Metta Convention USA: Peacing it Together

Organised by Metta Centre and Empty Cloud

18 and 19 July 2026 | 8.30am to 6pm (New York time) | 10.30pm to 8am next day (Sydney/Melbourne time)

In person: 29 Ridgeway Ave, West Orange, New Jersey USA

Online: Programme will be livestreamed on Metta Centre's Youtube Live Stream Channel. Follow this link: Metta Centre - YouTube

Cost: Free

Metta Centre will be hosting our first international conference in America this year. Riding on the success of our previous conferences in Australia, we have partnered up with our host, Empty Cloud, to bring the Metta Convention to America. Join us in person or online for this special event - a weekend of talks and dialogue with America’s esteemed Buddhist teachers, as well as an opportunity for those in person to participate in a traditional alms offering to over 30 monastics from different Buddhist traditions.

PRESENTERS

Bhikkhu Bodhi, Ven Sobhana, Ven Robina Courtin, Bhante Suddhaso, Ayya Soma, Ven Nipako, Ven Clear Grace, Ven Nisabho, Ven Chang Zhai, Ven Chang Hwa, Ven Vaddha, Ven Sumitta, Ven Sanathavihari, Ven Kusala, Ven Nanda, Ven Konin Dhammadipa, Rev Doyeon Park, Ayya Ariyavamsi, Ven Xing Hui, Tina Ng, Vanessa Ju, Kevin Griffith and Sydney Rose

PROGRAM

Saturday:

8:30am – Registration

9:00am – Emcees intro

9:05am – Opening Ceremony: Ven. Sumitta, Ven. Sobhana, Ven. Suddhaso, Ven. Soma, Vaddha, Sutham, Nisabho & all other Theravada monks

9:25am – Welcome Speech by Ven Sobhana, Empty Cloud

9:30am – Panel 1: Inner Peace Vs Outer Peace with Ven. Sobhana and Ven. Sudhamma

10:00am - Panel 2: Walk for Peace Ven Sumitta and Ven. Clear Grace (Moderator: Kevin Griffin)

10:30am – Almsround and lunch led by Ven. Sutham

12:15pm - Forgiveness Meditation with Ven. Chang Zhai

12:40pm - Metta Meditation with Bhante Nanda

1:00pm - Talk: Compassion in Action with Ven. Courtin

1:30 pm – Panel 3: Therapy & Religion in Harmony with Ven. Sanathavihari and Ven. Satima (Moderator: Sydney Rose)

2:30pm - Tea Break

3:00pm - Breakout Session

4:30pm: Panel 4: Serenity Amidst Strife by Ven. Nanda, Ven. Revata, Rev. Doyeon Park

5.30pm: Closing and dedication of merits Ven. Nanda

Bonus program:

6:00pm: Saturday Program with Ven. Bhikkhu Bodhi

Sunday:

8.30am – Registration

9:00am – Emcees intro

9:05am – Opening Ceremony: Ven. Chang Hwa, Ven. Chang Rui, Ven. Chang Zhai, Ven. Xing Hui & other Mahayana Monastics

9:20am - Guided Humility Meditation by Ven. Nipako

9:45am – Talk: The Path of Peace by Ven. Bhikkhu Bodhi

10:30am - Almsround and lunch led by Ven. Tan Sutham

12:15pm - Mindful Movement with Ven. Chang Zhai

12:30pm – Panel 1: Living a Harmless Life By Ven. Nisabho and Ven. Tejassi

1:00pm – Panel 2: “In the world” or “of the world”: Renunciation & Engagement with Ven. Chanxi, Ven. Clear Grace, Ven. Satima, Ven. Vaddha (Moderator: Ven. Vaddha)

2:00pm - Tea Break

2:30pm - Breakout Session

3:30pm – Panel 3: Common Ground - Communal Harmony with Ven. Suddhaso and Ven. Soma

4:00pm - Panel 4: Protecting the Truth with Ven. Bodhi, Ven. Sudhamma and Ven. Chang Hwa (Moderator: Tina Ng)

5:00pm: Closing and dedication of merits

BREAKOUT GROUPS

Saturday:

Ven. Robina Courtin: Patience is Brave

Ven. Bodhi + Ven. Vaddha: Personal Practice and Social Engagement [Buddhist Global Relief]

Ven. Sutham: Dhamma in Thai

Ven. Chang Rai + Ven. Xing Hui: Dhamma in Chinese

Ven. Sumitta & Ven. Sobhana: Spiritual Friendship

Ven. Suddhaso + Ayya Soma: Livestream Q&A

Ven. Nisabho: How to Build True Buddhist Community

Ven. Sudhamma, Ven. Nipako, and Sydney Rose: Self Hate

Ven. Sanathavihari: Dhamma in Spanish

Ven. Revata & Ven. Nanda: Dhamma in Sinhala

Rev. Doyeon Park: Interconnectedness Across Traditions

Ven. Chang Zhai: Pre-requisite for Chan Practice

Ven. Chang Hwa: Silent Illumination

Ven. Clear Grace: When Dhamma Demands More: Practice and Moral Urgency

Ven. Satima & Ven. Tejassi: Entering Samadhi

Kevin Griffin: Addiction and the four noble truths

Sunday:

