Diving straight into the Tibetan Book of the Dead without any prior exposure can feel a bit like trying to bake a soufflé blindfolded—you might miss some crucial steps. Traditionally, its teachings were shared orally by a qualified lama after students had laid the groundwork through preliminary practices. A few touchstones:

• Familiarity with basic Buddhist ideas. Grasping concepts such as impermanence, karma and “no-self” sets the stage. These aren’t exotic academic theories but practical lenses for viewing life, death and rebirth.

• Refuge and motivation. Generating sincere bodhicitta—wishing to benefit all beings—serves as a compass for interpreting the intense visions described in the Bardos. Think of it as calibrating your inner GPS before setting off.

• Meditation experience. Even simple mindfulness or shamatha techniques help steady the mind when the text ventures into those sweeping, kaleidoscopic landscapes of consciousness.

• Guidance from a teacher or reliable commentary. In 2025, plenty of online platforms offer courses on bardo teachings, yet nothing quite replaces an experienced guide who can answer questions in real time and point out where symbolism shifts gears. Scholars like Chögyam Trungpa and Khenpo Namdrol have helped bridge ancient wisdom and modern sensibilities, but working directly with someone versed in the lineage remains invaluable.

For curious souls—especially those drawn in by the recent buzz around death-awareness workshops, mindfulness apps with “end-of-life” modules or even near-death-experience documentaries—there’s no need to wait for a formal initiation. A well-annotated translation, paired with consistent meditation and a healthy dose of open-mindedness, can light the way. The real prerequisite is a willingness to challenge core assumptions about who—or what—actually “dies” when the breath finally leaves the body.