bardo

American  

[bahr-doh] / ˈbɑr doʊ /

noun

(often initial capital letter)

plural

bardos

1. (in Lamaism) the state of the soul between death and rebirth.

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bardo British  

/ ˈbɑːdəʊ /

noun

1. (in Tibetan Buddhism) the state of the soul between its death and its rebirth

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Etymology

Origin of bardo

First recorded in 1625–30, bardo is from the Tibetan word bár-do “between two” (i.e., a transition, intermediate state)

Example Sentences

Tristan’s passage between worlds is anything but serene, and dancers, subtly choreographed by Annie-B Parson, accompany him as he hovers in the tunnel that suggests the bardo of Tibetan Buddhism.

From The Wall Street Journal • Mar. 11, 2026

This take on the Buddhist concept of bardo — the state between death and rebirth, often colloquially used to imply simply transition from one state to a significant other — was full of wonder.

From Los Angeles Times • Oct. 22, 2024

The bardo, in Tibetan Buddhism, is a state of existence between death and rebirth, the kind of liminal place that the filmmaker has thought about a lot.

From Los Angeles Times • Nov. 28, 2022

Positive karma will make “the bardo appear shining and radiant, like the luminous light of the full moon.”

From New York Times • Nov. 3, 2022

It’s like a cultural bardo — between a Kardashian present and a brave Frances McDormand future.

From Washington Post • Nov. 22, 2021