Phosphenes as the Ground of Visionary Light: A Phenomenological Inquiry into the Tibetan Book of the Dead

This paper explores the luminous visionary descriptions found in The Tibetan Book of the Dead (Bardo Thödol) through the lens of phosphene phenomenology. Drawing on firsthand accounts of phosphene meditation and a structured six-phase model of inner light perception, we analyze how the radiant light forms, color spectra, mandalic geometries, and ego-dissolving experiences described in the text align with universal patterns of perceptual emergence. Rather than interpreting these visions as symbolic or doctrinally fixed, we propose they reflect innate structures of human consciousness revealed in states of transition, including meditation, altered states, and the dying process. Recent EEG findings during the moments surrounding death support the view that consciousness may enter luminous phases akin to those described in both the Bardo Thödol and phosphene meditation. By bridging contemplative traditions with neurophenomenological insight, we offer a grounded reinterpretation of visionary after-death experiences. This paper suggests that what is often described as mystical or metaphysical may, in fact, arise from the structured architecture of perception itself, with implications for understanding death, illumination, and the nature of awareness.