The Cao Dai Holy See

Cao Dai Temple

Cao Dai Temple

Cao Dai Temple

Caodaism is a new Vietnamese faith. It originated from Ngo Van Chieu, a minor civil servant on Phu Quoc Island, in the early 1920s. During a séance, he was contacted via a spirit called the Cao Dai (prime position) who handed down a creed and image – the ‘all-seeing eye’.

The ‘faith’ started to take off after a 2d collection of revelations by means of the Cao Dai. He informed Ngo Van Chieu that he had already manifested itself to humanity using Confucius, Christ, Mohammed, and other cars to propagate trust structures appropriate to the varying world cultures, however was once dissatisfied through the intolerance and hatred between fans of the different creeds.

It professional posed to dispense with residing envoys and monitor a unified and common faith – the ‘3rd Alliance’ – thru ‘saints’, spirit intermediaries akin to Joan of Arc, Winston Churchill, Victor Hugo and Napoleon Bonaparte.

Regardless of the professional posed universality of the Cao Dai’s doctrine, the religion used to be mainly an amalgam of Buddhism, Confucianism and Taoism, with a few aspects of Christianity and Islam. The creed worships a universal god symbolized by means of the all-seeing eye, and lays down 5 commandments. The soul of folks that comply will probably be elevated to the next airplane of existence through reincarnation. The organization of the brand new religion borrowed closely from the Catholic Church’s hierarchical structure.

Caodaism was once recognized by means of the French in 1926, selected its first ‘Pope’, and dependent a ‘Holy See’ in Tay Ninh province. This was once a large, flamboyant temple surrounded through a school, a health facility and different support buildings.

Via 1930, Caodaism had garnered well over part one million converts and was once changing into a powerful force within the land. It adopted a more politically orientated outlook, and set up a personal army. Although the Cao Dai ‘army’ to begin with fought alongside the Viet Minh in opposition to the French, however turned against their erstwhile allies after the colonialists were expelled.

The upshot was that the structure of Cao Dai, already weakened through conflict, used to be dismantled by means of the communists after the liberation of the South. Its leaders were imprisoned or exiled, ant its lands and property confiscated.

A decade later, most Cao Dai assets were returned, and the faith resumed its secure growth, albeit beneath tight state control.

The Cao Dai Holy See is easily worth a visit. The temple ruled by means of the all-seeing eye, is an architectural surprise, a hotchpotch of styles from its contributing religions and ornamented in good colours.

The daily provider is impressive. The worshippers wear robes of different hues denoting their function and status, and kneel in blocks within the nave to genuflect and pray while acolytes carry out complicated rituals.

Visitors are welcomed to the carrier, however must get rid of their sneakers at the door. There are separate entries males and women. Photography is permitted, but it surely’s polite not to matter the worshippers to a barrage of flashlights. After the provider, visitors can wander around the nave, however are asked to not go beyond the pink sweet-stripe pillars.

The Holy See is near Tay Ninh the city, a couple of hundred kilometres from Ho Chi Minh City. The adventure takes two to three hours.