The Bardo Thödol, the Tibetan Book of the Dead, accompanies a dying person from death to rebirth. But it is also a guide for life and for overcoming reincarnation.
Introduction
The 8th-century scripture Bardo Thödol, which became known somewhat inappropriately as the Tibetan Book of the Dead, is, according to a more recent definition by Lama Anagarika Govinda[1].
… not (only) a guide for the dead, but for those who want to overcome death and transform the process of dying into an act of liberation.
With the English translation of the Bardo Thödol by Evans-Wentz in 1927, this book became widely disseminated in the West and translated into various languages. The Bardo Thödol is attributed to Padmasambhava, who brought Buddhism to Tibet in the 8th century. It was considered lost until the 14th century and, according to tradition, was rediscovered and written down by Karmalingpa[2]. The various translations of the Bardo Thödol spread rapidly in America and Europe, not only among those interested in Eastern religion, mysticism, and theosophy, but also in modern science, mainly psychology, medicine, physics and research of near-death experiences[3].
The Tibetan Book of the Dead (Bardo Thödol)
The Buddhist doctrine is based on the concept of the wheel of birth and death, the wheel of Samsara. The Bardo Thödol mainly describes different stages between death and reincarnation, which consist of various “intermediate stages” (Bardos) that are “lived through” during the process of dying and after the death of the body. It informs the deceased about the possibilities of not only seeking a better rebirth but also urges them to use the opportunity of liberation from the wheel of birth and reincarnation during this period. The intermediate stages mentioned in the Bardo Thödol are also known in other religions. They are referred to, for example, as the afterlife or subtle spheres or Deva Chan and others. However, two fundamentally different perspectives regarding life after death are defined:
- On the one hand, life after death is seen as a transitional phase leading to a new incarnation in this world. Thus, keeping the wheel of life and death turning. This belief and the knowledge of reincarnation are widespread in Eastern religions and have been common also in early Christianity.
- On the other hand, the Tibetan Book of the Dead describes a brief insight into a state that can free the deceased from the wheel of birth and This is the appearance of the primordial light, the Primary Clear Light, universal consciousness, or the “realm that is not of this world”. The Tibetan Book of the Dead emphasises that through conscious preparation in life for death, this primordial light can consciously be experienced during the dying process, so that the dying or already “dead”, and a person can enter the stage of universal consciousness, and thus overcome the bondage to the wheel of life and death.
Evans-Wentz quotes C.G. Jung in the foreword to the Tibetan Book of the Dead:
… a book of instruction (the Bardo Thödol) for the deceased. It should serve as a guide through the time of the Bardo existence, an intermediate state of symbolic 49 days duration, between death and rebirth …”[4].
However, this definition reduces the Bardo Thödol to the process of dying and preparing for rebirth. The significance of the appearance of the primordial light (Primary Clear Light[5]) and the opportunity of liberation from the wheel of life and death remain unmentioned. However, the opportunity for embracing the primordial light is referred to in every one of the Bardos, the intermediate stages.
Intermediate stages
To benefit from the teachings of the Tibetan Book of the Dead, i.e. in the best case scenario, to achieve liberation from the wheel of birth and death and to “enter the primordial light”, or, alternatively, to be reborn in favourable and friendly circumstances, it is necessary to study and follow the teachings of the Buddha and the instructions of the Bardo Thödol during one’s lifetime, if possible under the guidance of an experienced teacher (lama). The Tibetan Book of the Dead can thus become a guide through life, as it is for the dying process, and especially afterwards. It describes very vividly how the dying or dead person experiences different, essentially six intermediate stages starting from daily consciousness, entering the dying process and finally preparing for reincarnation. The different Bardos are therefore the different states of consciousness during our lives and afterwards[6]. These are
- the stage of waking consciousness (our ordinary daytime consciousness),
- the stage of dream consciousness,
- the state of immersion consciousness (the goal of meditation, non-attachment, often also known as the experience of Western mystics),
- the stage of experiencing death (the process of dying),
- the stage of experiencing reality (the reflection of the past life), and
- the stage of being reborn (the process of preparing for reincarnation).
During life, the first three stages create the conditions for the intermediate states that the dying or dead person experiences over the period, as mentioned earlier, of (symbolic) 49 days. Through his thoughts, feelings and actions during waking consciousness, the person determines the situation for his dying conditions and intermediate states. In dream consciousness, the sleeping person also enters an intermediate stage but returns to ordinary consciousness upon awakening. In the intermediate form into which the dying or deceased person enters, the consciousness that exists beyond death detaches itself from the material (deceased) body and is confronted with the deeds of the past life (“experience of reality”). They shape the nature of the soul and the subtle bodies. This dying process is described in detail by the appearance of various comforting and vengeful deities[7].
