About
The Monastic Community
Ayya Suddhaso is a bhikkhu in the Theravāda tradition. Ordained in the Thai Forest Tradition under the guidance of Ajahn Pasanno and Ajahn Amaro at Abhayagiri Monastery in California, he has been working since 2016 with Ayya Soma, with whom he co-founded Buddhist Insights and Empty Cloud.
Ayya Soma is an Italian-born bhikkhunī and co-founder of Empty Cloud. Raised in Italy, she lived in the United States for 15 years, where she embarked on her monastic journey. After practicing as a renunciant for several years, she was ordained in 2018 under the guidance of Ayya Pannavati.
Ayya Vaddha is a young bhikkhu who went forth in 2023 at Empty Cloud Monastery in New Jersey. In 2024, he received full ordination with Bhante Suddhaso as his preceptor.
Ayya Brahmavara is a bhikkhunī with 25 years of monastic life in the Theravada tradition. She began her monastic journey at Amaravati Monastery in England, later receiving full bhikkhunī ordination at Dhammadharini Monastery in the United States.
“Se trovate compagni assennati, amici saggi e virtuosi, allora, superando tutte le avversità,
con gioia e consapevolezza, incamminatevi insieme.”
Dhammapada v.328
Leṇapāda, the name of our project in Italy, is composed of two words in Pāḷi—the canonical language in which the Buddha's teachings have been preserved in the Theravāda tradition.
The first word, leṇa, literally means 'cave,' but also 'hiding place' or 'refuge.' The initial inspiration comes from the Cave of Saint Elijah (Grotta di Sant’Elia), an ancient spiritual site located in the heart of the property of Leṇabhāvanā Monastery, where the monks retreat for meditative practice. Beyond its literal meaning, the term leṇa refers to the ultimate goal of the practice: the supreme refuge of Nibbāna, that is, the cessation of suffering and its underlying causes.
The second word, pāda, literally means ‘foot,’ ‘step,’ or ‘footprint,’ but also ‘place’ or ‘support.’ Here, too, the meaning is twofold. Monks are, by definition, itinerant: they walk from village to village, sustained by the generosity of others and by the practice of Dhamma. Every step they take, having no fixed abode of their own, is directed toward the highest refuge. Furthermore, through travels and visits, small realities known as 'monastic way stations’ can emerge: physical places—such as houses or small hermitages—where monks can stay and practice for longer periods.
In short, the name Leṇapada encompasses two complementary meanings: places of refuge and steps towards the refuge of Nibbāna.
The model of monasticism designed and taught by the historical Buddha is based on a form of itinerant mendicancy. Buddhist monks follow vows of absolute poverty: they do not possess, use, or receive money in any form. They depend entirely on the generosity of the lay community for the four basic requisites: clothing, food, shelter, and medicine.
This creates a natural system of mutual support, where laypeople cultivate generosity and kindness, while monastics develop a heart free from expectations, offering in return a presence of peace and humility. Both are nourished by this exchange: the monastics through the austere simplicity of an itinerant life, and the community through service and daily contact with the Dhamma.
Stability and Monastic Way Stations
For three months each year (during the rainy season), the monastics observe a period of stability by remaining in a single location. Outside of this interval, they may resume their journey, staying wherever they happen to be along the way or wherever they find conditions favorable for spiritual practice.
This gives rise to the 'monastic way station' model: a network of locations prepared to host monastics for their practice, teachings, and retreats. A way station does not mandate extensive infrastructure. It can be any form of hospitality offered by the laity—ranging from a simple spot for a tent to more formal accommodations—based on the host's capacity. Furthermore, it is possible to establish a more formal monastic way station in coordination with the Empty Cloud Italia association, providing a dedicated and structured environment for the monastics.
