Within the Drukpa Kagyu, Vajrayana is not treated as a separate or exotic track, but as a set of powerful methods whose entire purpose is to reveal the nature of mind described by Mahamudra. Tantric practice rests on a foundation of renunciation, bodhicitta, and a correct understanding of emptiness, so that the “swift path” does not become spiritually hazardous. Deity yoga, mantra, and ritual are used to transform ordinary perception into pure appearance, with the deity understood as the expression or display of mind’s own nature. Generation and completion stages are maintained in their classical form, and the Six Yogas of Naropa—especially inner heat and dream yoga—are valued as potent supports that ripen the mindstream for direct realization, even if they are not regarded as strictly indispensable in every case.

Mahamudra itself is regarded as the heart of the path, the direct realization of mind as empty, luminous, and unobstructed. The lineage draws on the classic Kagyu transmission from Marpa, Milarepa, and Gampopa, and makes use of both “sutra Mahamudra,” grounded in calm abiding and insight into emptiness, and “tantra Mahamudra,” supported by highest yoga tantra and subtle-body yogas. Practice typically unfolds in stages: first stabilizing shamatha, then cultivating vipashyana that examines mind directly, and finally resting non-conceptually in the nature that has been pointed out. Pointing-out instructions from a qualified guru are central, and devotion expressed through guru-yoga is treated as the living conduit for the blessing and realization of this Great Seal.

The relationship between Vajrayana and Mahamudra is therefore one of deep integration rather than parallel tracks. Tantric methods—deity visualization, mantra, the yogas of channels, winds, and drops—are understood as skillful means that accelerate and stabilize the recognition that ordinary mind, when seen in its natural state, is Mahamudra. The Mahamudra view of the inseparability of emptiness and clarity pervades all stages of Vajrayana practice, so that what appears as a deity, a thought, or a sensation is progressively recognized as the display of that very awareness. In this way, the Drukpa Kagyu maintains a pragmatic, experiential orientation: realization is expected to arise not from elaborate theory, but from sustained practice under the guidance of a living teacher, until all phenomena are known in a single taste as expressions of awakened mind.