Interviewer: Hello and thank you for taking the time to answer the questions.
How do you feel after 5 years, Congress 60 camping is held this year?
Mr. Amin: I am very happy to see this event. In other words, almost all of the senses we had five years ago have now revived for me. A feeling of gratitude, thankfulness, and a sense of excitement. If I want to describe this feeling, it’s an excitement like when... a person is eager and enthusiastic about something. If I want to say it, it’s a sense of gratitude, happiness, along with excitement and enthusiasm to do interesting things and a sense of joy from seeing Congress 60’s members gathering together.
When doing tasks, you constantly have to check things: make phone calls, analyze things, pursue the matters to see if any interference (problem) arises or not. Another issue is to see whether the people chosen for those tasks are feeling well or not, or if they are overwhelmed by the workload, whether they can work well together, and if any conflicts arise between them or not.
So you have to pursue the tasks carefully and sensitively compared to the previous year, you need to try to improve your performance, this means you should find previous years camping, and come up with solutions for them. For example, the foam we placed under the tents, in case it gets cold at night and the temperature drops below a certain point, for instance, if the temperature falls by about 10 degrees or 8 degrees, a person cannot sleep because the chill comes up from the ground.
We tried to find these foam mats. One of the guys from Isfahan gave a good suggestion; they found some good foam mats that we had them laid under the tents this year. So that the individuals would feel less cold. We are faced with other problems too, if we want to get familiar with the situation, the water taps have high speeds of flow. If the water flow is too fast, the wells we’ve dug will fill up very fast. If they fill up and we send the sewage to the river, the river will be contaminated and this way, the environment is polluted.
We need to reduce the flow speed of the water taps to avoid having our wells filled in one week. Herein are the [key] factors to consider.
Interviewer: They say that people who are obedient enjoy the camp more. Why is it so? Does it hold true in everyday life as well, or just here?
Mr. Amin: The important point now is obedience, yes, I personally feel that someone who is obedient needs to be adaptable and flexible. The very basics of evolution are adaptation. If you adapt to a situation, then you can overcome adversities. Just like wheat which bends with the wind and doesn't get harmed-even in a strong storm but thick trees break [in strong storms]. So adaptability is contained in obedience, and when you are obedient, you are calm and relaxed.
And once you are calm, you absorb things well [you can learn better], which means your learning capability goes up. Then, you can learn from those who've previously experienced this matter and are your leaders now, to get good results. And with good results, immediately you feel happy and more energetic. Obedience is good, provided that the leader is a good one, this means the person chosen as your leader must really know that job and they must deserve that leadership.
If the leader is capable, their obedience will help people progress. In that whirlwind I mentioned [in the CD of Collectors], the more obedient you are, the closer you are to the center. And as a result, the stronger the force that lifts you up to the center [of whirlwind]. And what is this force that lifts you up? It means you evolve from within, and it lifts you higher. And the growth you experience is ascension.
When you ascend, you experience a great sense of joy. But, when you are not obedient, you interfere [your own interests] with your Guide’s orders, and the whirlwind throws you to the margins and breaks you apart.
Interviewer: If we had a city governed by the worldview rules of this camp, what would you name that city?
Mr Amin: With a laughter, its own name, Balade of Nima. (Nima is the name of Iranian poet who was born in Balade). Because we are really used to this name. But we can think of its name, naming (something) is an important matter. It is not a simple matter, but regarding this “city” or my “inner city”, you know what I think?
I think if we can gradually increase our knowledge, and when we could learn many many things, then, the structure of our [cities] becomes similar to the structure of the body. The cells in the body governing our inner city (body) are much more advanced in terms of knowledge and willpower than [our cities]. This means the cities can become similar to our body, that is our cities get similar to the body.
If we observe the rules and principles very thoroughly and carefully, just the cities become similar to our own physical body.
Interviewer: Since we are in nature, let’s ask a question about nature. Look, if nature were a human being what ethical traits would it have? What kind of person would it be?
Mr. Amin: Look, if we were to condense nature into a person, we’d first need to see what nature’s qualities are. If we look at planets, we see that planets like Earth, which have life and nature, are rare or very hard to find. So, what are the characteristics of nature? Nature is generous. Nature gives to you, provides space for you, gives you food, offers you shelter, provides peace, and brings happiness.
What does the sea give you? When you look at the sea, what do you see? Beauty and calmness. When you go into the sea and your senses are open [to feel], what will you see? Lightness, joy. What does the forest give you? What does the mountain give you? When you go to the mountains, what feeling do you experience? A sense of grandeur, a sense of majesty. So, nature gives a lot to humans.
Therefore, if a human were to embody the essence of nature, the most important and prominent characteristic of that person would be generosity and balance.
Interviewer: During the session, you mentioned that the real fun is right here and that those who wander around the area are missing out. What exactly did you
mean?
Mr. Amin: It’s the same idea we talked about, that true growth happens in the group. Look, right now, for some very special reasons or under specific circumstances, we’ve gathered together. When why do you go to the cinema? You go to watch a movie. When you go to the theater, you watch a play. When you go to the market, you go to shop. Now, what would happen if you go to the market and start playing football? Or if you go to the cinema and play cards instead? You’d lose your connection with the main purpose.
