Boy George is Buddhist and proud!
I was a teenager in Los Angeles when Boy George or his actual name George O’Dowd, first became popular in the 1980s… I didn’t really like his music or appreciate his creativity… I would see him on TV or hear his tunes on the radio, but it was not really my style. That is not to say he is not super talented, creative and intelligent which he is. But I do appreciate his past and current music now.
Recently, I was surfing on the Internet and accidentally stumbled across the picture below. It shocked me because he had changed so much since his 80’s look. I didn’t know what happened to him since the 1980s and what happened to his career. So I started lightly researching more into his background and his life, and what I discovered really touched me…it will touch you too.
Boy George leaving his house in London. This was taken in January 2009, around the time he was convicted for false imprisoning someone.
After Culture Club disbanded, Boy George began a very successful solo career before he eventually became a DJ during the 1990s for 17 years. Things changed when he was found guilty of falsely reporting a burglary in his apartment in 2006. He was sentenced to community service for 5 days. Imagine going from a famous singer to sweeping and picking up rubbish on the streets of New York as part of your community service? Would you be embarrassed if this happened to you?
The press mercilessly followed him throughout his entire community service stint almost taunting him and ‘enjoying’ his downfall. This is much more than what most ordinary people would have to deal with if they were sentenced to community service. During the ordeal, he never retaliated with violence or anger, and quietly carried out his sentence.
Everywhere Boy George goes, the press followed him. This was taken in 2006 when he was sentenced to community service in New York.
Prior to carrying out this sentence, on 16 January 2009, Boy George was convicted for charges of false imprisonment and sentenced to 15 months jail time. At the time he was addicted to alcohol and drugs and had not written music for a very long time. His addiction was not a sign he is a bad person, but a person trying to deal with so much pressures, pains and public scrutiny. In his interviews later, he said that during his arrest, he was mistreated and humiliated by the police who called him names and denied him basic human courtesies like food and water. Uncalled for. After so many public scandals over the years, his career hit rock bottom because people did not want to work with someone who was so high risk. Music stations dropped him and his cd sales dropped.
Or view the video on the server at:
https://video.tsemtulku.com/videos/boy-george-on-being-arrested-in-new-york.mp4
Listen to how the police degraded him down and everybody put him down for his arrest. Amazing after all that he can still speak so calmly and peacefully and even make jokes about it!
I was really happy to learn that Boy George launched a comeback and it was a success. I came across his latest videos and saw how much he had changed since serving his jail time. Just look at him and how different he is today! He is vibrant, graceful, very open and warm. He speaks with wit and wisdom. Genuine wisdom. Many people have had fewer struggles and obstacles and they gave up. Boy George came out calm, dignified and not bitter nor angry. Kudos!
I really admire him for having so much inner strength. Instead of letting his obstacles win and giving up, he used his comeback to prove to everyone that he is more than the insults and to show himself that he still had it in him to be a superstar. A real winner.
Imagine having to live with this kind of pressure where your every move and especially your downfalls are scrutinised heavily and documented in great detail.
When I was reading on his life, I really did not know he was a Buddhist. I thought that he was another celebrity who had been through very difficult times, who had recovered and launched a good comeback. I wanted to share his story because I found it so inspirational that a person can be at the very lowest point in their life, then make such a return without any anger or bitterness. Then I came across the interview about his life and he said he was a Buddhist and everything clicked.
Or view the video on the server at:
https://video.tsemtulku.com/videos/BoyGeorgetheBuddhist.mp4
Must see video where Boy George expresses he is a Buddhist and spirituality. So beautiful, firm and yet gentle.
Boy George is so open about his beliefs and faith, and how it helped him on the road to recovery. He’s very direct with the interviewer and doesn’t hesitate to share his spirituality. And listen to the way he talks about karma. So spot on! You can tell this is not a religion that he finds simply trendy, but it is a belief that has really helped him for the last two decades. Buddhism is something many modern people find trendy, hip and a good alternative. But when they get deeper into Buddhism, they can see how much it has to offer.
