What is a bardo? A bardo is a state that is “neither here nor there”; by definition it is something that comes “in between,” an intermediate state.
The six bardos are:
(1) The natural bardo of the present life
(2) The bardo of dreaming
(3) The bardo of meditation
(4) The painful bardo of dying
(5) The luminous bardo of ultimate reality
(6) The karmic bardo of becoming
Source: Based on Dudjom Rinpoche. Counsels from My Heart . Shambhala Publications. Kindle Edition.
In many Tibetan Buddhist scriptures, the bardo is classified into six separate bardos; however, in other texts four are given.
Bardo in Tibetan means “intermediate state” or “transitional period.” In the context of teachings on the bardo, it mainly denotes the period between this life and the next. According to Buddhism, after you die there will be a bardo, a transitional period, and then you will take rebirth in another life.
The four bardos are:
(1) The bardo of life (meaning our present life)
(2) The bardo of dying
(3) The bardo of ultimate nature
(4) The bardo of becoming
Source: Based on Thondup, Tulku. Enlightened Journey: Buddhist Practice as Daily Life . Shambhala. Kindle Edition.
