Thank you for your clear description of the cremation service, Raio. Regarding image worship, and as additional commentary, here is some insight provided in the Bhagvad Gita. In Chapter 12 Arjuna, representing mankind, asks Krishna the Divine Being, "Of those devotees who worship You with form and attributes, constantly fixing their mind on You, and those who resort to devotion of the indestructible, unmanifest Absolute, who will achieve their quest better?" Krishna replies that both routes will lead to understanding but that fixing the mind on a manifest form is easier for embodied beings as it gives worshippers a clear focus. Worshipping the vast God as the essence permeating all things will also lead devotees to understanding, but this form of worship involves more work.