BARDO EXPLANATIONS

Tibetan Buddhism identifies six 'bardos', or states of consciousness, associated with the phases of life and death. Early in Buddhist history, the word 'bardo' generally only referred to the phases after death and between lifetimes, and in common usage it is still often used this way. Early Buddhists differed on whether rebirth occurred immediately after death, or whether there was an interval and transitional period. When Mahayana Buddhism developed later on, including both Tibetan Buddhism and Zen, most lineages accepted the idea of an interval, and the teachings on bardos developed. Within Tibetan Buddhism and some other Mahayana traditions, three bardos experienced during physical incarnation were added to the original three after-death or between-life states.

The six bardos are:

First bardo (Shinay): Our lifetime in physical form, lasting until our consciousness or mindstream leaves our body at death (which in Tibetan teachings does not occur until sometime after we are physically considered deceased.)

Second bardo (Milam): Our dream experiences and dream states, occurring within a lifetime of the first bardo. One branch of Tibetan practice commonly referred to as 'dream yoga' focuses on how to transform the dream state into Buddhist practice.

Third bardo (Samten): True meditation, also occurring within a lifetime in the first bardo. This particularly refers to states reached by experienced meditators who are practicing correctly, although some may have a spontaneous experience of it outside meditation.

Fourth bardo (Chikkhai): The death transit, in which we experience the 'clear light', followed by unconsciousness. Tibetan descriptions of this bardo are often compared with descriptions of after-death or near-death experiences in other spiritual traditions. In Tibetan teachings, this state begins slightly before what we think of as physical death, and continues for approximately three days until complete dissolution or transmutation to the next bardo has occurred. An experienced Buddhist practitioner, or one whom has absorbed the teachings of the Tibetan Book of the Dead, may attain liberation in this phase.

Fifth bardo (Chonyid): A series of dream or trance-like visions and auditory sensations that each being experiences differently based on their remaining karmas, particularly their intense aversions or desires. An experienced Buddhist practitioner, one able to recognize the clear light of the fourth bardo (even if liberation was not attained there), will be able to maintain an inner equanimity during this phase, and even experience transcendent realms of being, while others will be trapped in full delusion, as if immersed in a movie or dream.

Sixth bardo (Sidpai): The process of becoming or being reborn. Based on remaining karmas, a being will experience more visions that will eventually propel them into a new lifetime - back to the first bardo. Liberated beings that are returning based on a bodhisattva vow experience this bardo, and the fifth, in full awareness, until the commencement of the first bardo, when they lose their full past-life recall, just like other beings (although some subtle memories may remain, or be recalled at a later time.)

The Tibetan Book of the Dead, or Liberation Through Hearing During the Intermediate State, is a treatise from the Nyingma school of Tibetan Buddhism designed to guide an individual through the death process and the interval prior to rebirth. This series of teachings is typically read aloud over a dying, or recently deceased person, and/or studied by practitioners during life. Sogyal Rinpoche's bestselling The Tibetan Book of Living and Dying introduces these teachings in an accessible way to a Western audience.

However, teachings on the bardos are not only considered useful for navigating the death planes. All of the six bardos can be understood as transitional states, and understanding them and their inter-relationship is a key practice within many Tibetan Buddhist lineages. In a sense our consciousness is in transition every moment, and learning to recognize these shifts, and more importantly the ground in which they occur, is essential practice.

The Root Verses on the Six Bardos from the terma of Karma Lingpa

kyé ma, dak la kyé né bar do char dü dir

Kyema! Now when the bardo of this life is dawning upon me,

tsé la long mé lelo pang ché né

I will abandon laziness for which life has no time,

tö sam gom sum ma yeng lam la juk

Enter, undistracted, the path of study, reflection and meditation,

nang sem lam long ku sum ngön gyur cha

Making perceptions and mind the path, and realize the three kāyas;

mi lü len chik tobpé dü tsö dir

Now that for once I have attained a human body,

yeng ma lam la döpé dü tsö min

This is not the time to remain in the ways of distraction.

kyé ma, dak la milam bardo char dü dir Kyema!