I wanted to share Boy George’s story with you because I found it so inspiring how he totally turned his life around through Buddhism. It is great to see Buddhists like him who are eloquent, creative, direct, witty and exposed. They reflect Buddha’s teachings well because they show the power of Dharma to transform our minds and bring us happiness, if we put the teachings into practice.
Please enjoy some of his music. Since he started performing again, Boy George’s voice has matured and the vibrato vibrations of his voice is simply beautiful. His mature voice is art in the form of sound.
I am so happy for Boy George from the depths of my heart and I wish him further spiritual success. I hope to meet him one day to express my admiration for his journey that he has shared. I wish to present him a Buddha statue for his shrine.
Tsem Rinpoche
Or view the video on the server at:
https://video.tsemtulku.com/videos/live-your-life-boy-george.mp4
Or view the video on the server at:
https://video.tsemtulku.com/videos/boy-george-everything-i-own.mp4
So much charisma!! He’s singing acapella and it’s fantastic!
Or view the video on the server at:
https://video.tsemtulku.com/videos/boy-george-king-of-everything.mp4
Really wonderful video and excellent performance. Bravo to Boy George!
King of Everything
Lyrics
Put down the booze
Let the demons win the fight
Dropped my gloves to the ground
You know I’m sorry
For the times I made you cry
I made an art of letting you down
[Bridge:]
I used to say
It’s only me I’m hurting
But I saw you on the stairs
The kid was crying
And the dogs were howling
And a siren filled the air
[Chorus:]
What’s the word on the street
Have I lost my crown
Or will I be king again
What’s the word on the street
Have I lost my crown
Or will I be king of everything
Tempted myself time & time again
Like self destruction was so cool
I mocked your tears and I scarred your heart
I blamed the past and I blamed you
[Bridge]
[Chorus]
[Chorus]
Standing outside of me
Looking down
On the left is Boy George during the time of his arrest, and on the right is Boy George after he became clean from drugs and alcohol, and launched his comeback. He credits his Buddhist practice with teaching him about culpability and how to accept the consequences of his actions. Just look at the difference! Not only does he look healthier, but he also looks happier and brighter. Excellent!
A picture of Boy George’s shrine. It is very simple and clean and well-kept, and reflects his devotion to his practice. I like it when celebrities like Boy George who are intelligent and outspoken are proud of their beliefs.
He uses his fame and celebrity to spread wisdom that will benefit others
Boy George recites this prayer every single day as his sadhana. Tibet Buddhists do the same. Many of us do the holy *Tsongkapa prayer daily which is a great antidote to depression and self hatred as well as increasing wisdom. It is amazing because he’s so busy yet he still finds the time to fulfill his spiritual commitments daily. People like Boy George are in such a wonderful position to bring more spirituality to a world in deep need of it. I hope so much Boy George will do more to bring dharma to many others in so much need. This is not an expectation, but a humble request.
(Disclaimer: I do not own any of the videos, photos, lyrics or tweets. I am sharing them here to express my great admiration for Boy George and wish to bring more awareness of his spirituality and journey. )
*1. To become a Dharma teacher (https://www.tsemrinpoche.com/tsem-tulku-rinpoche/tsongkhapa/to-become-a-dharma-teacher.html)
2. Tsongkhapa’s daily practice: video commentary (https://www.tsemrinpoche.com/tsem-tulku-rinpoche/me/tsongkapas-daily-practice-video-commentary.html)
3. Transcript – Lama Tsongkhapa (https://www.tsemrinpoche.com/tsem-tulku-rinpoche/buddhas-dharma/transcript-lama-tsongkhapa-24th-july-2008.html)
4. Transcript – Guru Yoga Teaching (https://www.tsemrinpoche.com/tsem-tulku-rinpoche/buddhas-dharma/transcript-guru-yoga-teaching.html)
5. Transcript – Tsongkhapa Explained (https://www.tsemrinpoche.com/tsem-tulku-rinpoche/buddhas-dharma/transcript-tsongkhapa-explained.html)
6. Teachings on the Lamrim Retreat (https://www.tsemrinpoche.com/tsem-tulku-rinpoche/buddhas-dharma/teachings-on-lam-rim-retreat.html)
7. The Mind and Lama Tsongkhapa (https://www.tsemrinpoche.com/tsem-tulku-rinpoche/buddhas-dharma/the-mind-and-lama-tsongkhapa.html)
8. More teachings can be found here: https://www.tsemrinpoche.com/tsem-tulku-rinpoche/category/tsongkhapa
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A recent interview of Boy George in 2018. It’s lovely. -https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5cmp7d5tSU4&feature=youtu.be
https://video.tsemtulku.com/videouploads/comment-1533198071.mp4
Inspiring story of how a once famous singer journey recovered from disgraced to a better person.From grory,fame to shame ……. He was sentenced to do community work and work his way to recovery..All because of Buddhism that has hekped him.After what he has gone through from he has become stronger than before. Its wonderful and proud of him to make a change in life. He is one of the many celebrities that transformed through Buddhism to a more successful and peaceful life .He has inspired many others too .
