Guided Meditation: The Stages of Dying (concise)

Wisdom and Compassion

This is a brief guided meditation on the stages of dying or 'bardos.' In Buddhism, the term 'bardo' typically refers to the intermediate state between death and rebirth; though it can refer to any transition. The most well-known and elaborated upon teachings on the bardo come from texts like the Tibetan Book of the Dead (also known as the Bardo Thodol), which is a key text in the Nyingma tradition.

The Bardo teachings often outline various stages or phases that the consciousness of a deceased person passes through, providing guidance on how to navigate these states and ultimately attain a favorable rebirth or liberation from the cycle of existence (samsara). The meditations on the Bardo are designed to help practitioners prepare for death, navigate the intermediate state, and possibly attain enlightenment. This particular meditation is quite short and has just a few such details on each stage.