Ven. Sanathavihari: Buddhism in the Hood

Ven. Sumitta & Ven. Sobhana: Metta

Ven. Clear Grace: Speaking Truth Across Difference: The Courage to Know and Not Know

Ven. Nipako: Lay practice with the Suttas

Ven. Satima & Ven. Tejassi: Deepening Samadhi

Ven. Chang Hwa: Huatou

Ven. Chang Zhai: The Essentials of Chan Practice

Ven. Nisabho: Balancing Tradition with Modernity in Buddhist Communities

Ven. Suddhaso + Ayya Soma: Livestream Q&A

SPEAKERS

Venerable Bhikkhu Bodhi is a highly respected New York-born Buddhist monk and scholar who holds a PhD in philosophy from Claremont Graduate School. Ordained in Sri Lanka in 1973 under Ven. Balangoda Ananda Maitreya, he spent decades overseas, notably serving as the editor for the Buddhist Publication Society in Kandy while living at the historic Forest Hermitage. Now based at Chuang Yen Monastery in New York, his definitive English translations of the Buddha's discourses—including the Majjhima, Saṃyutta, and Aṅguttara Nikāyas—have shaped modern Buddhist scholarship. In 2008, he channeled Buddhist principles into global action by co-founding Buddhist Global Relief, a nonprofit dedicated to international hunger relief and sustainable development.

Venerable Sumitta is a fully-ordained monastic from the Theravāda tradition of Sri Lanka. He has many years of experience teaching meditation, Buddhist scriptures, the ancient Pali language, and serving his local communities with spiritual care, both in the US and abroad, and in both temples and university settings. He is also the founder and spiritual leader of Dhamma USA, a charitable organization focused on promoting the teachings of the Buddha in the United States. Bhante holds two Bachelor’s degrees, three Master’s degrees, a PhD, and a heart full of loving kindness.

Venerable Sobhanā is a Harvard-educated bhikkhunī who trained closely with meditation master Bhante Henepola Gunaratana for 25 years. After entering monastic life in 2003, she obtained full ordination in Dambulla, Sri Lanka, in 2006. She later served as Vice Abbess of Dhammadharini Monastery in Sonoma County, California, guiding residents at both the main monastery and Aranya Bodhi Hermitage. Since 2025, Ayyā Sobhanā has been leading the resident community and teaching at Empty Cloud Monastery in New Jersey.

Venerable Sudhammā is one of a handful of Theravada Mahātherīs born in the West. After receiving her initial monastic training under the renowned teacher Bhante Gunaratana of the Bhavana Society, West Virginia, Ayyā Sudhammā has since gone on to become a beloved Buddhist teacher and pioneer of Buddhism in America. She was the first Western women to become fully ordained in Sri Lanka, she co-founded the North American Bhikkhuni Association, and hosted the first-ever Theravada Bhikkhuni Sangha proceeding in the USA. In 2013 Ayya founded the Charlotte Buddhist Vihara in her hometown of Charlotte, NC, where she continues to offer regular Dhamma programs.

Venerable Nanda is a Theravada Buddhist monk and the resident abbot and president of the Long Island Buddhist Meditation Center (LIBMC) in Riverhead, New York. Since 2008, Bhante Nanda has guided the Long Island community in traditional Theravada meditation and Buddhist philosophy. He regularly hosts guided mindfulness sessions, weekly Dhamma discussions, and day-long meditation retreats dedicated to fostering inner peace, compassion, and emotional resilience. Beyond his local ministry in New York, he actively collaborates with global Buddhist organizations and sponsors philanthropic and educational initiatives for students in Sri Lanka.

Venerable Robina Courtin is a fully-ordained monastic in the Tibetan Gelug tradition from Melbourne, Australia. She has as her two heart-teachers Lama Thubten Yeshe and Lama Zopa Rinpoche, founders of the internationally-esteemed Foundation for the Preservation of Mahayana Tradition, where she has offered service and teachings since the beginning of her monastic life. Venerable has served as editorial director of the non-profit Wisdom Publications, editor of Mandala Magazine, executive director of the Liberation Prison Project, and as a no-nonsense, world-touring Dharma teacher.

