Muslims do not recognise the idea of Conversion to other faiths. Classically, you are a Muslim or an apostate (hence, the saying: ‘It is easy to enter Islam but impossible to leave’).

Still, ‘practice’ is central to the Monotheisms; and it wld be unfair to say they are just ‘status’ oriented. Perhaps, the concept of karma, with its future rewards or deductions, is a more subtle way of regulating human behaviour. In the Indo-Asian context (to Hindus and Sikhs)karma is operates similarly. And both do not ‘really’ entertain the idea of Conversian and do not require the need for the ‘regulation’ of ‘apostasy’.

Master Dogen gave us a simple equation for our lives: Practice = Enlightenment. When you practice the Buddha way, you are a Buddha. Steve Hagen likened being a Buddha to being a pedestrian. When you stand up and walk, you are a pedestrian. When you cease walking, the pedestrian no longer exists. So it is with Buddhism — when you observe the precepts, or when you act out of generosity, etc. in those moments you are a Buddhist. It is a special practice, a practice without an external goal. The practice is the goal.

Being enlightened (or being a practicing Buddhist) is not like graduating from college. You graduate from college, and you are now a “college graduate.” You don’t have to do anything more to be a college graduate — that label is a label of state, a label of accomplishment. It is forever true from that point on. But enlightenment and wisdom don’t work that way — you have to be enlightenment and wisdom. You can’t do 50 prostrations and get a certificate that says “Buddhist.” It’s not a matter of state, an on-off switch for your life. It is a matter of being, a practice to be manifested in your actions so that it gradually (but totally) infuses your lifestyle.

“Practice is not a means to attain enlightenment but the manifestation of enlightenment itself.”
– John Daido Loori, The Heart of Being

I didnt get a chance to thank you for including my question (above) in your daily email as I have been away for a few weeks with work. I thought it would be a nice idea to tell you that your response and the response of others has put me a little more at ease with everything, and your answer was confirmation of what I thought might be the case. Like Gambatte above I have no Sangha other than the one I turn to online – there is a local group, but I have been warned off of them in the past by the Theravada monk who taught me in the first place. Learning for me has become a very personal experience. I find it difficult at this early stage to associate specifically with a school of Buddhism, as the books and articles I read dont directly lend themselves to one, but I know what I am doing is having a positive effect and understand this is kind of the point of the whole thing.

Thanks again

Unlike other Buddhist groups or traditions in France, the practice of Tibetan Buddhism requires a conversion process. In the late 1970s and 1980s, many more people joined the Tibetan communities. Since the 1990s, conversions have been subjected to stricter verification of the initial motivation to join and the spiritual progression into the Buddhist path. This “recoupment” is a reaction to the drifts in doctrine and practice that have occurred by this time because of the dramatic increase in potential adherents.

That’s talking specifically about France, but it applies to Tibetan traditions worldwide. There’s no need to single out the Tibetans in particular on this issue, though; I’ve found that among Southeast Asian Theravada Buddhists the question “Are you a Buddhist or not?” is thought to have a much more definite answer than it does in the minds of many Westerners.

I then look back at my Christian background and see the difference in observance between lay members and ordained clergy.

Maybe I am a buddhist, just not a monk?