Thodol

Thodol, commonly known in English as The Tibetan Book of the Dead, is a Tibetan Buddhist funerary text that outlines practices and teachings for the dying and the dead as they pass through the intermediate state, or bardo. It is closely associated with the Nyingma school and has become one of the most widely known Tibetan Buddhist scriptures in the wider world.

Authorship and dating are complex. Traditionally the work is linked to Padmasambhava (Guru Rinpoche), but modern scholarship treats it as a terma, or revealed teaching, discovered in the 14th century by the terton Karma Lingpa. The text exists within a broader body of bardo literature and was transmitted and expanded through later commentaries within Tibetan Buddhism.

Content and purpose. The Bardo Thödol describes several stages that follow death, detailing numerous visionary experiences, including peaceful and wrathful deities and radiant light. It emphasizes that these appearances are projections of the mind and offers instructions to recognize their true nature. The primary aim is to guide the dying or recently deceased toward liberation, or at least toward a favorable rebirth, through recitation, meditation, and reliance on teachers, prayers, and mantras.

Influence and reception. The work has played a central role in Tibetan funeral rites and meditation practices, and it has influenced both scholarly and popular understandings of Tibetan Buddhism. It was first translated into English by Walter Evans-Wentz in 1927 as The Tibetan Book of the Dead, contributing to its lasting prominence in the West. Since then, numerous translations and commentaries have offered more nuanced interpretations, reflecting variations across lineages and scholarly perspectives.