Now when the bardo of dreams is dawning upon me,

timuk ro nyel bakmé pang ché né

I will abandon the heedless, corpse-like sleep of ignorance,

drenpa yeng mé neluk ngang la jok

And settle the mind in its natural state without distraction;

milam zung né trül gyur ösel jang

Recognizing dreams, I will train in transformation and clear light,

düdro zhin du nyelwar ma ché chik

I must not simply slumber like an animal,

nyi dang ngönsum drepé nyamlen ché

But combine sleep with realization—this is crucial.

kyé ma, dak la samten bardo char dü dir Kyema!

Now when the bardo of samādhi is dawning upon me,

nam yeng trülpé tsok nam pang ché né

I will abandon all forms of distraction and delusion,

yeng mé dzin mé tadrel ngang la jok

And rest in the infinite state that is free of distraction and grasping;

kyé dzok nyi la tenpa tobpar cha

Gaining stability in the two stages: generation and perfection,

chawa pang né tsé chik gom dü dir

At this time of single-pointed meditation, having given up activity,

nyön mong trülpé wang du ma tang zhik

I must not fall under the sway of afflictions and delusion.

kyé ma, dak la chikha bardo char dü dir Kyema!

Now when the bardo of dying is dawning upon me,

kun la chak sem zhen dzin pang ché né

I will abandon all grasping, yearning, and attachment,

dam ngak salwé ngang la ma yeng juk

Enter, undistracted, a state in which the instructions are clear,

rang rik kyé mé namkhé ying su po

And transfer my own awareness into the sphere of unborn space;

düché sha trak lü dang dral la khé

As I am about to leave this compound body of flesh and blood,

mi tak gyuma yinpar shepar cha

I will know it to be a transitory illusion.

kyé ma, dak la chönyi bardo char dü dir Kyema!

Now when the bardo of dharmatā is dawning upon me,

kun la ngang trak jik nang pang ché né

I will abandon all fear and terror,

gang shar rang nang rigpar ngo shé juk

Recognizing whatever appears as the natural display of awareness,

bardö nang tsul yinpar shepar cha

I will know it to be the way this bardo unfolds;

dön chen gak la tukpé dü shik ong

Now that I have reached this momentous, crucial point,

rang nang zhi trö tsok la ma jik shik

I will not fear these natural manifestations, the peaceful and wrathful deities.

kyé ma, dak la sipa bardo char dü dir Kyema!

Now when the bardo of becoming is dawning upon me,

dünpa tsé chik sem la zung ché né

I will concentrate my mind with single-pointed determination,

zang po lé kyi tro la nen gyi tü

Strive to prolong the results of good karma,

ngal go gak né ru lok drenpar cha

Close the entrance to rebirth, and try to keep from being reborn.

nying rü dak nang göpé dü shik yin

This is the time when perseverance and pure perception are required;

mikser pong la lama yabyum gom

Abandon jealousy, and meditate on the master and consort.

chiwa ong nyom mepé lo ringpo

With mind far off and no thought of impending death,

dön mé tsé di chawa drup drup né

Performing the meaningless activities of this life,

daré tong lok ché na shintu trül

To return empty-handed now would be utterly deluded;

gö ngo shepa dampé lha chö yin

Recognize what is needed: the sacred Dharma,

data nyi du lha chö mi ché dam

Why not practise it now, at this very moment?

drupchen lamé zhal né di ké sung

The great accomplished gurus have said:

lamé damngak sem la ma zhak na

If you do not keep in mind your master's instructions

rang gi rang nyi luwar mi gyur ram

Are you not deceiving yourself?

May these root verses of Liberation Upon Hearing in the Bardo remain until saṃsāra itself is emptied.

Translated by Adam Pearcey 2016, with reference to earlier versions, especially that of Chögyam Trungpa Rinpoche and Francesca Freemantle.

Version: 1.3-20250520 5

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