What Happens After Death? Tibetan Buddhism-Bardo Thodol

What happens after death? Does our essence merge into emptiness, or does it pass through doors beyond the limits of human understanding?

Imagine a guide that accompanies you through the most extraordinary moments of your existence. This is exactly the role that the Bardo Thodol assumes. However, this text is not merely a simple handbook on death. It serves as a map, a spiritual guide for the process that unfolds after death.

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Tibetan Book of the Dead: Bardo Thodol

The Bardo Thodol was created by Padmasambhava, one of the legendary figures of Tibetan Buddhism. Born in India, Padmasambhava is recognized as the one who brought Buddhism to Tibet in the 8th century. In Tibetan tradition, he is called Guru Rinpoche (Precious Master). However, Padmasambhava was not just a monk—he was a deeply spiritual teacher, a yogi who had mastered mystical techniques and esoteric teachings. The Bardo Thodol was developed by this master not only to guide the living but also to offer a path to liberation for the dead. His goal was to open the gates to enlightenment, even beyond the last breath.

From childhood, Padmasambhava exhibited extraordinary mystical abilities and was recognized as a Mahasiddha—a term used for those who have attained a very high level of spiritual realization and acquired miraculous powers. Invited to Tibet by King Trisong Detsen, who sought to strengthen his country spiritually and unite his people under a single belief system, Padmasambhava faced resistance against the deeply rooted shamanistic practices and Bon religion, which upheld strong animistic beliefs. The local gods and spirits opposed Buddhism, but thanks to Padmasambhava’s knowledge of magic and tantric rituals, these forces were pacified. The deities and practices of the Bon tradition were integrated into Tibetan Buddhism, laying a lasting spiritual foundation. As a result, Padmasambhava established Samye Monastery, Tibet’s first Buddhist monastery, and began imparting profound teachings on the mind, reality, and the cycle of existence, known as Samsara.

In Tibetan Buddhism, death is not considered an end but a transitional process. Padmasambhava understood that, at the moment of death, the mind is freed from physical limitations and becomes more open to absolute truth. This presents a unique opportunity for liberation. However, most people, at the moment of death, are so consumed by illusions and fears that they miss this chance.

Padmasambhava’s aim was to create a guide that could be read aloud by those accompanying the dying or studied during life to prepare the mind for the bardos, the transitional states after death. His fundamental motivation was to alleviate suffering and open the doors to enlightenment. Even for those who could not achieve enlightenment in life, death was considered a final opportunity. Therefore, practitioners and disciples were instructed to recognize the clear light at the moment of death, a moment when the mind manifests in its purest form.

What Happens After Death?

Bardo Thodol describes three main bardo states that every soul experiences:

1-Chikai Bardo – The Moment of Death

Chikai Bardo is the transition point where the physical body dissolves, and consciousness is freed from material limitations. At this moment, the soul encounters the clear light, a dazzling, pure, and infinite radiance. This light is the absolute nature of the mind, representing a state of consciousness that is unconditional and free from duality, fear, or attachment.

For spiritual practitioners, this presents the ultimate opportunity for liberation. If the soul can recognize this light as part of its own essence, it instantly attains nirvana, eliminating the need to go through the later bardo stages. However, for the unprepared mind, the intensity of this light can be terrifying. Instead of recognizing it as its true nature, the mind may perceive it as a threat due to fear or attachment to what is familiar. In such cases, the soul retreats, missing its chance for liberation and entering the next bardos, where it faces increasingly distorted and limiting visions based on its karmic tendencies.

2-Chonyid Bardo – The Bardo of Visions

In Chonyid Bardo, the soul, now completely detached from the physical body, enters a dimension where tangible boundaries cease to exist. Here, the soul encounters projections of its own mind—visions that can appear both as peaceful, angelic figures and as disturbing, frightening manifestations.

These visions directly reflect the emotional and karmic states the soul has accumulated over its past lives. Initially, it is greeted by peaceful deities, representing enlightened and benevolent aspects of consciousness. However, if the soul does not recognize the peaceful nature of these visions, it eventually encounters the wrathful deities, manifestations of anger, fear, and suppressed desires.

Importantly, these wrathful deities are not external beings or malevolent forces but reflections of the mind itself, embodying passions and attachments that still bind the soul to the cycle of suffering. Those who maintain full awareness during this phase can perceive that all these visions—peaceful and wrathful alike—are mere creations of the mind. Recognizing this truth allows the soul to dissolve fear and attain liberation.

3-Sidpa Bardo – The Bardo of Rebirth

In Sidpa Bardo, the final stage, the soul faces a crucial choice—its next rebirth, determined by the accumulated energy of all past actions, thoughts, and intentions, known as karma.

By this stage, the soul has already undergone dissolution in Chikai Bardo and faced its own projections in Chonyid Bardo. Now, it finds itself in a state of greater psychic density, where the desire for rebirth intensifies, driven by unresolved fears and attachments. Tibetan Buddhism teaches that this desire is what compels the soul to seek a new body and a new form of existence.

During Sidpa Bardo, the soul experiences a series of visions related to the rebirth process, often including images of couples in union—a metaphor for the creation of new life. The soul is instinctively drawn toward a new body, guided by emotional tendencies and karmic impulses.

The Bardo Thodol advises that at this moment, maintaining detachment and clarity is crucial. Those who can sustain calmness have one final chance for transcendence—the opportunity to choose not to be reborn and instead merge into the clear light, the ultimate essence of the mind.

However, for most souls, the pull toward a new body is irresistible, like a psychic storm. The process of choosing a new body is not conscious—it happens through a deep, instinctive pull, where the characteristics of the next rebirth mirror the unresolved aspects of the mind.

Thus, every rebirth is an opportunity for spiritual growth. But many souls, failing to see beyond the illusions of attachment, are reborn under difficult conditions, perpetuating their suffering.

The Bardo Thodol – A Guide to Death and Life

The Bardo Thodol is not just a religious text or a collection of esoteric beliefs. It is a tool for self-awareness, a mirror for our mind, and a map for our destiny.

It teaches us that death is the great full stop of the human story, but also a gateway to new beginnings. As Ram Dass once said:
“When you die, there is only one question that matters—how much did you love?”

In this sense, the Tibetan Book of the Dead invites us to reflect on our own lives. What happens after death? Are we ready for the final journey? Are we prepared to let go of everything we believe we are?

Perhaps by contemplating these teachings, we can not only prepare for death but also learn how to truly live.