no such thing.
As the saying goes: “No gain without pain.” For everything, we must put in effort. These are the lessons we have already given you.
Today’s lesson is “Judgement and Ignorance.” We have spoken about this topic extensively. In order to reach peace and comfort, we must follow a set of rules. If we follow those rules, we reach the result. If we do not, then we will not.
Of course, as human beings, we are constantly judging from morning until night. In fact, we all have to make judgements. We judge our own affairs: whether to go to university or not, what to eat, whether to take a shower or not, whether to get a haircut, whether to buy shoes or not—every action we take involves thinking and decision-making. So in that sense, judgement is part of life.
But what this topic—Judgement and Ignorance—is really pointing to is something else: the kind of judgement that has nothing to do with us.
For example, saying someone “doesn’t look like they deserve that face,” or wondering where someone got the money to buy a car, or whether their income is legitimate or not—these are not our concern. Backbiting, spying into other people’s lives, and interfering in matters that do not concern us are all examples related to judgement mixed with ignorance.
The more ignorant a person is, the more they tend to judge others. And this behavior causes a great deal of harm and damage.
We have spoken about this many times before. We said that when a judge makes a ruling in court, that judge has studied law and has the knowledge required for the job. Because judging, in its true sense, means that an uninformed person is placed between two informed parties to make a decision.
Let’s put it in simpler terms: there are two knowledgeable individuals and one person who does not know the truth. For example, one person says, “He took my money,” and the other says, “No, I didn’t.” Both of those individuals know exactly what happened—the truth of whether the money was taken or not is known to them. But the judge does not know the truth; yet he is the one who must make the decision.
Just think about how difficult that is. Someone who has no direct knowledge of the reality is required to decide between two people who both know what actually happened.
This is why the job of judging is extremely difficult. Even though a judge, a prosecutor, or a defense lawyer study and prepares extensively, and even in cases where a person is sentenced to death for murder, sometimes twenty years later it is discovered that the person was completely innocent and was executed wrongly. This shows how serious and sensitive judgement is.
Yet despite this, we easily allow ourselves to judge others. We investigate, we record conversations, we monitor people, we spy, and then we make conclusions. After that, we engage in backbiting and create all kinds of problems for ourselves.
That is why, in Congress 60, we do not ask anyone for their surname. We do not ask what job you do. In fact, we are not even allowed to ask about your profession, where you live, how many children you have, or whether you are married or not. None of these questions are asked in Congress 60. We also do not ask what religion you follow, what beliefs you hold, or even about your political views.
This is exactly why friendship forms so naturally in the legions and within Congress 60. In a legion, you may have one person who is deeply religious and God-believing, and another who does not believe in God at all—but they are still close friends. One person may be strongly aligned with one political or ideological view, while another may have a completely different outlook, yet they remain friends without even knowing each other's beliefs or positions.
Because there is no judgement, there is no interference, and no curiosity about personal matters, peace and harmony are established within Congress 60.
This is meant to teach us that we should not judge matters that do not concern us within Congress 60. Otherwise, a guide does make judgements about their own student—for example: “How is your program going? Are you on track or not? You are not feeling well, you are off your program.” These are things a guide is responsible for. But in matters that are not our responsibility, we should not judge at all.
Now I’ll give you a short break—about twenty minutes for you to discuss this topic. After your twenty minutes of discussion, I will then implement Law Eleven. And after that, there are also some scarves that need to be awarded.
Thank you all for your attention and for listening to my words.
Hello friends, this is Hossein, a traveler.
I want to remind you of two points. First, our disciplinary committee or system was created to bring order to Congress 60, and it made such decisions because we know that if one rotten apple is placed in a box of apples, it can spoil the whole box. We have already faced situations where some individuals would come regularly for five, six, or even seven years, go through Congress (complete their journey), and then come back saying, “So what? We’re just taking the medicine!” In reality, it had turned into a kind of habit or gathering place for them.
Of course, to address this issue, and because we fully believe in the treatment of Congress 60 and are convinced that the DST method and OT medication will definitely lead you to recovery, we followed this path. This method is the simplest, most logical, most scientific, and most humane treatment approach. A person comes in, their condition is assessed, they are given OT (where opium is considered the best medicine in the world and is taken three times a day), and then they gradually reduce according to the program. This method is flawless—it is not like other incomplete approaches; rather, over time it leads a person to full recovery.
So, we had faith in what we were doing and said that in this place, we will not allow someone to come, go through the journey five times, and keep taking a seat. Especially since some of our branches don’t even have enough space, and the legions are already full. In order to be able to welcome new members, we made this decision: if someone comes to Congress 60 and reaches treatment, all their services up to that point are completely free.
