Bardo States

Although there are many bardo states the most common use of the term refers to the interim state between death and rebirth when one has passed from one life, but has not yet entered another life and, perhaps, realm. Bardo is a Tibetan term that can also be applied to the meditative state, the dream state, and other interim states of existence. What we think of as our life is a sort of "birth to death" bardo.

After death, every living being has to go through the various stages of the different bardos. It doesn't matter if these stages are long or short. One has no form, no body, no sound, and no breath. You are assigned to different realms according to your karma. When you enter this bardo state, your black and white karmas will both appear. Whichever karma is heavier will determine the realm of existence into which you will be reincarnated. In the bardo state, there are karmic forces pulling in different directions. The one that is the strongest prevails. Very great dharma kings are sometimes able to direct this consciousness to various buddhalands or paradises by virtue of their infinite merit and compassion and Buddha-dharma skills and accomplishments. Several dharma teachers, rinpoches, and lamas might also perform certain Buddhist rites in order to raise the consciousness of the deceased to higher realms of existence, but is very rare that any one person would have this power. It requires a very high level of realization and extreme Buddha-dharma powers and skills. The person or persons performing this ritual are actually transferring some of their merit to the deceased. Individual lamas and rinpoches do perform certain dharmas and transfer the merit of these rituals to the deceased.

It is said that these rites must be performed within forty-nine days after death, since after this forty-nine day period the consciousness of the deceased disperses and the deceased will enter the cycle of reincarnation. However, this is not necessarily true. There are those who take rebirth very shortly after they die and those who float about for a very long period of time without taking rebirth. This has to do with whether the being has light or heavy karma and how much this karma obstructs his "alaya vijnana" or "eighth consciousness."