Don't be a ridiculous outcast of society once you do Dharma. Eat well, go dancing, make money, wear nice clothes, gold jewellery is fine, have relationships, have a drink sometimes, visit the amusement park, love a pet, have dinners with friends, go to movies, crack jokes, celebrate Halloween, get an education, do business, look at beautiful men or women, be a nerd, be a star, listen to Madonna's music, go clubbing, party, celebrate life, do projects, travel, change the color of your hair, eat unhealthy food sometimes, and whatever else you like that doesn't hurt others, don't break the law, don't destroy environment.
It is ok to be you. You don't have to trade YOU IN for Dharma. Dharma practice, study, work & activity IS TO BE INCORPORATED INTO YOUR LIVES. It is not meant to make you 'lose' your life and you just become some kind of weird bum, hippy, ascetic that is renounced to the point of smelling like rotting garbage with fleas in your hair!!! For Dharma, there is very little outer transformation that is important. It is much more the inner.
Everyone one of you are unique, fun, fascinating individuals that have a culture and life before you came across Dharma. So you don't need to give up WHO YOU ARE TO practice Dharma. Dharma is to be incorporated into your life, your culture, your identity. Because the actual Dharma is timeless and free of any worldly constraints. Do not fear entering Dharma thinking you will lose yourself. You should be like a mother not losing a beloved daughter to someone , but gaining a wonderful son from her daughter's marriage. So that is important for many would be people who wish to engage in any form of Buddhism.
Beautiful zen tradition, sacred Mahayana tradition, illustrious Theravada tradition, the profound Tibetan tradition with all four schools, or any other form of Buddhism is totally fine. YOU ADD BUDDHIST PRACTICE AND SPIRITUALITY TO WHO YOU ARE AND WHERE YOU COME FROM.
You wear your clothes, eat your food, and be comfortable to your style of living. Just add Buddha, Dharma and Sangha to your rich lives. And that is perfectly fine for beginners, and so on.
Relax. Be comfortable. Don't reject who you are to be a 'pure Buddhist'. Because that is not true. You, your culture, and what you are use to are fine.
The doctrine of Dharma can be adaptable to any culture, any people, in any part of the world. Dharma would even be good for aliens and martians!! It's universal from all points. I get many questions regarding this over the years. So I thought I'd share this from my humble experiences as a teacher for the last 20 years.
I hope my words, thoughts, & line of thinking helps. I offer my good wishes.
~Tsem Tulku Rinpoche
*lightly edited from Rinpoche's latest tweets for better reading.
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