A Chinese court has meted out the death penalty to two men convicted of murdering a British monk who co-founded Scotland's Kagyu Samye Ling monastery.

China's state media said Choje Akong Tulku Rinpoche was found lifeless with multiple stab wounds at his home in the city of Chengdu in 2013.

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A city court meted out the death penalty to the convicted men identified as Tudeng Gusang and Tsering Banjue for the 'brutal' killing of Akong Rinpoche and two other men.

An accomplice, a British monk, was sentenced to three years in jail, the China News Service reported on Sunday.

                                                        Verdict

Reports said Gusang, who worked for several years at the Scottish monastery, and Banjue repeatedly stabbed Akong Rinpoche, his nephew, and his driver to death over an altercation about money.

The verdict, which was posted on the court's website, said the murders were 'brutal' and that the convicts will be treated severely 'in accordance with the law.'

                                                    Death penalty opposition

In a statement, the British Embassy said it was aware about the result of the trial and has relayed its opposition to the death penalty to Beijing.

"The British government maintains its long-standing opposition to the death penalty, and has formally communicated this to the Chinese government," the statement said.

Human rights groups have protested the decision of the court saying China's executions have surpassed the total number of death penalties meted out by courts worldwide.

Despite the accusation, the rights groups admitted that executions in China have declined significantly over the span of a decade.

                                                               British citizenship

Akong Rinpoche acquired his British citizenship after fleeing Tibet in 1959 and co-founded Europe's first Tibetan monastery in 1967.

He had the title of Rinpoche, an honorific name given to the most respected teachers in Tibetan Buddhism.

Akong maintained a relationship with the Chinese government and was able to travel back and forth to the Tibetan regions from his monastery in Scotland.

The monastery has become a pilgrimage site for artists and musicians as well as senior Tibetan monks including the Dalai Lama. 

TagsBuddhism, Akong Rinpoche, British Embassy, death penalty, Chinese court