I just gave a paper on Tibetan mystical philosophy last week and thought I would write a note on dissolution and re-integration, for this is in fact the core practice of Dzogchen – roughly speaking, the more shamanic manifestation of Tibetan Buddhism. At the pinnacle of the Dzogchen practice of “khregs chod” (pronounced “trek cho”), the adept is able to completely dissolve the physical elements of their physical body and enters into the “basic space of being” (“chos dbying”; prononced “cho ying”) and as far as other mortals are concerned, the adept has disappeared from this world. In that “empty” state the adept undergoes a supreme reintegration whereby he or she becomes “the master of appearances” – taking on any form of life for the benefits of other sentient beings. The heart is obviously re-integrated into the primordial form of the adept – which is no fixed form itself -, so that the bodhisattva intent can be realised.

Dzogchen has an interesting approach to shape-shifting, which is harnessed for higher purposes.