Bardo Thödol: The Tibetan Book of the Dead and Its Message for the Modern World

Not everyone believes in reincarnation or spiritual realms. Yet questions of life, death, and the fear of the unknown touch every single one of us.
This is why it makes sense to explore a work that has guided people for centuries through the greatest transition of all – death.
That work is the Bardo Thödol, known in the West as The Tibetan Book of the Dead.

What is the Bardo Thödol?

The Bardo Thödol belongs to the tradition of Tibetan Buddhism, specifically the Nyingma school.
Its title translates as “Liberation Through Hearing in the Intermediate State.”
Traditionally, the text is read at the bedside of the dying or shortly after death to help the consciousness recognize illusory visions and find the path to liberation from the cycle of rebirth.

According to tradition, the text originates from the great master Padmasambhava (8th century), who brought Buddhism to Tibet.
It was later “rediscovered” as a terma — a hidden spiritual treasure — in the 14th century by the teacher Karma Lingpa.
Since then, it has become one of the most famous and widely translated Buddhist texts in the world.

What does “bardo” mean?

The word bardo literally means “intermediate state.”
It does not refer only to the period after death but to any stage in which the old has ended and the new has not yet begun.
In Tibetan tradition, there are six bardos, encompassing not only death but also life, dreams, and meditation:

The Bardo of Birth and Life (Kyenay Bardo) – from birth until the moment of death.
The Bardo of Dreams (Milam Bardo) – the dream state, where one can practice conscious recognition of illusion.
The Bardo of Meditation (Samten Bardo) – deep meditative states that reveal pure awareness.
The Bardo of the Moment of Death (Chikhai Bardo) – the process of dying and recognizing the pure light of reality.
The Bardo of Reality (Chönyid Bardo) – encounters with peaceful and wrathful deities, which are in fact reflections of our own mind.
The Bardo of Becoming (Sidpa Bardo) – the state in which consciousness seeks a new body and prepares for rebirth.

Illusion and Liberation

The central message of the Bardo Thödol is that all experiences after death are projections of one’s own mind.

Whoever can recognize these visions as illusions and remain fearless may attain liberation (Nirvana).
Those who respond with fear or attachment are drawn back into the cycle of samsara — the endless wheel of birth and death — and move toward a new rebirth. (Learn more about the Six Realms of Samsara here.)

A Message for Life

The Bardo Thödol is not just a manual for the dying. It is also a map for the living:

Every day is a small bardo. Changes, crises, and new beginnings teach us to accept impermanence.
Lucid dreaming and meditation serve as training — helping us to recognize illusions and respond consciously.
Life as a mirror. What we see in others and in events often reflects our own mind.

The Psychological Dimension

Even for skeptics, this text holds value.
Jungian psychology, for example, compares the visions described in the Bardo Thödol to symbols of the collective unconscious.
The deities appearing in the bardos can be understood as personifications of our own fears, desires, and repressed emotions.

From this perspective, the Bardo Thödol is a psychological map of the human psyche.
It teaches that our inner images can be terrifying if misunderstood, but liberating once recognized as part of the mind itself.

Why It Matters Today

We don’t have to believe in an afterlife to find meaning in the teachings of the Bardo Thödol.
The text encourages us to:

release attachment and fear,
consciously embrace everyday changes,
and accept both life and death as natural processes.

In this sense, the Bardo Thödol is as much a book about life as it is a book about death.

Conclusion

The Bardo Thödol reminds us that every experience — even the most painful — is temporary and illusory.
What frightens us is often nothing more than a reflection of our own mind.
Recognizing this principle brings freedom even during life.

Its power lies in a simple message:
Whoever learns to die consciously also learns to live without fear.