3.1.8. The Bardo

“Death is not extinguishing the light; it is only putting out the lamp because the dawn has come.”
— Rabindranath Tagore, Stray Birds

It is a quiet astonishment to learn that dying is not a single event but a procession of dissolutions, each tenderly unwinding what we once took to be ourselves. The Tibetan teachings on the bardo—the intervals between one life and another—offer a strangely intimate map of this process. They illuminate how consciousness continues beyond the last breath, navigating luminous thresholds and shadowed valleys. For the alchemist, such knowledge is not morbid but liberating, a reminder that the real work extends far beyond the narrow span of a single lifetime.

A bardo, strictly speaking, is an interval—a gap between one state and the next. In Tibetan Buddhism there are typically said to be six bardos, or in-between states. Three of these we encounter even while alive: the bardos of waking, dreaming, and meditation. The remaining bardos unfold through death and rebirth.

Not all Buddhist traditions recognise the bardos; they are primarily preserved in the Tibetan schools. Even there, the teachings are layered and at times obscure, drawn from a mosaic of scriptures and oral transmissions. The being who actually experiences the bardos after death is called the gandharva—a subtle body linked to the sense of smell, invisible to ordinary sight but perceivable by other gandharvas or by those with the divine eye. They are, in many respects, what we might call ghosts.

I strongly recommend, at least once, reading or listening to The Tibetan Book of the Dead (Bardo Thödol). It offers a haunting and often beautiful glimpse of what may await us. Traditionally, a lama would read these teachings aloud to the dying, or even whisper them into the ear of the deceased, hoping to guide consciousness toward recognition and liberation. Some masters were reputed to enter the bardos themselves, meeting and assisting the gandharva of the departed.

The dissolution process

The death process does not begin with the final exhalation but unfolds gradually, as the life force diminishes and one element dissolves into the next. Though traditional texts list some twenty distinct signs, the principal stages can be summarised simply.

Stages of Elemental Dissolution

Following these, there is a deepening into even subtler transitions:

• The white dhātu (elements from the father, residing at the crown) descends to the heart, experienced as moonlight filling a clear sky.
• It merges with the red dhātu (elements from the mother, seated at the navel), and together they dissolve into the heart’s central channel.

This convergence gives rise to a brilliant, utterly clear awareness—the Bardo of Clear Light. In this brief moment, there is a direct glimpse of the mind’s true nature. If the individual can recognise and rest in this, full enlightenment is possible. Yet for most, the experience flashes by too swiftly to grasp.

The bardos beyond death

More often, what follows is a succession of intense sensations:

• A crushing pressure, as if beneath a mountain—the final collapse of the physical elements.
• A plunging into utter darkness—the senses dissolving.
• A boundless, centreless clarity—the mind now fully untethered from the body.

Next arises a strange, dreamlike state where one seems to possess a body and senses, yet moves through an environment unlike any known world. This is the Bardo of Semi-Darkness, where karmic imprints unfold into vivid, sometimes terrifying visions. The sky becomes a swirling tapestry of colours; colossal deities appear, both wrathful and benign, filling the air with unearthly sounds. One may not even realise one has died—there is no sun or moon, no shadow cast, yet still a haunting familiarity.

In this state, if one’s past deeds were particularly harmful, there may be an interlude akin to a hellish rebirth. Eventually, consciousness is drawn irresistibly toward certain signs of future existence:

• Wheels of blazing light, indicating a heavenly rebirth.
• Figures of humans, soon to be one’s parents.
• Animals, if a more instinctual rebirth is near.
• Empty, hollow spaces, suggesting a ghostly realm.

This leads into the Bardo of Becoming, where the gandharva gradually takes on the form it will inhabit in the next life. A terrifying, all-pervasive sound arises, propelling the being toward rebirth. Skilled meditators might resist this pull, but most are swept helplessly onward.

The possibility of realisation

Yet even here, there is a chance. Throughout these bardos, recognition remains possible. If one can see that these overwhelming experiences are mere projections of the disintegrating mind, full liberation is still within reach.

In the fleeting Bardo of Clear Light, one briefly becomes as a Buddha—all prior conditioning momentarily suspended. However, texts caution this is an advanced attainment, achievable only by the most prepared. Those of middling capacity can at least direct their minds toward a fortunate human birth, anchoring themselves by recalling the Dharma. Even those with lesser training might secure a refuge beyond the harsher cycles of saṃsāra by turning their thoughts to the deities of the western pure lands.

The six bardos

For completeness, here are the traditional six bardos drawn from Tibetan teachings:

The bardos reveal a cosmos far richer and more mysterious than our waking minds typically allow. They show us that death is not a vanishing but a passage through luminous, sometimes harrowing terrains of mind. To understand this, even imperfectly, is to loosen fear’s grip and deepen our commitment to waking up—here, now, before the next great transition arrives.

This text is excerpted from the upcoming book Citrinitas: A Course in Modern Alchemy. The complete volume will include additional study guides, glossaries, and extended teachings. Learn more about the book here.