Long revered as a roadmap through transition, this ancient manual maps out three primary after-death passages before rebirth:

1. Chikhai Bardo (The Bardo of the Moment of Death)
   At the instant of passing, awareness confronts the “clear light” of ultimate reality. In today’s mindfulness apps—like Insight Timer or Headspace—this mirrors those rare moments when the mind feels both lucid and boundless. Recognizing that luminosity offers a direct ticket to liberation; missing it means moving on.

2. Chönyid Bardo (The Bardo of the Experiential Visions)
   After the clear light fades, a kaleidoscope of visions emerges: peaceful deities radiating compassion, wrathful forms crackling with energy. They’re nothing more than mind’s own projections—so not everything that glitters is gold. Modern seekers might compare it to lucid dreaming amplified a thousand-fold. Spotting familiar patterns here can become the turning point for freedom.

3. Sidpa Bardo (The Bardo of Becoming)
   As karmic momentum picks up steam, consciousness drifts toward a new life. Emotional “pulls”—attachments or fears—act like magnets, drawing the spirit into fresh circumstances. Choosing wisely in this phase shapes everything from family and social conditions to innate talents and challenges.

Beyond these three death-related stages, the tradition actually speaks of six bardos in total, including the bardos of ordinary life, dream states and deeper meditation. But when talk turns to afterlife and rebirth, it’s those three transitional realms that steal the show.

Interest has spiked recently, partly thanks to virtual memorial services on Zoom—proof that, pandemic or not, curiosity about what comes next never goes out of style. Each bardo functions like an inner theater, with mind as both director and audience. Spot the play before its final curtain, and the cycle of birth and death can be put on permanent intermission.