With regard to your question about introducing the death evolution for people to understand about the mind and about reincarnation, and for them to understand how this life came from karma, it is true that in the past during the Kopan courses I tried to use many logical reasonings to prove reincarnation. But it seemed that for some people, those reasonings didn’t change their concepts much. However, when I led the death evolution meditation, it had a very strong effect on people. Then they started to change their concrete concepts, their fixed ideas. Many people had very strong experiences. That meditation was stronger than the other meditations on impermanence and death, because those people experienced more clear concentration and a more stable mind.
It is explained in one text that the indestructible seed is secret. However, I used this meditation in the Kopan courses and also in a text called The Wish-Fulfilling Golden Sun. That was in very early times, when I was trying to practice a little Dharma and change my mind. I thought it was a very effective meditation, so I used it. It only involves talking about the ordinary base. It does not involve talking about the tantric method, so that is OK. During the early times, it was one of the most interesting subjects of the Kopan courses. It had the greatest effect. But I don’t think I asked any of my gurus about introducing the subject before putting it into The Wish-Fulfilling Golden Sun.
There is no problem with leading people through the absorptions. The only problem would be to talk about the extremely subtle consciousness, and its location and those things. But it is OK to talk about the ordinary base.
So, I think that although some lamas might regard this very strictly, others would say it is OK. For sure, Lama Yeshe would say OK. I don’t remember whether I asked him. I think that I did check later, but I don’t really remember the answer now. Maybe I discussed it with Lama and maybe Lama said OK, but I really don’t recall. I think there can be different answers, some very strict and some not.
My point of view is that if something is not beneficial and is dangerous, then it is secret. On the other hand, if something is beneficial and generates more faith in reincarnation and so forth, then it is OK. For example, in the case of people for whom the Prasangika view does not fit, such that if the Prasangika view were taught to them, they would fall into a nihilistic view, then those teachings should be secret for them. Apart from whether or not one has an initiation, if there is a danger of someone losing his or her faith, generating heresy and so forth, that subject becomes secret for that kind of mind. This is normally what I think. So, for the time being you can follow this philosophy, my Mickey Mouse philosophy.
As far as Guru Shakyamuni Buddha absorbing, generally in tantra, for those who have received a highest yoga tantra initiation, the deities absorb from the crown of the head. Without an initiation, then the deity melts into light and is absorbed into the point between the brows, blessing the body, speech, and mind. One should think, “I have received the deity’s blessing.” That is generally how it is explained.
However, in the case of Guru Shakyamuni Buddha, I checked with Denma Locho Rinpoche who said that it is OK for people without a great initiation to generate themselves as Guru Shakyamuni Buddha. This is not the case with Medicine Buddha, for example. But because Guru Shakyamuni Buddha is the founder of the Buddha Dharma in this period, one can do it. Thus, absorbing and generating Guru Shakyamuni Buddha is OK.