Now, in this setting where so many people have come together, I said the real joy is here. It means that all these people have come together and the real event happens within this gathering. Now, if I leave here and go to the mountains in the morning, come back at lunchtime to eat, leave again in the afternoon to wander around and return for dinner. Well, what was the difference [between being here and my daily life]?
Why did I even come here? You could do these things in other places, sure you could. There was no need for me to come here. I could have gone to a village, hiked in the morning, and come back for lunch, gone fishing by the river in the afternoon and returned to eat dinner. There was no need to come here for that. So, when we engage in an activity, we need to be aligned with its philosophy, the reason for its existence, we have to be in harmony with that existence, and become attuned to it. We need to harmonize with its flow.
Otherwise, our presence here becomes meaningless. That’s why if we isolate ourselves and aren't part of the group, we lose that connection and feeling. That’s what I meant.
Interviewer: Still, you've alloctaed some time for them to, for example, make a phone call?
Mr. Amin: Yes, it’s not meant that they are not allowed, if they want to be alone for an hour or two, I did not mean this. The point was whether you can connect with the group or not. Sometimes you’re physically present at a gathering, but you’re not really there—you’re just physically present [but mentally absent].
The Final Question: One of the philosophies of this camp, as discussed in recent interviews, is that drug use isolates a person and disconnects them from society, This camp is meant to help us return to society and establish good relationships. What activities are done here, and what do you suggest to help someone exit from that isolation after addiction cure and reconnect with others?
Mr Amin: If I want to make your question more tangible, “What should we do to have a good experience at this camp?” Is that what you mean?
Mr. Amin: Yes. I think I mentioned it in today’s meeting, you need to find balance. What is balance? It means that there should be hours where you spend time with yourself and focus on yourself. Sometimes, I go into my tent and say I'm not accepting clients. If I spend all my time with the group, I will be distressed. I need to find a balance between the time I spend with myself and the time I spend with the group. When you're with the group, you should be productive and do useful things. For example, if we're washing dishes, we have to do it properly. If we're working in the kitchen, we have to do your job precisely. If you're baking bread, do it carefully and try to learn new things. If you're playing games, try to perform well. Wherever you are, strive to do your best.
We have to allocate some hours for ourselves. One of the guys had come to serve in the campsite came to me and said, “I feel pain in a part of my body”. I looked at his face because the same thing once had happened to me. For example, when I came to campsite, I wouldn’t take off my boots even. I’d wear my boots in the morning, and at midnight, 12 a.m., when I wanted to go to my tent, I’d take them off.
Sometimes, I even did not have any energy to take my boots off. This method of working is not correct and must be revised. I asked him, "Have you been working nonstop in the past two days?" He said, "Yes."
I told him, “That’s the reason why you have pain. You need to stop working and take a few hours for yourself, lay down by the river, spread out a mat, sit and read a book, listen to music, do whatever you like, and rest without doing any activity”. The balance between the two will lead to desirable results.
I do not want to bother you since it got several degrees colder in these ten minutes.
No problem, my clothing is appropriate.
Closing remarks by Master Amin:
In the meeting, I just mentioned that I would have really liked that the second-journey travelers (those who have been liberated from addiction) who are serving in Congress 60, and are in a good state (of body and mind) and have transcribed the required [educational] CDs to also be here. But because this camp is being held after five years, and Congress 60 has grown significantly in the recent years, we didn’t have the resources and capacity to allow 2,000 people to attend the camp.
The circumstances didn’t permit it, and we had to impose limitations, which were against our wishes. I sincerely hope one day all members of the Congress and second-phase travelers, those who wish to participate in the camp will have the opportunity to do so. As moving forward, if the camps are beneficial, we intend to have camping for Congress 60’s companions (ladies) too; as within the past two years, companions planted trees on the arbor day in tree-planting camps. I hope that in the future, we can create the conditions to hold a camp for the companions especially considering their own unique circumstances [limitations].
In the end, I want to thank all the people who worked hard to organize the camp, those of you who prepared reports, and everyone who registered and participated in the camp and contributed in various ways. Because I cannot do anything alone there must be people and forces to make things happen. Even if there were only a few of us, we wouldn’t be able to achieve anything because it’s the collective force [effort] that makes the camp possible. I hope that this camp is very good, useful, and educational, and that when we leave the camp, we feel that something has been added to us, along with a sense of happiness and lightness.
I am grateful to Mr. Dezhakam for providing the foundation and knowledge that allowed us to carry out this work. I am also thankful to all the Didebans (Watchers) of Congress 60 and all who endeavor in Congress 60. Their knowledge (coming out of Mr. Dezhakam’s teachings) allows us to have good camps. The first camp we went to, Mr. Dezhakam personally packed our supplies. We had a Nissan and a BMW 518. Mr. Dezhakam himself packed the Nissan, and he gifted us a tent and that's how we started the camp. I have nothing else to say, and I thank you.
Translated by Elahe