Empty Cloud Italia is a non-profit dedicated to the practice and study of the Buddha’s original teachings. We are associated with Empty Cloud Monastery in West Orange, NJ, founded by the non-profit Buddhist Insights in 2016. Our community consists of bhikkhus and bhikkhunīs (male and female monks) dedicated to the principles of poverty, simplicity, and mental cultivation, as taught by the Buddha in the early discourses. We are supported by the spontaneous and unconditional generosity of many individuals who donate their time, food, skills, and other essentials to support the monastic Sangha and the collective well-being.
Forest Tradition
Burma, Sri Lanka, Thailandia
Venerabile U Lokanātha — An early, and possibly the first, Italian Buddhist monk, Ven. U Lokanātha left his life in the West to later ordain in Burma, study the teachings of the Buddha, and practice meditation in the mountains. He went on to travel on lengthy walking tours, including a march to India where he helped Dr. Ambedkar take up Buddhism as an inspiration for the Dalit community. His teachings roar with enthusiasm and energy as he expounds the gentle principles of harmlessness and virtue in the Buddha’s path.
Bhante Ñāṇananda — A Sri Lankan forest monk and abbot of the forest hermitage Pothgulgala Aranya, Venerable Kaṭukurunde Ñāṇananda was renowned for his groundbreaking explanations of many of the early Buddhist discourses and his willingness to interpret the early discourses on their own terms. Despite his erudition and intensive meditation, he is said to have had a gentle, almost child-like gentleness. To access some of Bhante Ñāṇananda’s recorded teachings: seeingthroughthenet.net
Bhante Ñāṇavimala — A monk dedicated to wandering (cārika), he was known for his faith and focus on the early discourses of the Buddha (suttas). Venerable Ñāṇavimala was of German descent and walked all throughout Sri Lanka with close to no possessions to his name. His combination of strict inner principles with gentle loving-kindness were an inspiration to many. At the time of his death, he was the most senior (and the oldest) Western Buddhist monk in the world..To read more about the life of Bhante Ñāṇavimala: ven-nyanavimala.buddhasasana.net
Bhante Ñāṇadīpa — A forest monk of Danish origins in Sri Lanka, Bhante Ñāṇadīpa spent nearly the entirety of his monastic life staying and wandering through the jungles and forests of the island. He was known for his ascetic practice of staying in huts with only three walls so as to remain constantly exposed to nature, as well as for his extensive knowledge of the early Buddhist discourses (suttas). He was also considered an expert in early Buddhist poetry, much of which he had personally memorized. He served as an anonymous advisor to some of Venerable Bhikkhu Bodhi’s translations of the Pāḷi discourses. To read more about the life of Bhante Ñāṇadīpa: pathpress.org and dhammavinayapatipada.com
Venerabile Ajahn Mun Bhūridatta — A father of many early Thai forest masters, Venerable Ajahn Mun was a meditation and cārika monk, known for his devotion to austerities and his ardent effort in training his mind. Ajahn Mun was ordained in a revivalist monastic order, the Dhammayut Nikāya, which focused on stricter Vinaya and more rigorous study of the traditional Theravāda canon, rather than focusing on local folk beliefs and loose Vinaya practices prevalent at the time. Although not known for scholarship, Ajahn Mun was quite learned and even more instrumental in revitalizing the practice of core Buddhist calm and insight meditation, inspired by the practice of the Buddha, his early disciples, and the study of core Theravāda texts.
Venerabile Ajahn Chah Subhaddo — Now famous across the world, Ven. Ajahn Chah was a meditation monk in 20th century Thailand with incredible energy, charisma, and wit in expressing subtle points with down-to-earth imagery. He is a source of great inspiration for the organization as well as many of its monastic teachers and friends. In addition to his strict adherence to principles of Vinaya (monastic discipline), his teachings frequently reverberate with scenes or ideas from the early discourses, which he often captures in essence without rigorous references.
Other Thai Forest Masters — Many other masters of the Thai forest tradition are sources of inspiration in and of themselves as well as via their living disciples, providing the example of strict devotion to discipline, meditation, and forest dwelling, as was advocated by the Buddha himself.
Empty Cloud Italia
