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. Ifelt 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.)