Venerable Chang Hwa is the Director of the Chan Meditation Center in Elmhurst, New York. Prior to her monastic calling, she earned a Ph.D. in Biochemistry from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. Shifting her focus to spiritual cultivation, she graduated from Dharma Drum Sangha University in Taiwan and was fully ordained in 2005. She has since driven the mission of the Dharma Drum Mountain network through several key administrative and teaching roles worldwide.

Venerable Chang Zhai is a fully-ordained monastic in the Chinese Mahayana tradition. In 2008 she entered Taiwan’s Dharma Drum Sangha University, founded by the late Chan Master Sheng Yen, and she received full ordination in 2010. She has since returned to the US where she serves the Chan Meditation Center in Queens, New York City.

Venerable Chang Rui graduated from the Fuyan Buddhist Institute and earned a Master's degree in Buddhist studies from the Dharma Drum Institute of Liberal Arts in Taiwan. He is known for delivering lectures on classical Mahayana sūtras and shastras, as well as foundational Buddhist teachings.

Venerable Revata is a fully-ordained monastic in the Theravāda tradition of Sri Lanka. He belongs to the Mahamevnawa lineage of the venerable Kiribathgoda Gnanananda Thera and resides at the Mahamevnawa Meditation Monastery in New Jersey where he offers Buddhist teachings and retreats in both Sinhala and English.

Venerable Suddhāso is a Theravāda Buddhist monk ordained in the Thai Forest Tradition. He received his training under the guidance of Ajahn Pasanno and Ajahn Amaro at Abhayagiri Buddhist Monastery in California. Since 2016, he has collaborated closely with Ayya Soma, co-founding Buddhist Insights and Empty Cloud in New Jersey, as well as its European branch, Leṇapāda, located in Italy. Through these platforms, he focuses on making traditional Buddhist monastic teachings and meditation accessible to the modern world.

Venerable Nisabho is a fully-ordained monastic in the Theravāda Thai Forest tradition of Ajahn Chah. He was born in California, raised in Washington state, then ordained and trained as a Buddhist monk at Wat Marp Jan in Central Thailand under the guidance of the highly-renowned Venerable Ajahn Anan Akiñcano. He has spent many years training at various Buddhist monasteries across the globe before founding the co-led Clear Mountain Monastery Project near Seattle, Washington. Ajahn Nisabho has guided many Buddhist programs and retreats with his characteristic touch of gentle compassion.

Venerable Tejassi has been a monastic for ten years, starting with a six-year apprenticeship in the Ajahn Chah tradition. Moving forward to join a heart-centered monastic community, he spent four years under the close guidance of his spiritual teacher in this life. Today, he serves as the spiritual guide of Heart-Path and is the co-founder of La Gracia Retreat Center.

Venerable Sutham Nateetong is a fully-ordained monastic in the Theravāda tradition of Thailand. After a career of government service, Venerable Sutham renounced his rank in lay life and has since performed several long walks for peace across North America, Europe, and Asia, promoting the universal principles of the Buddha’s teachings. He has walked from the West to East coast of the United States in just 121 days, and has since made many other lengthy journeys on foot in the name of peace and Buddhadhamma.

Venerable Sanāthavihārī is a Theravāda bhikkhu at the Sarathchandra Buddhist Center in Los Angeles. Bhante Sanāthāvihārī holds a master's degree in counseling psychology and is a graduate of the Upaya Zen center Buddhist Chaplaincy program. He is currently finishing a Master's degree in Buddhist Counseling at Kelaniya University Sri Lanka. Bhante is also the founder of Casa de Bhavana, a project dedicated to bringing the Buddhist teachings to the Spanish-speaking world.

Venerable Somā is a fully-ordained monastic in the Theravāda tradition. She was born and raised in Italy before relocating to the United States for 15 years, where she began her monastic journey. After a period of dedicated practice as a formal renunciant, she received her initial ordination in 2018 under Venerable Paññāvati Bhikkhuni. Today, she partners with Bhante Suddhāso as the co-founder of Buddhist Insights and co-abbot of both Empty Cloud Monastery in New Jersey and Lenapada Monastery in Italy, bridging early Buddhist monasticism across two continents.

Venerable Clear Grace is a Black queer Buddhist monk, author, and the Spiritual Director of Sangha House NOLA in New Orleans. Initially ordained in 2018 under Zen Master Thích Nhất Hạnh, she received higher ordination in 2020 under Bhante U Pannadipa Thero and Maha Theri Dr. Pannavati Karuna, holding a unique multi-lineage inheritance across Theravāda, Zen, and Vajrayāna traditions. From 2022 to 2024, she drove The Great Aspiration, a mobile monastery van pilgrimage providing Dharma outreach to communities impacted by systemic oppression. For her innovative, engaged ministry through her nonprofit Traveling Nunk, she received the 2024 Outstanding Women in Buddhism Award.

