The purpose of Going on Buddhist retreats

The purpose of a retreat is not to teach you about Buddhist psychology or about a particular sutra. For that you can buy a book and read on your own. 

The purpose of the retreat is to help us untie the knots inside.

There are two kinds of knots. 

One knot is our notions and ideas. Everyone has notions and ideas and we attached to them, we are not free, so we have no chance to touch the truth in life.

The second knot is our afflictions like fear, anger, discrimination, despair, and arrogance.
All these things should be removed in order for us to be free.

The things you do on retreat, like walking, sitting, breathing, smiling, and listening to a Dharma talk, should have the function of helping you undo these two kinds of knots.
The knots are embedded deeply in our mind, in our consciousness.

They bind us and compel us to do things we don't want to do, to say things we don't want to say.

When you listen to a Dharma talk at a retreat, the purpose of the talk is not to give you more notions and ideas; the purpose is to help you release notions and ideas. 
The talk should be like the rain that can touch the seeds of wisdom and freedom within you.

That's why we have to learn how to listen. We are not listening to the words. We are listening in order to get free from the notions and concepts.

When you go home, if you forget everything that was said on the retreat  that is a good sign.

You don't have to remember anything. You should go home free.

We are used to have homework from the school that requires us to remember many things - words, notions, and concepts - and we think this kind of luggage is useful for our life. 
But in terms of the practice, this luggage is a burden.

So the purpose of the retreat is to help free you from the burden of knowledge, notions, and concepts and 
from the burden of afflictions, anger and despair.



       Thich Nhat Hanh (2009). Answers from the Heart, 80-81.