After the silence - interviewing the Sisters
Updated: Sep 30
This year the Silent Retreat took place in early September. The retreat was facilitated by a team of lay and monastics, including three sisters from Lower Hamlet, Plum Village. The team consisted of Sister Dao Nghiem, Sister Lam Hy and Sister Dang Hanh. As we were waiting for the train in Villefort station after the end of the retreat, I asked if I could interview them. I found the answers very inspiring. Here is a recount of our exchanges.
(From left to right) Sisters Dang Hanh, Dao Nghiem, and Lam Hy
Sister Dang Hanh
But when I arrived, I could see how true that was. Because no matter where you go, you can empty out onto the mountains, you can empty out onto the sky.
Blue : So, Sister Dang Hanh, it was your first time in Dharma Mountain. How was it?
Sister Dang Hanh : I heard so much about Dharma Mountain from other sisters and friends who had been there before. And I didn't understand when people were talking about how they felt they could empty out into the sky and mountains. But when I arrived, I could see how true that was. Because no matter where you go, you can empty out onto the mountains, you can empty out onto the sky. And so there is this great spaciousness where there is a lot of space to release all the thinking and the worries and the tensions. There's just so much space where you could release everything, and I found that really impressive. Something else I really found impressive and that I really enjoyed was that you can see long time, like you can see the long arc of time in nature from the rocks and the growth of trees on these mountains. You can see where people have stepped on the rocks over many years how they have smoothed over time. In the river you can see the effect of water and rocks over time. And so it's an interesting place to be where you are trying to dwell, where you are dwelling in the present moment, but you can see the great impact of time on the nature around you.
Blue: Thank you. I wanted to ask you about this silent retreat. You've experienced many retreats over the past years, in Plum Village especially. Anything special about this silent retreat? Maybe the role of silence? Was it something new for you or different? Anything you want to share about this?
Sister Dang Hanh : Yeah, I think something very special about a silent retreat is that there isn't the distraction of conversation and getting to know people and getting carried away in other fun social things. And so we come and there isn't a distraction, so we meet ourselves in the silence. And at the same time, because there is a community, there is a safe container for us to meet ourselves and to have perhaps difficult moments or beautiful moments, but we are not lost or stranded in our... in the silence. We are held in silence and yet we are focused. We are, by design of the silence, allowed to focus on what hasn't had a chance to reveal itself because we've put so much noise and distraction on top of it. And so you can see that in the silent retreat, people meet things that they knew were there already but hadn't had the chance to really meet, and had no escape to distract themselves from meeting more properly. There's also this relaxation because you know that everyone is doing well, the schedule is very simple, everyone knows where they're going, it's very predictable. And you also know that everyone also feels that way, everyone also is enjoying this very simple schedule. And so that you don't have to worry about other people, you can just take care of yourself and in following the retreat, you support everyone else in this practice at the same time. There is this communal aspect of taking care of oneself in this very safe space. This is what I found very wonderful and very effective about this.
Blue (joking) : So did you like it or not?
Sister Dang Hanh : It was great!
Blue : Ah, okay, thank you !
Sister Lam Hy
You can try Vipassana, but I feel in a way you reach the same kind of depth and insight, but in a very soft way, in a way of embracing and kindness
Blue: So Sister Lam Hy, it's your second time at the Silent retreat.
Sister Lam Hy: Yes.
Blue: How many times have you been here? Maybe four or five times. Four or five times, so you are an aficionado. Anything special about this edition for you?
Sister Lam Hy: I was very impressed how the people take in the nature, the silence, they are so dedicated to the practice. And also that our spacious schedule works so well, because they are so held by the practice and the nature. And also the size of the group, like 20 people, very dedicated, in nature. and really their own inner wisdom comes on, their own teacher. So I feel there have been a lot of transformation and healing in this retreat.
Blue: Anything funny happened for you during the retreat?
Sister Lam Hy: That's funny, we were all in silence but then also in our sharing at the end we kind of noticed that like we didn't feel lonely but being like with oneself in the group and that there were so many funny moments in ways where would laugh at each other or just exchange a gaze or something I can't pick one particular moment but yeah there was kind of a lot of depth and lightness among all of us yeah.
Blue (who was in the cooking team): Anything about the food ? (laughing) I’m looking for flowers.
