In Tibetan Buddhism, the intermediate state between death and rebirth is called a bardo.
The Tibetan word bardo means an interval or transitional state. In everyday discussion it often refers specifically to the period between death and the next rebirth, but Tibetan Buddhist teachings use the term more broadly for transitions in existence, including waking, dreaming, meditation, dying, and rebirth.
The best-known source associated with these teachings is the Bardo Thodol, often marketed in English as the Tibetan Book of the Dead. It describes ritual readings intended to guide consciousness through experiences after death. The text’s imagery includes peaceful and wrathful deities, which are understood within the tradition as manifestations connected with the mind.
Bardo is not simply a Buddhist version of heaven or Hell. Tibetan Buddhism describes multiple possible experiences during transition, and the ultimate goal is liberation from samsara. Interpretations vary among Tibetan Buddhist schools, so the term should not be reduced to one fixed physical place.