Bardo

Bardo (Wyl. bar do; Skt. antarābhava) - commonly used to denote the intermediate state between death and rebirth, but in reality bardos are occurring continuously, throughout both life and death, and are junctures at which the possibility of liberation, or enlightenment, is heightened.

The different bardos can be categorized into four or six:

The Four Bardos

1. the natural bardo of this life (rang bzhin skye ba'i bar do)
2. the painful bardo of dying ('chi kha gnad gcod kyi bar do)
3. the luminous bardo of dharmata (chos nyid 'od gsal gyi bar do)
4. the karmic bardo of becoming (srid pa las kyi bar do)

The Six Bardos

The four above with the addition of:

5. the bardo of meditation (bsam gtan gyi bar do)

6. the bardo of dreaming (rmi lam gyi bar do)

These two bardos are part of the natural bardo of this life.

External Links

• Glossary of terminology connected with dying and the bardos