The Agon Shu Buddhist Association, based in Kyoto and founded in 1978, held its first public prayer ceremony involving the kindling of sacred fire outside Japan earlier this month, the religious organization said.
The "goma" fire rite was conducted by the Rev. Seiyu Kiriyama, the founder and chief abbot of the association, at the Unitarian Church of All Souls in New York. It was followed by a performance of Japanese music using traditional instruments and a lecture by Kiriyama.
The event, held in Manhattan on Nov. 4, was relayed live by satellite television to the group's temples in Japan. Followers watched the rite on large screens and prayed, according to the organization, which has 300,000 members.
Kiriyama has said he chose New York as the venue for the first goma rite to be held overseas because the city is the center of the world.