Peaceful and Wrathful Deities of the Bardo (detail of Peaceful Deities)

At the moment of death, according to Buddhist belief, we have an opportunity to attain an enlightened state of mind. However, our own karma brings up various visions. If we do not recognize them as mere projections of our own mind, whose essence is that of reality itself, we may not escape from the cycle of death and rebirth.

This painting depicts the deities described in a 14th-century text “The Peaceful and Wrathful Deities, The Profound Teachings of Self-liberated Wisdom Mind” and the famous “Liberation upon Hearing in the Intermediate State”(known in the West as the Tibetan Book of the Dead). These teachings (terma) were discovered by the treasure revealer Karma Lingpa.

These images illustrate a structured and vivid experience between death and rebirth when visions of light crystallize into an appearance of the peaceful deities (depicted here). These deities encourage the mind to realize their true nature and become free. If the mind has at least a glimmer of such recognition, then the future birth will not be in the lower realms of existence.

The teachings of the bardo allow practitioners to prepare and train their minds for this future eventuality. Often ritual specialists read these instructions to the deceased as the means of guiding them through this difficult process of transitioning to future existence.