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Kagyu Samye Ling Monastery submission of 4 August 2021

PE1874/H - Introduce legislation to create artillery and firearms exclusion zones around places of spiritual importance and religious worship

Kagyu Samye Ling is a working monastery with first-hand experience of the invasive and disruptive impact nearby gunfire has.

The spiritual importance of Kagyu Samye Ling Monastery:

Based in Dumfries & Galloway, Samye Ling is the oldest Tibetan Buddhist Monastery in the western world. It was inaugurated by His Holiness the Dalai Lama and opened by the Right Honourable Lord David Steel of Alkwood. It is venerated as a holy place of worship by Buddhists throughout the world who visit the monastery for study and the practice of meditation and prayer. There is a resident community of about 50 monks and nuns and lay practitioners who devote themselves to spiritual practices. Thousands of pilgrims visit and stay at the monastery each year. There is an emphasis on prayers for world peace and there is what was a tranquil peace garden but which is now subject to unacceptable gunfire noise. There is a shrine where funeral services are held and ashes are deposited. Relatives come to pray for their loved ones but these prayers are now often disturbed by gunfire.

Therapeutic importance:

The monastery offers a range of therapeutic courses and treatments, including Tara Rokpa Therapy, Mindfulness, Tai Chi, and Yoga. Veterans suffering from PTSD have been greatly helped by the therapy that is offered. The therapeutic value of the monastery is built on the tranquil and quiet environment.

Tourist importance:

Scotland’s national tourism organisation promotes Kagyu Samye Ling Monastery through its “Visit Scotland” website as a national tourist attraction located in a peaceful and tranquil setting. Over 31,000 visitors (including many school parties) come every year and in a survey published by Visit Scotland 73% of visitors awarded it 5 stars and 15% awarded it 4 stars. Unfortunately, the “peaceful and tranquil setting” has now been shattered by gunfire.

Noise pollution:

The disturbance to the monastery and its visitors is caused by commercial bird shooting in very close proximity. It is so close that dead and injured birds sometimes fall within the grounds of the monastery.

For over three years rifle ranges have been operating, without planning permission, close to the monastery using high calibre and very loud guns. The local planning authority acknowledged that they became aware of this on 7 November 2019 and that planning permission was required. On 4 May 2021 they wrote that they acknowledged that there were unauthorised structures on the ranges and there was shooting but would not take any action on the grounds that the shooting did not take place for more than 28 days a year and was legitimate. We are advised that their interpretation of the “28 day rule” is wrong in law. We believe that the refusal of the planning authority to stop the shooting despite the lack of planning permission indicates that they are supportive of the rifle ranges and that the problem cannot be addressed locally and must be dealt with on a national level.

Equality of religions:

We believe that all religions should be treated equally and that there should be protection for all places of spiritual importance and places of worship against the noise pollution of artillery and firearms with an exclusion zone of 5 miles. We, therefore, give our wholehearted support for Petition PE1874 and request that legislation be implemented to ban artillery and firearms within 5 miles of places of spiritual importance and places of worship.