What is Bardo?
Bardo (Tibetan: བར་དོ་, bar do) denotes the intermediate or transitional states of consciousness in Tibetan Buddhist philosophy. While most commonly associated with the death-rebirth continuum, the term encompasses any threshold experience between one state of existence and another. The concept is most extensively detailed in the Bardo Thodol (Liberation Through Hearing in the Intermediate State), commonly known in the West as the Tibetan Book of the Dead, which maps six distinct bardos: the bardo of this life (kyeney bardo), the bardo of dreams (milam bardo), the bardo of meditation (samten bardo), the bardo of the moment of death (chikhai bardo), the bardo of ultimate reality (chönyi bardo), and the bardo of becoming (sipa bardo).
The teachings emphasize that all transitional moments—birth, sleep, dreaming, deep meditation, and death—share a common characteristic: they are opportunities for liberation if one can recognize the luminous nature of mind. In the death bardos specifically, consciousness encounters visions arising from its own karmic imprints; recognizing these as projections rather than external realities offers the possibility of awakening or at least a favorable rebirth.
Origins & Lineage
The bardo teachings originate in the Vajrayana Buddhist tradition, particularly the Nyingma school of Tibetan Buddhism. According to tradition, the root text of the Bardo Thodol was composed by Padmasambhava (Guru Rinpoche) in the 8th century CE, then concealed as a terma (hidden treasure text) to be revealed when circumstances were appropriate. The text was reportedly discovered by tertön Karma Lingpa in the 14th century on Mount Gampodar in Tibet.
The teachings draw from earlier Indian Buddhist sources, including the Abhidharma literature and tantric texts, but were synthesized and elaborated within the Tibetan context. Padmasambhava’s consort Yeshe Tsogyal is credited with transcribing many of his oral teachings. The Bardo Thodol is part of a larger corpus called Karling Shitro (Peaceful and Wrathful Deities), which includes meditation practices, mantras, and ritual instructions.
The text gained widespread Western attention in 1927 when W.Y. Evans-Wentz published the first English translation, The Tibetan Book of the Dead, though scholars later critiqued his introduction for imposing Theosophical interpretations. More accurate translations appeared in the late 20th century by scholars including Francesca Fremantle, Chögyam Trungpa Rinpoche (1975), and Robert Thurman (1994).
How It’s Practiced
Bardo practice takes multiple forms depending on the specific intermediate state being addressed. For preparation for the death bardos, practitioners traditionally study the Bardo Thodol texts and receive direct transmission from qualified lamas. The foundational practice involves familiarizing oneself with the appearance of peaceful and wrathful deities—complex visualizations representing aspects of enlightened awareness—so they can be recognized during the post-death experience.
Daily meditation often includes phowa (consciousness transference), a technique for directing awareness at the moment of death toward a pure land or enlightened state. Practitioners visualize their consciousness as a luminous sphere that shoots upward through the central channel and out the crown chakra. Regular dream yoga practice serves as training for the death bardo, since the dream state is considered structurally similar: both involve navigating projections of one’s own mind.
When death approaches, a practitioner may be attended by a spiritual friend who reads aloud from the Bardo Thodol, offering instructions to the consciousness of the dying or deceased person. These instructions remind the practitioner to recognize the clear light of death (ösel), avoid being distracted by visions, and see all appearances as illusory. Traditionally, readings continue for 49 days—the maximum duration believed for the becoming bardo.
In Dzogchen and Mahamudra traditions, bardo teachings are inseparable from the practice of recognizing rigpa (pure awareness) in the present moment, as every instant of transition offers the same opportunity for recognition available at death.
Bardo Today
Contemporary Western practitioners encounter bardo teachings primarily through Tibetan Buddhist teachers in the Karma Kagyu, Nyingma, Gelug, and Sakya lineages. Many Dharma centers offer workshops specifically on death and dying based on the Bardo Thodol. Books such as Sogyal Rinpoche’s The Tibetan Book of Living and Dying (1992) have introduced millions to the concepts, though traditional teachers sometimes note these popularizations simplify complex philosophical points.
The concept has migrated beyond strictly Buddhist contexts. Psychedelic researchers including Stanislav Grof have drawn parallels between the bardo visions and experiences during psychedelic journeys. Hospice and palliative care programs increasingly incorporate bardo concepts into end-of-life spiritual care. Some contemporary teachers emphasize bardo as a metaphor for any life transition—career changes, relationship endings, identity shifts—framing these as opportunities for conscious transformation.
Retreat centers in India, Nepal, and the West offer extended practice intensives on the Six Bardos, typically including transmission of the associated deity visualizations, mantra recitation practices, and instructions for lucid dreaming. The bardo prayers (mönlam) are chanted in Tibetan Buddhist communities during memorial services and on death anniversaries.
Common Misconceptions
Bardo is frequently misunderstood as referring exclusively to a literal intermediate realm between lives, leading some to dismiss it as mere superstition. However, traditional teachings emphasize phenomenological investigation of consciousness rather than making cosmological claims. The question is not whether the bardos exist “out there” but whether recognizing mental projections as projections—during life, dreams, or death—leads to liberation from suffering.
Another misconception is that the Bardo Thodol is meant to be read to all dead people as a universal manual. Traditionally, the text is specifically for practitioners already familiar with Vajrayana deity practices; those without this background receive different prayers and instructions appropriate to their level of understanding.
The Western term “Tibetan Book of the Dead” misleadingly suggests parallels with the Egyptian funerary text. Unlike the Egyptian work, which focuses on spells and navigation of an actual underworld, the Bardo Thodol emphasizes psychological states and the opportunity to recognize the mind’s luminous nature.
Finally, bardo teachings are sometimes presented as requiring no meditation experience, as though reading alone provides protection at death. Traditional teachers insist that recognition during the death bardo requires extensive prior training in recognizing awareness during life and dreams; the text’s value at death depends on familiarity with the experiences it describes.
How to Begin
Entering bardo study requires first establishing a foundation in basic Buddhist concepts including impermanence (anicca), karma, and the nature of mind. Begin with Sogyal Rinpoche’s The Tibetan Book of Living and Dying or Francesca Fremantle and Chögyam Trungpa’s translation of The Tibetan Book of the Dead for accessible introductions. For more scholarly depth, consult Robert Thurman’s translation or Gyurme Dorje’s comprehensive Penguin edition (2005).
Seeking connection with a qualified teacher from one of the four main Tibetan schools is essential for authentic practice transmission. Organizations such as Shambhala, Rigpa, Tergar, and the Foundation for the Preservation of the Mahayana Tradition (FPMT) offer courses on the bardos. Look for teachings specifically on the Six Bardos or on phowa practice.
Develop a consistent meditation practice, as bardo recognition fundamentally depends on familiarity with awareness itself. Shamatha (calm-abiding) and vipassana (insight) meditation create the stability necessary for later bardo practices. Once grounded in basic meditation, explore dream yoga through texts like The Tibetan Yogas of Dream and Sleep by Tenzin Wangyal Rinpoche, since dream practice directly prepares consciousness for the death experience.
For those drawn to the philosophical dimensions, study the Abhidharma analysis of consciousness and the Madhyamaka teachings on emptiness (sunyata), as these underpin the bardo framework. Retreat participation—particularly in Dzogchen or Mahamudra traditions—offers experiential understanding of the “gap” or luminous awareness the bardo teachings aim to sustain through death’s transitions.