A Book We'll All Need One Day
There's a book that few people read until it's too late.
The Bardo Thodol â known in the West as the Tibetan Book of the Dead â is an 8th-century Tibetan text that describes what happens after death. It's been translated by Carl Jung, inspired The Tibetan Book of Living and Dying, and influenced thinkers from Alan Watts to modern mindfulness teachers.
But here's the problem: most people encounter this text only when someone close to them has died, or when they're facing their own mortality. And by then, you don't have the time or emotional space to study a dense, thousand-year-old text.
I think that's backwards.
The Tibetan Book of the Dead is actually a guide for living, not just dying. And its wisdom is too important to leave as an afterthought.
What the Bardo Teaches Us
The word Bardo literally means "intermediate state." Bardos aren't just after death â they happen all the time. The moment between waking and sleeping. The gap between inhale and exhale. The space between one thought and the next.
Every transition is a bardo â and every bardo is an opportunity.
Three insights from the text that changed how I live:
1. Impermanence Isn't Sad â It's Liberating
The Tibetan Book of the Dead doesn't mince words: everything ends. Your body, your relationships, your projects, your reputation. It's not meant to be morbid â it's meant to be freeing. When you truly accept that nothing lasts, you stop clinging to things that don't matter.
2. The Mind Creates Your Reality
The bardo states are described as dreamlike â your perceptions are shaped by karma, habit, and consciousness. It's an ancient version of what modern neuroscience confirms: we don't see the world as it is, we see it as we are. Recognizing this gives you agency over your own experience.
3. Awareness Is the Only Skill That Matters
In the bardo, you're told to recognize the clear light of reality. The entire preparation for death is one thing: training awareness so that it's stable enough to hold when everything familiar falls away. That's what meditation practice is â rehearsal for the ultimate transition.
Why I Built The Gradual Path
I wanted a way to engage with these teachings that didn't require a PhD in Tibetan Buddhism. Something structured, practical, and â most importantly â accessible before you need it.
The Gradual Path (at dyingprep.com) is my attempt. It's a digital guide through the Tibetan Book of the Dead organized as:
- A 4-week course â Week-by-week introduction to the core teachings
- 36 lessons â A deeper practitioner path for those who want structure
- AI-powered dialogue â Ask questions, explore concepts, get personalized guidance
- 7 meditation types â From shamatha (calm abiding) to visualizations of the bardo
- A digital garden â A personal space to reflect and journal
Week 1 is completely free â no signup needed.
What Death Teaches Us About Living
I'll leave you with this passage from the text, paraphrased:
O nobly born, do not be distracted. The clear light of reality is before you. Recognize it.
The Bardo teachings ask us to live with the same clarity we'd want at the moment of death. Not out of fear, but out of love for this one precious life.
If you're curious, start here:
https://dyingprep.com
"In the gap between thoughts, there is a space. That space is your true nature."
