A thought-experiment about the importance of Buddhist traditions Suppose a leading Buddhist figure -- say a well-known Tibetan monk -- were to suddenly start displaying cultural behavior appropriate to other religious faiths. For instance, suppose this monk were to start performing namaz like a Muslim five times a day, and frequently make the sign-of-the-cross gesture during conversations.

Would this result in loss of rank, social standing and credibility in his own circles? Or would this cause others around him to start looking up to him? What's your opinion?

Are Buddhist cultural habits and traditional ways of dress, behavior, speech etc. important for making spiritual progress?
Would this result in loss of rank, social standing and credibility in his own circles? Or would this cause others around him to start looking up to him? What's your opinion?


It would undoubtedly result in loss of all of these. Particularly in the case of adopting the rites and rituals of a theistic religion. I'm trying to think of an example where this actually happened, but cannot. Nor can I find any examples on the internet. Lots of converts to Buddhism, very few high profile converts from Buddhism. 

We might take the example of the conversion of the British academic Paul Williams from Tibetan Buddhism (back) to Catholicism. Williams is the notable author of a standard text on Mahāyāna Buddhism, which is now in a second edition and still used in many universities around the world. He had practised Buddhism in the Tibetan Gelug tradition.

This caused quite a stir when it happened, fanned by his writing a book and at least one article about the reasons for his conversion. Of course it did not affect his standing in academia which is based on his published works on Buddhism. Buddhist responses mostly seemed to be couched in polite terms, but to be quite dismissive of William's understanding of Buddhism. One comment which stood out from NewBuddhist.com was 


  This exact topic was raised on another Buddhist forum and provoked more anger and rejection than almost any other, with the possible exception of vegetarianism, a topic which reduces some of those who value ahimsa to homicidal rage... In short Williams was seen as a turncoat, a traitor...a threat.


And remember that Williams was not a religious leader, simply a moderately prominent academic. If we were talking about a Buddhist leader apparently converting I think this would cause a great deal of upset.

The second part of your question is easier to answer


  Are Buddhist cultural habits and traditional ways of dress, behavior, speech etc. important for making spiritual progress?


The simple answer is "no". And the early Buddhists seem to have been aware of this. A number of Pāli texts admonish that a robe and a bald head do not make a bhikkhu. A bhikkhu is someone who exemplifies Buddhist virtues. See for example Dhammapada vs 264-266; e.g. 


  na muṇḍakena samaṇo, abbato alikaṃ bhaṇaṃ.
  icchālobhasamāpanno, samaṇo kiṃ bhavissati. | Dhp 264|  
  
  He is not a practitioner because he is bald.
  He is not a preacher who is immoral and lies.
  How will he become a practitioner,
  Who is given over to desire and acquisition?  [My translation]