Bardo Thodol and Bhutanese Funeral Prayers: Essential Liturgies for the 49-Day Cycle

The prayers recited during a Bhutanese funeral aren't ceremonial background noise. Each liturgy serves a specific function in the 49-day bardo cycle: some guide the deceased's consciousness through terrifying visionary encounters, others generate merit that directly improves the soul's chances of favorable rebirth, and still others purify the physical remains and the mourning space. Knowing which prayers are read, when, and why helps families participate meaningfully rather than sitting through rituals they can't follow.

The Bardo Thodol (Liberation Through Hearing)

This is the central text of the entire funeral process — what Western readers know as The Tibetan Book of the Dead. Lamas read it continuously beside the corpse during the first days after death, and then at the home altar throughout the bardo period.

The Bardo Thodol guides the consciousness through three distinct stages:

Chikhai Bardo (the moment of death). The consciousness encounters the primary clear light — a direct experience of ultimate reality. If the deceased can recognize this luminosity as their own fundamental nature rather than something external, liberation is immediate. This is the best possible outcome, and the lama's reading is timed to support this recognition.

Chonyid Bardo (visions of deities). If the consciousness doesn't achieve liberation in the first stage, it enters a series of vivid, intense encounters with peaceful and wrathful deities. These visions are terrifying — blazing light, thunderous sound, fearsome faces — but the Bardo Thodol instructs the consciousness that every vision is a mental projection, not an external threat. Recognizing them as projections leads to liberation; fleeing from them in fear pushes the consciousness toward the next stage.

Sidpa Bardo (approach to rebirth). The consciousness begins experiencing hallucinations that pull it toward a new womb. The Bardo Thodol describes this pull as the consciousness approaches a new rebirth.

The readings are addressed directly to the deceased by name, and the lama treats the text as a live communication with the consciousness navigating the bardo — not as a reading for the benefit of the living.

The Namgyelma (Ushnisha Vijaya) Mantra

Officiating lamas recite this purification mantra exactly 21 times. They blow the breath of the mantra onto bowls of water, sesame seeds, perfume, or talcum powder. These blessed elements are then sprinkled over the corpse to dissolve negative physical and spiritual imprints accumulated during life. This is one of the earliest physical rituals performed — the blessed substances purify the body before other preparations begin.

The Dewachen Aspiration (Amitabha Pure Land Prayer)

This prayer expresses the aspiration for the deceased to be reborn in Dewachen, the western Pure Land of Amitabha Buddha. It's recited collectively and is one of the prayers that lay family members can participate in most directly. The aspiration works in concert with the phowa ceremony — phowa physically directs the consciousness toward Dewachen, while the Dewachen aspiration generates the spiritual momentum for that journey.

The King of Aspiration Prayers (Zangchö Mönlam)

Known as the King of Prayers (Sang Ch), this prayer is recited collectively by the entire assembly of monks and lay attendees. Its function is to generate massive collective merit — the combined spiritual energy of every person reciting the prayer simultaneously is directed toward the deceased's benefit. Large-gathering ceremonies on the 7th, 21st, and 49th days often feature this prayer as the centerpiece.

The Kuntu Zangpo Aspiration Prayer

The Aspiration Prayer of Samantabhadra (Kuntu Zangpo Mönlam) is a foundational Nyingma liturgy that addresses the nature of mind directly. It articulates the ground of being that underlies both samsara and nirvana, and aspires that all beings recognize their own fundamental awareness. Its recitation during the funeral embeds the deceased's transition within the largest possible spiritual context.

The Akshobhya Dharani

This dharani (extended mantra) invokes the purifying power of Akshobhya Buddha. Its recitation is believed to have specific efficacy in cleansing the negative karma that accumulates around the event of death itself — the confusion, fear, and grasping that the consciousness experiences as it separates from the body.

How Lay Family Members Can Participate

Most of these prayers are recited by ordained lamas and monks who have received specific empowerments and transmission. However, lay family members can meaningfully participate in several ways:

• Chanting Om Mani Padme Hum during any ceremony. This mantra, associated with Chenrezig (Avalokiteshvara), is universally accessible and generates merit.
• Joining the Dewachen aspiration. Many families know this prayer or can follow along with transliterated texts.
• Reciting the King of Prayers during collective sessions, even if following a printed text rather than reciting from memory.
• Maintaining silent, focused attention during the lama's Bardo Thodol readings. The consciousness of the deceased is believed to be present and aware — a calm, supportive mental atmosphere from the family genuinely helps.

The Buddhist Funeral — Bhutan toolkit includes a prayer reference section that maps each liturgy to its bardo milestone, with transliterated chanting guides for lay family members and guidance on coordinating with the officiating lama on text selection.