Monastery & Retreat Center
“Innovative Dharma teachings with ancient ideals.”
Sam Littlefair – Lion’s Roar
Offerings
Update August 2021: Due to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, the monastery is only offering in-person events outdoors. Click here to see our calendar. Additionally, there are opportunities to spend two weeks or longer as a resident. Click here for more info.
If you would like to offer a meal to support the monastic community during this time, please click here or email food@emptycloud.org for more information.
In the meantime, please join us on YouTube LIVE for online Dharma and sign up for our newsletter to receive updates.
Sutta Study
The Noble Eightfold path starts with Right View. Learn what the Buddha said by studying the teachings in his own words. Currently we offer Sutta Study programs through our weekly livestreams.
Residency
Dedicated lay practitioners who wish to join the monastery’s daily schedule of chanting, meditation, and study may request to live in the monastery as a guest for a designated period of time — anywhere from several days to several weeks.
Retreats
We regularly offer outdoor daylong meditation events at the monastery on weekends. Additionally, lay guests staying at the monastery have the opportunity to join our in-house monastic retreats.
Lunar Observance
In Buddhist tradition, every full moon and new moon is a Lunar Observance Day (Uposatha) – a day when laypeople come to the monastery to practice generosity, renunciation, and meditation. Join us for our Uposatha days every other week.
Monastery Meals
One of the easiest ways to be involved with the monastery is to offer lunch to the monastic community, by bringing food to share with the residents. You can sign up here.
Come Practice With Us
Saturdays: 5:00 pm
Tea with a Monastic (we are currently doing this outdoors)
Saturdays: 6:00 pm
Meditation on the Front Lawn
Sundays
Community Days (Schedule)
Learn the Dhamma Online
On YouTube Live
About
Empty Cloud is an international Buddhist Monastery based in West Orange, NJ.
We are a gender inclusive community of Bhikkhus and Bhikkhunis following the early teachings of the Buddha. While our practice is rooted in the Theravada tradition following the Pāli Vinaya, we welcome ordained monastics of all lineages and sects of Buddhism.
Everyone is welcome at Empty Cloud. The monastic community is supported entirely on free-will donations and there are no fees to participate in anything offered by the monastery.
Click here to read about our founders
Support Our Monastery
Danā
Generosity
Buddhist monastics rely entirely on generosity for their daily needs. If you would like to offer a meal, there are different ways to do so.
- Almsround
You can meet the monks on almsround on Saturday at West Orange Farmers Market. Feel free to approach the monks with your offerings and place them in the bowl. You are also welcome to invite them to stop by your home to receive food as they walk on their way to the market. - Meal Offerings – In Person & from Afar
On any day you can bring your food offerings directly to Empty Cloud at 10am, or you can send a food delivery to the monastery. You can arrange to do this through our Dāna coordinator by emailing food@emptycloud.org. To keep the number of people at the monastery under control, while avoiding food waste, please make sure to check the calendar and select a date that is available before emailing our Dāna Coordinator. - Wishlist
If you would like to offer items can check on the Amazon Wishlist or on our Dāna List at the end of this page.
Giving Back
How much does it cost?
There are no set fees to participate in any of our gatherings. Empty Cloud runs entirely on generosity and the finances are handled by Buddhist Insights, a 501(c)3 non-profit organization. All monetary donations are tax-deductible. Buddhist Insights is not funded by grants or other foundations, but only by individual free will donations. If you wish for our programs to continue to flourish and would like to donate to the organization you can do so via the methods outlined below.
Venmo
@BUDDHISTINSIGHTS
Recurring Donations
Checks
Buddhist Insights Meditation Inc.
29 Ridgeway Ave., West Orange, NJ
Buddhist Insights is a non-profit connecting people with monastics. We invite monks and nuns from various Buddhist traditions to teach meditation in NYC and NJ, and make monastic teachings more accessible to the general public.
©2020 Buddhist Insights