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Dalai Lama endorses Scottish model for Tibetan autonomy

     Edinburgh: Tibetan spiritual leader, the Dalai Lama, has endorsed the principle of devolved powers followed by the Scottish Parliament, and believes that the model can be adopted to facilitate greater autonomy for Tibet. Praising the "high degree of autonomy" enjoyed by Scots, the Dalai Lama said Tibet was trying to find a similar way forward within the framework of the Chinese Constitution. "I think the Chinese government's main priority is stability, unity and prosperity. We feel that our approach, meaningful autonomy I think provides more satisfaction to Tibetan people. As a result, stability and unity and prosperity then become more meaningful. Up to now the stability and unity are just superficial, under force or under gun. The stability and unity must come from heart," the Scotsman quoted the Dalai Lama, as saying. When asked what the chances were of China allowing Tibet to take a similar route to Scottish devolution, the Dalai Lama responded: "It's difficult to say. Although, so far up to now, our main effort is to build confidence and hopefully, eventually, more serious discussion will come. Then what kind of autonomy, we will discuss." The Dalai Lama is to speak at the fourth World Parliamentarians Convention on Tibet during a two-day visit to Edinburgh, his second in 18 months. Tibet has been occupied by the Chinese since 1950 and the Dalai Lama has been forced to live in neighbouring India.

     London: Buddhism in Britain has received another boost with the arrival of Tibetan spiritual leader, The Dalai Lama, on the latest of his goodwill missions. The exiled Tibetan leader was visiting Scotland where new figures show that Buddhism is the fastest growing religion in the region. In Glasgow, according to figures from the 2001 census, and reported by The Independent, the number of people describing themselves as Buddhist has soared by 28.5 per cent. The growing number means there are nearly 1,200 Buddhists in the city - more than the declining Jewish community, and only slightly fewer than the number of Hindus. The Muslim population by contrast, rose by just 0.7 per cent. The census also reveals that Buddhism is more popular than Sikhism or Judaism in Wales, and lags only 0.2 per cent behind Judaism in England. In Westminster in central London, 1 per cent considers itself Buddhist, a figure matched in Cambridge. Buddhism is based on the teachings of the Buddha, an erstwhile prince of the Saka Dynasty who lived 500 years before Christ. It spread through Asia, only reaching Britain and the West many centuries later. It has more than 350 million adherents, the central tenet of whose faith is to put an end to suffering through the realisation of truth.