Certainly, with my little knowledge about chopsticks ( I'm loyal to my spoon and fork plus bare hands) I never imagined it could be used other than when you eat at Chowking.
My last student for today told me something strange . Chopsticks aren't only used for eating ( and this time I swear I wont volunteer my spoon or fork and for the love of God ,I won't ever use my bare hands this way ).Mr. Hiro , my Japanese student told me that Chopsticks are used to place their dead loved one's bones , after cremation, inside the urn and that is part of the ceremony they offer to the dead. Plus, members of the family MUST do their share . Goose bumps!
Here's more, he did that more than ten times...oh I wanted to faint inside GNA office!
In the upper left photo, some bones were too strong ( I guess after gulping Bona , Nido and Anlene for decades ) and relatives must take part in the ceremonial transfer of bones to its perpetual bedroom called urn. I don't criticize them, it was just that my jaw dropped by mere thoughts of it and did I mention the goose bumps? I thought nothing could survive the optimum temperature range of 1600 degrees to 1800 degrees Fahrenheit!
Cremation takes 2 and a half hours and I think I wont ever let any of my loved ones cremated (Please, don't cremate me too , I will make a good fertilizer so just please allow nature to decompose me okay? swear! )I thank my student for sending these pictures. These pictures were not too scary though but still my wild imagination is giving me ugly vivid visions ( I hate my rich imagination at times, seriously ).
While our lesson was drawing to its near end, he told me that if I will ever marry a Buddhist ,especially Japanese, I will look like the other lady in the second picture... I was speechless!
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