His songs is good ,filled with meaningful words.
Thank you Rinpoche for sharing this inspiring article.
So glad to read and to know that Buddhism helped Boy George in going through his challenging life. Being once a famous artist, I am sure it is not easy to when facing downfall and being put to jail. A person got to have a strong and focus mind to go through such experience. Thank you Rinpoche for sharing this article. We should never give up even if we are going through terrible time.
Wow, what a wonderful inspiring article. I never knew he was a Buddhist. Many thanks and best wishes.
Oh, I love this post very much Rinpoche. Stories about second chances and winning after massive failures make the world go round. What I mean by that is it gives us hope and confidence that something can be done to win again. Perhaps we didn’t have much knowledge at first and not much experience about the world, about ourselves so Boy George’s story of new knowledge, growth and happiness is refreshing indeed. The two images of his also demonstrate impermamence big time (sorry about my informal language). It’s amazing how (let’s forget about how our bodies look in old age and at death), but even in the span of two decades, i.e, our twenties and forties there’s a remarkable difference. It feels like they’re almost two different people. Impermamence is amazing! I appreciate that Rinpoche went through Boy George’s twitter page and extracted images relating to his buddhist practice to teach us and demonstrate us of how he embraced the dharma into life. I really love this story. His character seems open and unpretentious like Rinpoche mentioned. Now I’m going to like him on facebook if he has a public page. Thank you as always, Rinpoche. Please never stop teaching us. <3 <3
感谢仁波切的分享，這的確是令人振奮和激勵的真实写照，當一個人选择信佛学佛這種變化可能發生的。他將是个活生生的例子，許多人相信並將實踐佛法。他需要強有力的支持，保持自己的信念活著，成長。
It is amazing what Buddhism has done to Boy George. The before and after jail time pictures really showed what a come back he did.
Not only did he transform his mind, his thoughts, his actions, he also transformed himself physically. Understanding the Buddha Dharma and Karma really helped him, as it does help others.
It’s no wonder why he advocates Buddhism to his followers. And he is proud if it.
Beautiful.
It is amazing what Buddhism has done to Boy George. The before and after jail time pictures really showed what a come back he did.
Not only did he transform his mind, his thoughts, his actions, he also transformed himself physically. Understanding the Buddha Dharma and Karma really helped him, as it would to help others.
It’s no wonder why he advocates Buddhism to his followers. And he is proud if it.
Beautiful.
Boy George is a true survivor, there are stories of celebrities or stars who have fallen down and not recovered. Perhaps his songs do not have the appeal like before but it is different now, more matured than before. However he seems to be more at ease and even happy about himself no matter the condition or situation.
Dear Rinpoche,
I liked some of Boy George’s songs in the eighties. Thank you sharing his story with us.
Nothing is permanent! Not the fame and glory. But also not the shame and the suffering.
Wow, what a transformation! Boy George can be proud and I rejoice for what he has achieved.
I hope Rinpoche is well. May all Your prayers come true. Thank You for Your care.
The Buddha’s teachings never fail us eventhough it was given by the Buddha more than 2500 years ago. It is suitable then & now, never runs out of fashion! It suits all mind & lift us to higher state if we put it into practice sincerely. Thank you Boy George for proving it to us all.