Venerable Xing Hui is a fully-ordained monastic in the Chinese Mahāyāna tradition. Born in Taiwan, she later settled in the United States where she offered many years of dedicated service to local Buddhist communities and temples while supporting a family. When her monastic aspirations eventually blossomed, she returned to Taiwan to take full vows. She has since lived in both Mahāyāna and Theravāda tradition monasteries with a love for genuine Buddhism wherever it may be.

Venerable Satimā was born in Arkansas into a family of twelve children. While living in Takoma Park, Maryland, she was introduced to the Buddha’s teachings which led her to participate in Spirit Rock’s Community Dharma Leaders (4) program in 2010 and taking the brahmacariya path in 2012. She began her initial monastic training at the Bhavana Society under her teacher, Bhante Henepola Gunaratana, who ordained her as a novice in 2021, well after she had spent time training in Burma with her Pa Auk meditation teacher, Sayalay Dipankara, and met her first Thai Forest teacher, Ajahn Anan, at Wat Marp Jan in 2016. She received full bhikkhunī ordination in October 2024 and practices the Dhamma in accordance with the Dhamma found in the Early Buddhist Suttas. Her path is deeply guided by a dedication to the words of the Buddha and to the awakening that he attained.

Venerable Vaddha is a fully-ordained monastic in the Theravāda tradition with a special interest in the early Buddhist teachings. He was ordained at Empty Cloud Monastery and has helped establish Leṇapāda Monastery in Southern Italy where he often resides. His name is especially reminiscent of the renowned twentieth-century monastic Ajahn Paññāvaddho, but without the wisdom (paññā).

Venerable Nipako is a resident monastic at Empty Cloud Monastery in New Jersey. Having practiced Buddhism for 16 years, his spiritual path began during his teenage years within the Japanese Zen tradition. His practice underwent a profound transformation years later upon encountering the early discourses of the Middle Length Discourses of the Buddha. Driven by this shift toward early Buddhist scriptures, he formally entered monastic life in 2025.

Rev. Dhammadīpā is a celibate monastic ordained in the Sōtō Zen tradition who has also lived as a former Theravāda monastic of multiple years. She received Dharma transmission in the lineage of Rev. Shunryu Suzuki, holds a Master’s degree in Art History and the Conservation of Buddhist Heritage, and has completed several units of training to become an interfaith chaplain, providing spiritual care in hospitable and hospice settings. Dhammadīpā has a special interest in the early Buddhist teachings and a commitment to the awakening of all sentient beings.

Rev. Doyeon Park is a fully ordained Gyomunim (minister) in the Won Buddhist tradition who has led the Manhattan Won Buddhist Temple and represented Won Buddhism at the United Nations since 2008. An influential leader in the metropolitan spiritual and interfaith community, she serves as the Buddhist Religious Life Advisor at both Columbia University and New York University. She previously served as President of the Buddhist Council of New York and Co-Chair of the Committee of Religious NGOs at the United Nations. Her collaborative work centers on interfaith dialogue, social justice, and cultivating diverse communities rooted in compassion, dignity, and mindfulness.

Ven. Sutham Nateetong is a fully-ordained monastic in the Theravāda tradition of Thailand. After a career of government service, Venerable Sutham renounced his rank in lay life and has since performed several long walks for peace across North America, Europe, and Asia, promoting the universal principles of the Buddha’s teachings. He has walked from the West to East coast of the United States in just 121 days, and has since made many other lengthy journeys on foot in the name of peace and Buddhadhamma.

Ven. Cangxi comes from Taiwan and is currently studying Pali with Ven Bhikkhu Bodhi. She is undertaking the enormous task of translating Bhikkhu Bodhi's 2023 masterpiece called "Noble truths, noble path" into Chinese.

Kevin Griffin is a longtime Buddhist practitioner and 12 Step participant, he is a leader in the mindful recovery movement and one of the founders of the Buddhist Recovery Network. Kevin has trained with the leading Western Vipassana teachers, among them Jack Kornfield, Joseph Goldstein, and Ajahn Amaro. His teacher training was as a Community Dharma Leader at Spirit Rock Meditation Center in Marin County, CA. Kevin teaches internationally in Buddhist centers, treatment centers, professional conferences, and academic settings. He specializes in helping people in recovery connect with meditation and a progressive understanding of the 12 Steps. His events range from evening classes, to daylong workshops, and longer silent retreats.

Tina Ng is the Founder and President of the Metta Centre and was the Founder and Principal Solicitor of Metta Legal, a Buddhist law firm in Australia. She is an accredited mediator at Metta Resolution, which provides mediation, training and coaching to resolve conflict in the community and within families. She is a Buddhist chaplain at the Western Sydney University. She has offered to Buddhist centres worldwide confidential consultancy advice, conflict resolution, and workshops.