I don’t know exactly how much it would cost, but if someone wanted to reach recovery on their own, they would have to pay a very large amount of money. We provide these facilities only once for each person throughout their treatment journey.
As for the disciplinary committee, I should also say that they receive small amounts like five or six hundred tomans, but this is not about money at all.
We are not doing this because of money; we are doing it so that the person becomes committed to their own work. Or we say that if you complete your treatment and then want to start again, you must stay away from Congress 60 for six months. During this period, they are not allowed to return.
If someone relapses or is not on their program, this small amount of money is only symbolic—almost like medicine, like a form of discipline. Our intention is absolutely not to generate income from the disciplinary committee; that is not the case at all. It is all viewed from this perspective: the person must stay away for six months so that they understand the value of what they had.
Everything here is free: water is free, electricity is free, guides are free, marshals are free. We even provide tea and sugar, everything is provided as a service. In fact, the cost of tea and sugar alone is nearly four billion tomans per year. Four billion just for sugar and tea—tea itself is not even counted. We have to bring tea by the truckload and sugar by the truckload from storage.
Even with these fines in place, sometimes people cannot pay on time or face financial difficulties. In such cases, we must also protect their dignity. We should not go to a legion and say, “Stand up, why haven’t you paid?” That is not acceptable. We must respect human dignity.
In the branches, if members have a fine to pay, they should not be called out directly. Instead, the guide should be informed. The person should not be approached directly. You should say to the guide: “Your student, Mr. X, has not paid their fee—please follow up and make sure it is handled.” The guide will take care of it.
This fine is very small anyway—it is like the price of a meal. Right now, even a proper sandwich costs seven hundred tomans, a pizza can cost over a million tomans, and a simple meal like a kebab can cost around six or seven hundred tomans. The monthly fine is only about six hundred tomans, so money is not the issue at all.
For me personally, I have never waived anyone’s fine. If someone was in financial difficulty, I even paid with my own card. I would say, “I cannot forgive the payment, but here—use my card. This is your receipt, pay it later.” If they could not pay next month, I would still support them, and they could return the money whenever they were able.
The point is this: first, we must understand the reason behind it. Second, we must preserve people’s dignity. Even if someone cannot pay, we should not embarrass them in front of others or say things like “you haven’t paid.” We are not enforcers here.
We must always treat people with respect and kindness. Do not deal with individuals directly in a humiliating way. Instead, communicate through their guide. The guide is responsible and will handle the matter.
After many years and a long period of time, the CDs of the Fourteen Valleys—about 36 CDs in total—have now been translated into English. This amounts to at least two thousand pages of material.
A group first worked on translating them, and then another group used artificial intelligence to convert and refine them into English. Very soon, this work will be published in the United States by Mr. William White and distributed to many other places. God willing, we will also make it available through your own application.
Many individuals and groups have put in a tremendous amount of effort into this project. Of course, the initiator of this work was Mr. Shani, but many people contributed significantly.
At an appropriate time—once it is officially published in the United States—we will also release it in our own system, and then we will take the opportunity to call and express our appreciation and simple gratitude to those who worked on it. They truly put in a great deal of effort.
The process involved multiple stages: first, the content was transcribed from the CDs; then the Persian text was carefully edited for accuracy; after that, it was translated into English; and then the English translation itself was revised again. In total, the English version amounts to at least two thousand pages. With the help of artificial intelligence, it has been prepared in English, and other languages will take more time.
It has been a very long and demanding process—we have been working on this for several years.
This is also something I hope will be published soon, and that we will reach a conclusion on it. Well, next week—Wednesday, thank God—we will have our session, very good, very well.
Do the border-guards have any announcements? The lady border-guards, the male border-guards, the shift border-guards, and the branch agents—any messages? Very good.
We did not announce the number of the liberations for the year 1404 yet. God willing, we will leave it for the next session and announce how many of the male and female travelers have reached liberation. It is quite certain that I think the number for 1404 will be less than that of 1403, due to national ups and downs, war, shortage of OT, and other issues. Thank you. Thanks.
Well, dear friends, I entrust all of you to Almighty God. We now go for the Congress 60 prayer.
https://www.congress60.org/News/499003/%DA%A9%D8%A7%D8%B1%DA%AF%D8%A7%D9%87-%D8%A2%D9%85%D9%88%D8%B2%D8%B4%DB%8C-%D8%AC%D9%87%D8%A7%D9%86%E2%80%8C%D8%A8%DB%8C%D9%86%DB%8C-%D9%82%D8%B6%D8%A7%D9%88%D8%AA-%D9%88-%D8%AC%D9%87%D8%A7%D9%84%D8%AA
Typed by: Companion Fatemeh Khani
Translated by: Companion Marjan
7/5/2026
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