A text with two names
The Tibetan Book of the Dead is the English title of a Tibetan work whose own title is usually given as Bardo Thodol, often translated as “Liberation through Hearing in the Intermediate State”. The Tibetan title does not mention a book of the dead; it speaks of liberation, hearing and the intermediate state, or bardo.
The English title was coined by the editor of an early English edition published in the 1920s, based on a translation prepared by the Sikkimese translator Kazi Dawa Samdup, and edited by the American scholar W. Y. Evans-Wentz. The title echoed the better known “Egyptian Book of the Dead”, though the two works are not related. Many later scholars and translators have pointed out that the English title can mislead, since the text is mainly addressed to the living and the dying, and concerns liberation rather than the afterlife as a place.
Where it comes from
By tradition, the Bardo Thodol belongs to the Nyingma school’s terma literature, which is described in the article on the Nyingma lineage. In that account, its teachings were concealed by Padmasambhava and revealed in the fourteenth century by the treasure revealer Karma Lingpa. The text is part of a larger cycle of teachings connected with the “peaceful and wrathful deities”.
Scholars consider the history of the text more carefully and note that it exists in various versions and redactions. It is also not unique to the Nyingma in its use; people of other Tibetan traditions know the genre of bardo teachings, and Tibetan Buddhists of different schools have their own texts and rites relating to death and rebirth.
What bardo means
Bardo means “between” or “intermediate state”. In Tibetan Buddhist thought, the term refers to transitional states, and the best known are the ones between death and the next rebirth. Traditional presentations also mention bardos for the ordinary waking life, for dreaming and for meditation. The core idea is that moments of transition can be occasions for recognising the nature of mind.
The text has traditionally been read aloud near someone who has died or is dying, with the aim of guiding the person through the bardo states. It speaks to the person directly, describing experiences that may arise and encouraging recognition and non-attachment. Visitors should remember that the text is part of a religious practice, not merely a literary work. How and when it is used varies by community and teacher, and the details of the rites are not set out here. The broader subject is covered in the article on Tibetan death rites.
The ideas in outline
In general terms, traditional accounts describe the intermediate state as passing through stages, in which the person experiences luminous or terrifying appearances. These are understood as projections of the mind. The reader is advised to recognise them as such rather than clinging or fleeing. The reference to peaceful and wrathful figures connects with the protector deities and other figures seen in temple paintings.
This idea ties into a general Buddhist teaching about impermanence and rebirth, shared across traditions in different forms. The Wheel of Life painting found at monastery doors gives an image of the same cycle, and the Wheel of Life mural is explained in its own article. Interpretation differs: Theravada, Mahayana and Vajrayana traditions each have their own ways of thinking about death and rebirth, and the major Buddhist traditions are compared elsewhere.
Reading it today
Several English translations exist, and they differ in approach and language. Some are scholarly, some devotional, and some adapt the text for a Western audience. A reader should know which kind they are holding. Some popular editions bring in later interpretations, including psychological readings, that are not part of the traditional understanding.
Because the text deals with death, readers who are bereaved or ill may find it moving, but it is not a substitute for medical, psychological or pastoral support. It also should not be treated as instructions for private ritual practice without a qualified teacher.
Seeing the tradition in context
On a Himalayan pilgrimage you may meet the same themes in less obvious ways: in prayer flags, mani walls, funerary customs and the practice of circumambulation. In Nyingma regions such as Sikkim and central Bhutan, bardo ideas may be mentioned in conversation with monks or in public teachings. Ask politely, accept that some matters are private, and follow local guidance on behaviour around funerals or cremation grounds, where photographing is generally inappropriate.