Thank you Rinpoche for your sharing of Boy George,s story. It,s really wonderful, inspiring and touching too, to see him becoming a Buddhist. Like the saying goes, “He has been to hell and back”, and with the power of Buddhism to be thankful for in his change! Yes,he truly is a real winner who looks much better, healthier and much relaxed now than before. He will certainly make himself a true and good Buddhist. We feel happier for him to have met with his good Karma, and will pray hard that he will grow with the Dharma! Om mani padme hung.
I totally agreed with Boy George that understanding and putting Buddhism into practice will give us back our humanity. And without doubt Buddhism is a great and trusted companion in good and bad times. It’s great that Boy George re-connected with Buddhism again and embracing it fully now. He finally GOT it!
Thank you Rinpoche for the sharing.It good to know that Boy George,being a westerner,he was brave and proud to announce to the world that he is a Buddhist.We certainly hope that by his sharing,he could help others in need or in time of despair to follow his foot steps to find solace in something that is simple and yet tangible for others to practice.
May Boy George be successful in his Buddhist practice and his career to lead others to the right path….
I didn’t really fancy Boy George’s songs even though he has strong and beautiful voice. I did admire his talents for artistic, creative feminine facial make up very beautiful! I am glad that Boy George has strong faith in the Buddha and he recites his prayer every single day and i believed this is how he solved his problems and made a successful come back. May all his negative karma be purified and all his wishes be fulfilled. Thank you Rinpoche for sharing this touching and inspiring life story of Boy George.
Boy George is such a colorful character, literally. I remember him from Culture Club and Karma Chameleon until he faded from the entertainment, and I sort of forgot about him.
It’s inspiring that someone who was so famous, hit rock bottom and picked himself up.
I am glad Boy George overcome his difficulty and his Buddhist practice really help him a lot. He is kind and even share his beliefs to everyone in hope everyone to have peace.
[…] Boy George is Buddhist and proud! […]
Thank you Rinpoche for sharing this blog post with us is very inspiring to know that any human being out there who has benefited from Buddha teaching. I think a lot of people out there who not as lucky as Boy George they have to suffer tremendously from their problems and a lot of them can’t withstand their suffering they end up killing themselves .
I love Boy George now. I have never really liked his music but I do like him now probably because I relate to his journey of self-discovery through Buddhism. I like the fact that he is vocal about his beliefs and he is very frank and honest about his experiences, even the unsavoury ones like being arrest and stuff. It is nice to have stars and celebrities that have found peace and transformation through Buddhism. Very inspiring indeed.
Nice to learn bout Boy George. Grew up wt his songs in UK but as most, he disappear fr radar after a few hits. Its nice to know that he has strong faith in Buddhism and how he had put his belief into practise throughout his low times. May he be blessed wt success in his comeback and share wt the world his songs. Thank you Rinpoche for sharing his story with us.
For Boy George, after all the hard knocks of hie earlier years with drugs, it is a story that has a happy ending.Being a celebrity, his story of how Buddhism has helped him fight and vanquish his demons, will resonate well with people all over who can identify with him and find this most inspiring and encouraging.He recognizes, as a Buddhist, that he and everyone of us, are ‘culpable’ for all our action. At the same time that he accepts the consequences of his actions, he knows that we can ‘change our karma’.
Hence he has these words of prayer –
“I pray to bring forth Buddhahood from within my life,
Change my karma,
And fulfill my wishes in the present and future”.
Positive words that are charged with a determination to bring forth all the best in him to conquer demons and adversaries, and let the torch of dharma shine from within.
It’s great to see how much an individual can benefit from the Buddha dharma. Love the before and after look! A very inspiring story indeed! Thank you Rinpoche for sharing.
Wow! This is another great example of how Buddhism has saved someone from falling into deeper depression due to one’s downfall and coming back into healthier life, clearer mind and becoming more successful with spiritual practice as the basis of everything in life. I wish Boy George all the best in both his career and spiritual path,especially in spreading the Dharma to all his fans and friends around the world. Thank you Rinpoche for posting the beautiful story of Boy George’s real life experience with his comeback in music industry. This is a very inspirational and motivational example we should embrace whenever we come across with any obstacles or challenges in both spiritual and secular life experience. Nothing is permanent and so does failure in life!
