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When the "S.M. Heavenly Dragon Imperial Cutlery "Designed by Supreme Master Ching Hai, was exhibited in Formosa, I visited the exhibition. The dazzling, golden light from the gold cutlery gave me a tremendous shock deep within and brightly lit up my soul. Having taken onlyone look, I could not return to this mundane world, as if I hadsoared into heaven and my body had been covered with gold dust. I felt so light and intoxicated. While I was carefully examining the exquisitely carved figure of a flying dragon on the spoon, I seemed to be able to sense the dragon smiling. I really had great respect and admiration for the artisansand their outstanding craftsmanship. Then I thought whether cutlery made of precious metal such as gold, apart from being masterpieces treasured and admired by collectors, had any practical value. | I remembered a book I recently read entitled, "The Pursuit of Life "Chiu-Nan Lai, Ph.D. It cited an experiment by Hao Sy Jia, Ph.D.,which compared water boiled in containers made of gold, glass,ceramic, steel, aluminum, etcetera. The water was cooled and usedto test its effectiveness in growing wheat. The results of the experiment proved that wheat seedlings grown with water boiled ina gold container were the best. Even water stirred with a gold plated spoon enhanced the growth of vegetation. That offered an explanation of why gold utensils were used by ancient royalty -- itnot only offers an aesthetic quality but also enhances the nutritional value of food. Furthermore, water boiled in an aluminum saucepan suppressed the growth of wheat. Now I can even further appreciate Master's words and actions, and I understand the reasons why She uses gold to create the Heavenly Dragon Imperial Cutlery. (Note: Master has already used this set for some times and lend them for the exhibition.) |