Digital Bardo: Reimagining the Tibetan Book of the Dead in Virtual Identity and Consciousness Transformation
Religions October 7, 2025 Hong Zeng, Shu Su
The Bardo Thodol, or Tibetan Book of the Dead, traditionally guides consciousness through postmortem states toward liberation. This essay proposes that its bardo model can also frame digital identity dissolution and transformation. Drawing on Tibetan Buddhist thought, extended mind theory, digital anthropology, and cognitive science, it reinterprets bardo states as phenomenological thresholds manifesting in virtual liminality—moments of ego disintegration, avatar deconstruction, and reidentification in digital environments. By mapping the six bardos onto digital experiences, the paper synthesizes esoteric Tibetan metaphysics with posthuman theory, offering insights into consciousness, ethical selfhood, and the future of identity.