This poem of seven verses is found in the Bardo Thodol, sometimes known in English as The Tibetan Book of the Dead, which was composed by the 8th century master Padmasambhava, transcribed by his consort Yeshe Tsogyal, and revealed by the 14th century teron Karma Lingpa. This translation of “The Main Verses of the Six Bardos” is that of Chogyam Trungpa and Francesa Fremantle.

Download pdf file

1. THE BARDO OF LIVING (SHINAY BARDO)

Now, when the bardo of living is dawning upon me, I will abandon laziness for which life has no time, Enter the undistracted path of study, reflection, and meditation, Making projections and mind the path, and realize the three Kayas; Now that I have attained a human body, There is no time on the path for mind to wander.

2. THE BARDO OF DREAMS (MILAN BARDO)

Now when the bardo of dreams is dawning upon me, I will abandon the corpse-like sleep of careless ignorance, And let my thoughts enter their natural state without distraction; Controlling and transforming dreams in luminosity, I will not sleep like any animal, But completely unify sleep and practice.

3. THE BARDO OF SAMADHI-MEDITATION (SAMTEN BARDO)

Now when the bardo of Samadhi-meditation dawns upon me, I will abandon the crowd of distractions and confusions, And rest in the boundless state without grasping or disturbance; Firm in the two practices; visualization and completion, At this time of meditation, one-pointed, free from activity, I will not fall into the power of confused emotions.

4. THE BARDO OF THE MOMENT BEFORE DEATH (CHIKKAI BARDO)

Now when the bardo of the moment before death dawns upon me, I will abandon all grasping, yearning, and attachment, Enter undistracted into clear awareness of the teaching, And eject my consciousness into the space of unborn mind; As I leave this compound body of flesh and blood, I will know it to be a transitory illusion.

5. THE BARDO OF DHARMATA (CHÖNYID BARDO)

Now when the bardo of dharmata dawns upon me, I will abandon all thoughts of fear and terror, I will recognize whatever appears as my projection And know it to be a vision of the bardo; Now that I have reached this crucial point, I will not fear the peaceful and wrathful ones, My own projections.

6. THE BARDO OF BECOMING (SIDPA BARDO)

Now when the bardo of becoming downs upon me, I will concentrate my mind one-pointedly, And strive to prolong the results of good karma, Close the womb-entrance and think of resistance; This is the time when perseverance and pure thought are needed, Abandon jealousy and meditate on the Guru with his consort.

7. THE PRESENT MOMENT

With mind far off, not thinking of death’s coming, Performing these meaningless activities, Returning empty-handed now would be complete confusion. The need is recognition, Holy Dharma, So why not practice Dharma at this very moment? From the mouth of wise men come these words: If you do not keep your Guru’s teaching in your heart, Will you not become your own deceiver?