Sister Lam Hy: Sure, sure. I mean, we call it the nature silence simplicity, but the food was not simple at all. It's just... 5 stars cuisine, best food, a lot of creativity, love and mindfulness in the food. Really wonderful.
Blue : Sorry, you were under pressure with this question. Not totally free. And if you were to advise someone to go either to the Silent Retreat or to Vipassana, what do you say?
Sister Lam Hy : You can try Vipassana, but I feel in a way you reach the same kind of depth and insight, but in a very soft way, in a way of embracing and kindness, and I think also the transition back to your normal life is much easier than from the Vipassana. I remember after the Vipassana retreat I thought I couldn't even drive a car. But here you have similar realizations but you are still functioning in normal life. You also can bring the practice home in a different way.
Blue: Thanks a lot.
Sister Dao Nghiem
A silent retreat is not a way of withdrawing or escaping from the world. It is learning how to return to it differently—more present, more mindful, and perhaps a little more capable of sowing peace there.
The interview was carried out via messages
Blue: Did this edition of the silent retreat at Dharma Mountain have a particular flavor or tone, and if so, what was it like for you individually and for the group as a whole?
Sister Dao Nghiem: Every retreat has its own unique flavor and savor, and this one was no exception. This year, the participants came from different countries, with a beautiful diversity of ages, cultures, and life journeys. This gave our temporary community a special richness.
On a personal level, certain situations touched a vulnerability within me. The silence, the practice, and the peaceful presence of the retreatants helped me navigate these more difficult moments. They allowed me to welcome what was happening inside me with greater gentleness, tenderness, and compassion, but also to find the courage not to run away from what was there. I was able to stay present to my experience and let the silence do its work.
Collectively, I felt a very beautiful quality of presence throughout the retreat. During meditations, meals, walks, and other activities, there was something very peaceful and deep in our way of being together.
We also experienced beautiful walks in nature, punctuated by swims in the streams. For me, these were almost magical moments: walking together in silence, entering the water, feeling our bodies in contact with the elements… There was a sensation of merging together into nature. The silence made this communion even deeper. We didn't need words to share the joy of being there, simply present to one another, to the water, the trees, the rocks, and the mountain.
Another very powerful moment was when we cleaned a path together so we could practice walking meditation on it. Working side by side like that, still in silence, was both very simple and very profound. Everyone contributed in their own way, and step by step, the path revealed itself. There was something very beautiful about this collective action: taking care together of a path that would then support our steps in mindfulness.
Nature truly accompanied and supported us throughout the retreat. On the final afternoon, after a week of intense heat, the rain and a thunderstorm arrived, bringing a deeply comforting breath of freshness. And then, Mother Earth gifted us a magnificent rainbow. I received it as a present, almost as a beautiful way to conclude this week lived together in silence: after the heat and the storm came freshness, light, and colors.
Blue: Thank you for your answer. Why is a silent retreat today, in our contemporary society, a good thing? What does it bring to the current context of our society, the planet, and all the challenges we know of?
Sister Dao Nghiem: Our contemporary society is very active, fast-paced, and noisy. We are constantly stimulated by information, screens, messages, and everything demanding our attention. A silent retreat offers us the opportunity to stop, slow down, and allow ourselves to be carried by the collective energy we generate together.
When external noise quiets down, we also begin to hear more clearly what is happening inside us. We can look more deeply at the meaning we give to our lives, but also allow emotions, wounds, or sufferings to surface—things we don't always have time to take care of in our daily lives. Silence gradually teaches us not to run away from what is difficult, but to welcome it with gentleness and compassion.
It also allows us to rediscover a quality of listening that we easily lose in daily life: listening to our body, our emotions, others, and also the nature around us. When we stop talking, the birdsong, the wind in the trees, and the murmur of the water become much more present. Nature is then no longer just a backdrop: we can deeply feel that we are a part of it.
In the current context, faced with wars, climate change, divisions, and all the uncertainties we are going through, silence can also help us not to react immediately out of fear, anger, or a sense of helplessness. It creates a space within us from which we can look at situations with greater discernment and compassion.
And this goes beyond our personal well-being. Taking care of our fear, our anger, and our suffering means also taking care of how we will then speak, act, and relate to others. Every peaceful step, every conscious breath, every gesture performed with presence can become an offering to the world.
A silent retreat is therefore not, to me, a way of withdrawing or escaping from the world. It is learning how to return to it differently—more present, more mindful, and perhaps a little more capable of sowing peace there.
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