Within this tradition, the text commonly known as the Tibetan Book of the Dead is less a step‑by‑step meditation manual and more a contemplative guide that presupposes a life of practice. Central to its vision is the recognition of the Clear Light, the primordial luminosity of mind that dawns at the moment of death and in the subsequent bardos. Training in recognizing the nature of mind during life is understood as the essential preparation, so that when this Clear Light arises it can be recognized rather than missed. Closely related is the cultivation of non‑attachment and the steady contemplation of impermanence and death, which loosens the hold of body, possessions, and relationships and prepares consciousness to meet the transition with clarity rather than grasping.

Alongside this, the text emphasizes a devotional and visionary dimension. Deity yoga and visualization of peaceful and wrathful deities are cultivated so that, in the bardos, their appearances can be recognized as manifestations of one’s own mind rather than as external threats or temptations. Practices of refuge, guru‑devotion, and the generation of bodhicitta orient the mind toward trust, compassion, and aspiration for awakening, providing a stable inner refuge when ordinary reference points fall away. Mantra recitation, prayers for protection and guidance, and remembrance of one’s previous meditative training all function as supports for maintaining awareness and courage in the face of unfamiliar experiences.

The text also gives practical orientation for the actual passage through death and the intermediate state. It counsels maintaining calm, lucid awareness during the dissolution of the elements and the arising of various visions, avoiding fear, anger, and craving, and sustaining a fearless, open attitude. Hearing the teachings read aloud at the bedside or after death is itself treated as a powerful practice: the dying or deceased is repeatedly reminded to recognize the Clear Light, to identify the bardo visions as mind’s own display, and not to be swept away by terror or longing. Recognition, rather than elaborate analysis, is the key thread that runs through these instructions.

Finally, when liberation is not attained in the bardos, the text turns to the question of rebirth. Here it recommends consciously turning away from attractive but binding visions that lead to ordinary rebirth, and instead cultivating the wish and visualization for a favorable rebirth or a pure land where practice can continue. There are contemplations on choosing an appropriate womb and “closing the womb door,” which symbolically express the possibility of transforming the rebirth process through awareness. Throughout, the emphasis remains on clear recognition, non‑attachment, and compassionate intention as the guiding lights through death, the intermediate state, and the threshold of a new life.