The appearance of the primordial light
The Tibetan Book of the Dead refers to a brief phase during the process of dying that can lead to liberation from the wheel of birth and death (samsara). This is the appearance of the primordial light, which lights up at the time of death and shortly afterwards and attempts to warn the dying person against seeking a suitable rebirth and to liberate them.
… listen! The purest light of true being will now shine upon you. This you must recognize! […] Your spirit nature […] consists of an abundance of light, and since it is free from becoming and passing away, it is precisely the Buddha of the imperishable light. Recognize this! Once you recognize your own spiritual and intellectual nature as empty of an inherent being, as Buddha, look at your own spiritual nature[8].
The dying person can only comprehend this light and follow it if he has dealt with this process during his life, internalized it and led a corresponding way of life. The appearance of the primordial light comes very close to the state of deep contemplation. It directs the dying person to the experience of liberation from the wheel of samsara. It is an experience that can be achieved in deep meditation or by grasping the primordial light at the moment of death. Over “49 days”, the deceased is repeatedly made aware of the opportunity to rise into this primordial light. Still, as time passes, this light becomes weaker and more difficult to reach, so the Book of the Dead concentrates further on indications for the most positive reincarnation possible.
References to the path of the Rosy Cross
In this context, Jan van Rijckenborgh speaks of the two orders of nature: the “dialectic” (in which we live) as well as the kingdom, which in the Bible is called the “kingdom of heaven” and the “realm not of this world”. The ‘dialectic’ consists of two spheres: the material sphere and the reflection sphere. Van Rijckenborgh writes on this:
The material sphere is the area in which we live in our appearance. The reflection sphere is where, among other things, the process between death and reincarnation takes place. In addition to the spheres of hell and purgatory (the sphere of purification), it consists of the sphere known as “heaven or spiritual life”. Like life in the material sphere, the existence in the sphere of heaven is subject to finiteness and temporality[9].
The ‘dialectic’ (with the two spheres mentioned) is the order of nature, in which the wheel of birth and death unfolds its effects. The second order of nature mentioned by van Rijckenborgh is the eternal, unchanging absolute being, the Buddhist Nirvana or primordial light, as it is called in the Book of the Dead. Man can and should develop in the direction of this unchanging being through a process of transfiguration. Man is, therefore, constantly faced with the choice between two paths: life in the dialectic, which leads to death and new birth and the path that leads to overcome this world in order to enter the kingdom that is not of this world.
Like the Bible, the Tibetan Book of the Dead also points out that the second way, the second stage, the liberation from the wheel of life and death, is not easy to achieve. The Bible says:
My people are lost for lack of knowledge. (Hosea 4, 6)
The light shines in the darkness, but the darkness has not comprehended it. (Joh. 1, 5)
Here, too, it becomes clear that, about human liberation, there is a “universal teaching”. All religions and spiritual movements provide indications of this. After a long search, a person can come to an understanding and break the ties to the wheel of birth and death.
[1] Lama Anagarika Govinda: Preface to the German Translation: Lobsang Dargyay E und G: Das Tibetisches Buch der Toten; Barth Verlag, Bern, 1978, S. 19
[2] See the discussion on treasure texts in: Lobsang Dargyay E und G: Das Tibetisches Buch der Toten; Barth Verlag, Bern, 1978, S. 42 f
[3] Dirk Bertram: Das Tibetanische Totenbuch, Swedenborg und die moderne Nahtod-Forschung, Book on Demand (e-book), 2018
[4] Dirk Bertram: Das Tibetanische Totenbuch, Swedenborg und die moderne Nahtod-Forschung, Book on Demand (e-book), 2018
[5] Evans-Wentz: The Tibetan Book of Death; first translation to English 1927, Oxford University Press, London
[6] Fraunwallner E.: Die Philosophie des Buddhismus, Berlin, 1969, S. 78 f
[7] In this short article, details of the different Bardos cannot with which the diseased will be confronted, cannot be described. The Bardo Thödol describes the different Visions in great detail, with the aim to direct the attention of the diseased to the opportunity to embrace the primordial light and leave for ever the wheel of live and death (Samsara). During the 49 (symbolic) days of the dying process the opportunity to embrace the Primordial life will diminish and lead to reincarnation (see Lobsang Dargyay.
[8] Dargyay E. und G: Das Tibetische Totenbuch: Barth Verlag, Bern, 1978, s. 93
[9] Rijckenborgh J.v.: The coming New Man, Rosekruiz Pres, Harlem, S. 333
