Decorum Over Decor

Sometimes, we forget what really matters in our practice and give more emphasis to the external aspects of Buddhism; when that happens, our practice of Dharma may become a cause of upset and friction with our family and friends. But the true practice of the Dharma is not about doing external activities such as prostrating, chanting, plastering our walls with images of deities and fumigating our apartment block with incense.

The main thing we need to do as a Buddhist is to change our character and way of thinking. If we direct our effort to that, it’s unlikely that we will become a cause of trouble or concern for people around us. If through our study and practise of Dharma, we become more considerate and easy going, someone who truly cares for others, those around us will be pleasantly surprised by the positive change in us and start to wonder, “Since they became a Buddhist, they’ve really changed for the better! Maybe it’s something worth looking into after all.” In this way, through our practice, we’ll just naturally be a positive influence on those close to us.