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Paris Buddhist ceremony draws 2,000 faithful 01/10/2007 00:00

1 October 2007

PARIS (AFP) - Some 2,000 faithful from Japan and across Europe took part Sunday in a Japanese Buddhist ceremony in the heart of Paris' main business district.

Facing a wall of water and a statue of the Buddha, the hour-long "Saisho" rite intended to purify the body and spirit was conducted by the daughter of a monk who founded the Shinnyo-En Buddhist movement 70 years ago.

Celebrated in Europe for the first time, at the foot of the Great Arch in the La Defense high-rise business district, the ceremony was broadcast to 76 Shinnyo-En temples in two dozen countries.

Followers had travelled from across France, Germany, Italy, the Netherlands and Japan to take part.

Shinnyo-En, which means "Garden of Truth", was founded by a former aircraft engineer turned monk, Shinjo Ito. It opened its first temple 1938 and gained official recognition in 1953, and today counts some 850,000 members worldwide.

AFP

Subject: French news

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