In recent days, I’ve noticed an astonishing talent for facial expressions and gestures among my fellow sisters in various situations. It’s so impressive that I feel inspired to play a game of charades with them—I think it would be an absolute delight.
This talent likely isn’t just a natural gift but also the result of monastic training. In a world where every unnecessary word is avoided, and where strict silence must be observed in certain places and at specific times, one inevitably learns to express what they want to convey to others more effectively without words. And you can communicate far more without speaking than most people realize.
Today’s world is full of words, often spoken about nothing. It says whatever it thinks at the moment and holds nothing back. In the process, many lose the sensitivity to nonverbal communication. We are so accustomed to everything being spoken and neatly packaged in words that we often fail to notice even the smallest changes—in someone’s gaze, posture, or behavior.
Here in the monastery, I’m learning anew how to listen to others, even when I hear nothing from them.

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