KYOTO — Twenty-nine foreigners began their training to become Buddhist monks in Kyoto on Monday, making it the first time in nine years this kind of training was opened to non-Japanese.
The novices come from six countries, including Canada, Germany and the United States. The training took place at Nishi Hongwanji Temple, which is the head temple of the Hongwanji school of the Jodo Shin sect of Buddhism, in Kyoto.