A lowercase buddhist

When asked my religious beliefs, I kind of think it sounds pretentious to say "I'm a Buddhist." So I babble a little about following Buddhist beliefs and that I was raised a Unitarian and attend the Central Oregon Unitarian Fellowship. (Yes, Universalist is in there too - it's just such a long name).

My spiritual practice these days consists of (inconsistent) sitting meditation and reading Buddhist writings. I try to live the Middle Way and follow the Eightfold Path of right thought, right speech, right action and so forth. I attend Buddhist services and retreats, been blessed in a Buddhist Refuge Ceremony by a real lama, and even have a Tibetan mantra tattooed on my ankle, for goodness sakes. So why don't I claim to be A Buddhist with a capital B?

Maybe because, with all that, I still don't feel I've earned the right. Clearly, it's not how you define yourself, it's how you live your life. As the Buddha said, the jewel is in the lotus, which is the meaning of the plaque above and my tattoo.

What do you say when people ask you?