| Description |
Driglam denotes ‘order, conformity and uniformity’ while namzha refers to ‘the principle’. Hence, driglam namzha means abiding by the principle of living in harmony and in pure forms concerning physical, verbal and mental behaviours.
Every society has its own code of discipline in order to regulate human conduct, enabling people to live together as civilised human beings. The Bhutanese code of driglam namzha covers a wide range of social norms. These include speaking, eating, drinking, walking, sitting, dressing, relationship, patriotism and gratitude. It is a way of showing gratitude for the benefits one
has received from parents, leaders, elders and spiritual teachers. These distinctive social customs have been carefully maintained and preserved over generations by our forefathers. Today, they are deeply rooted in our society and remains as an insignia of our cultural identity.
Precisely, driglam namzha involves action, speech and thoughts. Accordingly, it can be described as follows:
1. Physical Etiquette (lueki driglam): It means conducting oneself through the body. This covers the conduct of eating, drinking, walking, sitting, seeing, dressing, showing respect, and physical gestures.
2. Speech Etiquette (ngagi driglam): It means conducting oneself through speech. This covers speaking the truth, speaking gently and politely, speaking in a respectful way, and saying words that are beneficial to others.
3. Mind Etiquette (yiki driglam): It means conducting oneself through the mind. This covers faith in the Three Jewels (Tri Ratna, that is, Buddha, Dharma and Sangha), dedication to work, loyalty to the country, good intentions, showing kindness and gratitude, and trust in the cycle of karma.
Among the three aspects of driglam namzha, mind etiquette is the most important of all because the mind influences and controls our actions and speech. It is through intelligence that human values can be analysed, understood, appreciated and followed. Therefore, to rectify our thinking and have the right attitude is most important. Thus, mind etiquette plays a vital role in the person’s maintenance of quality and decency.
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| Social and cultural significance |
Every society has its own code of discipline in order to regulate human conduct, enabling people to live together as civilised human beings. Among the three aspects of driglam namzha, mind etiquette is the most important of all because the mind influences and controls our actions and speech. It is through intelligence that human values can be analysed, understood, appreciated and followed. Therefore, to rectify our thinking and have the right attitude is most important. Thus, mind etiquette plays a vital role in the person’s maintenance of quality and decency. |
