- Tibetan:
- âLiberation in the Intermediate State Through Hearingâ
- Also called:
- Tibetan Book of the Dead
Bardo Thödol
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What is the Bardo Thödol?
The Bardo Thödol is a funerary text in Tibetan Buddhism recited to ease a recently deceased person's consciousness through death and assist it into a favorable rebirth. The text describes the bardos, the intermediate or transitional states that mark an individualâs life from birth, death, and rebirth, a period lasting 49 days with three phases. In the first phase, the consciousness of the deceased realizes and accepts their death, reflecting on their past life. The second involves encounters with frightening apparitions. The third bardo marks the transition into a new body. Recitation of the Bardo Thödol, typically by a lama, starts before death and continues throughout the 49-day period, helping the deceased navigate confusion for a better rebirth. Tradition ascribes the text to Padmasambhava, though it was likely composed in the 14th century.
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What religion or tradition does the Bardo Thödol belong to?
The Bardo Thödol, also known as "The Tibetan Book of the Dead," is a funerary text belonging to the Tibetan Buddhism tradition. It is recited to guide the consciousness of a deceased person through the death process and assist in attaining a favorable rebirth. This text is based on the concept of bardos, transitional states between death and rebirth, a key element of Vajrayana (Tantric) Buddhism that developed in Tibet. Tradition ascribes authorship to Padmasambhava, who introduced Buddhism to Tibet in the 7th century, though it was likely composed in the 14th century.
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What does the term 'bardo' mean in Tibetan Buddhism?
In Tibetan Buddhism, bardo refers to intermediate or transitional states in life, death, and rebirth. The period between death and rebirth lasts 49 days and involves three bardos. The first bardo is the moment of death. The second is encountering frightening apparitions. The third bardo is the transition into a new body.
The Bardo Thödol, a funerary text, is recited to ease the consciousness of a recently deceased person through death and assist it into a favourable rebirth. Recitation, usually performed by a lama, begins shortly before death and continues throughout the 49-day period leading to rebirth. While in the bardo, the consciousness of the deceased can still apprehend words and prayers spoken on its behalf, helping them navigate confusion and be reborn into a new existence that offers a greater chance of attaining enlightenment.
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What is the main purpose of the Bardo Thödol in Tibetan Buddhism?
The Bardo Thödol, a funerary text in Tibetan Buddhism, is recited to guide the consciousness of a recently deceased person through death and assist it toward a favorable rebirth. This text is meant to be recited by a lama (religious teacher) and begins shortly before death, if possible, and continues throughout the 49-day period leading to rebirth. The prayers spoken on behalf of the deceased help them navigate confusion and be reborn into a new existence that offers a greater chance of attaining enlightenment.
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How is the Bardo Thödol used during the process of dying and after death?
The Bardo Thödol is a Tibetan Buddhist funerary text recited to guide the consciousness of the deceased through death and toward a favorable rebirth. This text is commonly known in English as The Tibetan Book of the Dead.
Central to Buddhist belief is that attachment to worldly things causes suffering, binding individuals to death and rebirth. Enlightenment releases one from this cycle. Vajrayana Buddhism describes bardos as transitional states between birth, death, and rebirth. The period between death and rebirth lasts 49 days, encompassing three bardos:
* The moment of death and reflection on past life.
* Experiencing frightening apparitions.
* Transition into a new body.Recitation of the Bardo Thödol, typically by a lama, ideally begins before death and continues throughout the 49-day period, helping the deceased navigate confusion and attain a better rebirth. Buddhists believe thoughts at the moment of death are crucial, so sacred texts are read to prepare the dying mind. Similarly, texts may be read to the newly dead, as consciousness is believed to remain for about three days after death.
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What are some key teachings or messages found in the Bardo Thödol?
The Bardo Thödol, a Tibetan Buddhist funerary text, guides the consciousness of the deceased through death toward a favorable rebirth. A key teaching is that attachment to worldly things causes suffering, binding individuals to death and rebirth. Those achieving enlightenment are freed from this cycle.
The text describes the bardos, transitional states between life, death, and rebirth. The period between death and rebirth lasts 49 days and involves three bardos. The consciousness of the deceased reflects on its past life, encounters apparitions, and transitions into a new body. Recitations from the Bardo Thödol, usually by a lama, aid the deceased in navigating confusion and achieving a better rebirth.
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Bardo Thödol, in Tibetan Buddhism, a funerary text that is recited to ease the consciousness of a recently deceased person through death and assist it into a favourable rebirth.
A central tenet of all schools of Buddhism is that attachment to and craving for worldly things spurs suffering and unease (dukkha), which influence actions whose accumulated effects, or karma, bind individuals to the process of death and rebirth (samsara). Those who have attained enlightenment (bodhi) are thereby released from this process, attaining liberation (moksha). Those who remain unenlightened are drawn by karma, whether good or bad, into a new life in one of six modes of existence: as a sufferer in hell (enduring horrible torture), as a wandering ghost (driven by insatiable craving), as an animal (ruled by instinct), as a demigod (lustful for power), as a human being (balanced in instinct and reason), or as a god (deluded by their long lives into believing they are immortal).
The Vajrayana (Tantric) Buddhism that emerged in Central Asia and particularly in Tibet developed the concept of the bardos, the intermediate or transitional states that mark an individualâs life from birth to death and rebirth. The period between death and rebirth lasts 49 days and involves three bardos. The first is the moment of death itself. The consciousness of the newly deceased becomes aware of and accepts the fact that it has recently died, and it reflects upon its past life. In the second bardo, it encounters frightening apparitions. Without an understanding that these apparitions are unreal, the consciousness becomes confused and, depending upon its karma, may be drawn into a rebirth that impedes its liberation. The third bardo is the transition into a new body.
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While in the bardo between life and death, the consciousness of the deceased can still apprehend words and prayers spoken on its behalf, which can help it to navigate through its confusion and be reborn into a new existence that offers a greater chance of attaining enlightenment. Reciting of the Bardo Thödol, usually performed by a lama (religious teacher), begins shortly before death (if possible) and continues throughout the 49-day period leading to rebirth.
Although tradition attributes the Bardo Thödol to Padmasambhava, the Indian Tantric guru (spiritual guide) who is credited with introducing Buddhism to Tibet in the 7th century, the book was likely composed in the 14th century. Since the early 20th century it has been translated into English and other Western languages many times. The first English-language translation was made by Walter Evans-Wentz (1927), who titled the work âThe Tibetan Book of the Deadâ because of certain similarities he claimed to detect between it and the Egyptian Book of the Deadâfor example, the existence of stages through which the deceased must travel before rebirth.