I am very happy to see the transformation that Buddhism has brought forth to his life. Buddhism helped him overcome his problems and allowed for his return to the music scene. It is good that he shares his experiences. Thank you for sharing, Rinpoche.
Thank you for sharing this with us Rinpoche. Very inspiring story. The media fed on this suffering and kicked him when he was down. Instead of hurling insults back at the world, he strived to be successful and launched a comeback. Very inspiring!
P.S. Been listening to King of Everything for the 89th time.
Dear Jim,
I like the song very much too. The video is great. Creative. TR
Wow!!! What an inspiring story about Boy George! I used to listen to his songs when I was growing up. I never knew he hit rock bottom so hard and how because of his Buddhist faith he managed to pull himself back up. He was once a huge pop star, a “celebrity” and to know what he went through, how he was mistreated by the police, even in the hospitals, now giving him a drink of water, how he was made fun off, being put down, cursed etc. he never reacted back with anger and accepted his “karma”, consequences of his actions, which in Buddhism this is what we called purification.
He instead of reacting negatively, Boy George repented, regreted, and he purify the negativities he’s done by serving time, doing community work, and did his mantra recitation that gave him the strength to rise above it all, and he has turned out to be even better person than who he was before. This is so inspiring for all Buddhist and non-Buddhist! It goes to proof that Buddha’s words are real, that mantras do help and if one wishes to change to become better, to transform ones life for the better, you can, we can and it’s never too late. I am proud of Boy George and how far he has come, giving many hope and light who may have gone through a similar downhill. And it’s awesome to know that his Buddhist faith gave him the strength when he needed it most! Brovo!!!
Thank you for Rinpoche’s sharing . Boy George’ story is really inspiring and how the Buddha Teaching have lead him towards positive Journey instead only complaint or blaming others .
I rejoice to read how Dharma has helped Boy George and his acceptance of the ”down” period of his life so clearly explained by him due to cause and effects which is Karma.
His realisation of the goodness of the Dharma and his realisations thereon are also very well reflected in his new songs especially “King of Everything”.
May great celebrities like him go all the way out to spread the Dharma to grow strongly.
It is indeed inspiring and motivating that such changes can happen when one embraces Buddhism. I am very happy that he has changed and that he will be the example to many others to believe and practice the Dharma. He will need strong support group and others to keep his faith alive and to grow.
As one who was listening to Culture Club, I did wonder what happened to Boy George as he was one of the most outstanding artiste in the 80s. Thank you for posting this, Rinpoche. Am happy that he has chosen his path in Buddhism which helped turned his life around. His new songs are different from his previous hits like “Karma Charmeleon” and “Do you really wanna hurt me”. But they are great as his voice has matured and I particularly like King of Everything. The lyrics are meaningful and inspirational.
Thank you with folded hands.
After all that Boy George has gone through in his life he is totally convinced by the law of “Cause and Effect” “KARMA” ! Its refreshing to see someone who has actually made a realization on such an important teaching. Rejoice to see his turnaround in life !
It is by relying on the same ground that one fall on to stand up. by contemplating and accepting the unpleasant situation we are now at and how we ended up in it,the draw back of it. Not wanting for the similar situation to happen again in the future. One take the necessary opposing actions to ensure that it would never happen again.
It’s great to know that Buddhism helped him through his difficult times, he DOES look healthier, brighter and more confident. This is the first time I have ever heard of him, and his voice is awesome, so much power! Thank You for sharing Rinpoche, may he gain more inner strength and peace through Buddhism.
Its so good to have well known people who are Buddhist and proud. This creates awareness among the world and its people. I hope that Boy George uses his popularity for good things and to help spread the Dharma.
I’m very happy Buddhism has helped Boy George overcome his problems and make a comeback in his music career. His practice has proved to be good for him. He is sharing his experience and promoting his Buddhist practice! This shows that if one can face one’s demons, one will find the peace and happiness that one seeks.