Within the Drukpa lineage, ethical life is framed as a layered mandala of commitments, each level deepening and refining the previous one. At the foundation stand the pratimoksha vows of individual liberation: refuge in Buddha, Dharma, and Sangha, together with the basic lay precepts of refraining from killing, stealing, sexual misconduct, lying, and intoxicants that cloud the mind. For those entering monastic life, these expand into the detailed Vinaya discipline, including novice vows and the full array of rules for fully ordained monks, which shape a life of celibacy, simplicity, non-harm, and communal discipline. This foundational discipline is not treated as a mere code of prohibitions, but as the ground that makes higher practices stable and trustworthy.

Upon this ground, the Drukpa tradition places the bodhisattva vows, which reorient ethical conduct around the vast intention to attain awakening for the benefit of all beings. These vows center on never abandoning bodhicitta and on cultivating the six perfections—generosity, ethical discipline, patience, diligence, meditation, and wisdom—so that conduct and motivation become inseparable. Particular emphasis is given to avoiding grave misdeeds such as disparaging others out of attachment to gain, refusing help when capable of giving it, rejecting or distorting the Dharma from bad motivation, or deceiving others with false claims of realization. In this way, ethics becomes less a matter of external rule-keeping and more a continuous training in expansive, discerning compassion.

The Vajrayana dimension of Drukpa practice adds another, more intimate circle of commitment in the form of tantric samaya. These vows arise in the context of empowerment and bind the practitioner to the guru, the meditational deities, and the community of vajra siblings through a network of commitments concerning body, speech, and mind. Guru devotion, pure perception of the “three roots” (guru, yidam, and ḍākinī or protector), and faithful maintenance of mantra recitations and sādhanā practices are all treated as ethical obligations, not merely technical requirements. Violations such as slander within the vajra community, careless speech about realization, or allowing malice and wrong views to take root are understood as direct threats to the integrity of the path.

Within this framework, Mahāmudrā practice in the Drukpa lineage is not separated from ethics but is suffused by it. A stable base of discipline is regarded as indispensable for recognizing the nature of mind, and there is a clear insistence that insight into emptiness or “pure view” never be used to excuse harmful or irresponsible behavior. Honesty with teachers and with oneself about meditative experience becomes an ethical commitment in its own right, guarding against self-deception and spiritual pretense. Distinctive emphases within the lineage—such as non-harm extended to care for animals and the environment, active compassion expressed through service, and a culture of simplicity and humility—show how these vows are meant to be lived in concrete ways, so that realization and conduct continually illuminate one another.