Cao Dai

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Cao Daism (also called Dai Dao Tam Ky Pho Do, Third Revelation of the Great Way) is an indigenous Vietnamese religion centered in Tay Ninh Province in southern Vietnam that was officially founded and first propagated by Ngo Van Chieu (1878–1926), an administrative official in the French colonial administration that ruled Vietnam from the second half of the nineteenth century until 1945. Chieu claimed to have a series of revelations in 1926 that stated that all religions were one. Cao Dai is an amalgam of different beliefs that borrow from Buddhism, Christianity, Confucianism, Taoism, and Western nineteenth-century romanticism and grew under the leadership of its first Supreme Chief, Le Van Trung.

Cao Dai (literally "High Palace") is the name of God to the religion's followers, who believe that the history of religion is divided into three major periods of revelation, as told by Chieu's revelations: the Era of Creation (or Era of Innocence), the Era of Progress (or Era of Wars, or Era of Self-Destruction), and the Era of Annihilation (or Era of Preservation). In the first two, individuals chosen by God were given the mission to serve humanity by founding the Great Way and its five branches, Geniism (a Vietnamese indigenous religion), Christianity, Taoism, Confucianism, and Buddhism, each based on the customs of the the people who embraced them.

These religions and their truths, as revealed by their messengers, were to represent all human spirituality. But the people of the world, through inherent weakness and the multiplicity of those religions, brought about conflict instead of love and peace. In the third period, God gave the world a final liberation, uniting those religions into one religion to bring about ultimate unity.

Cao Daists believe that God created the universe, the plants and animals, and mankind, and to each he gave a part of his spirit. All human beings are brothers and sisters and come from the same God, the father of all. God himself is worshiped in the form of a single eye shining over a pantheon of saints, Buddhas, genies, and immortals that together represent a universal consciousness of which mankind is a part. From a moral standpoint, Cao Daism stresses to people their duties toward themselves, their family, their society, nature, and humanity (the universal family). Philosophically Cao Daists renounce wealth and riches as paths to true spiritual fulfillment and emphasize the control of greed, anger, and desires. Spiritually, Cao Daism endorses reincarnation and teaches meditation and self-cultivation as the way to spiritual elevation and fulfillment. Followers venerate such figures as Sun Yatsen, Joan of Arc, Vietnamese prophet Tranh Trinh, Julius Caesar, Buddha, Confucius, and Victor Hugo.

Cao Dai has an elaborate organizational structure. It has a governing body called the Cuu Trung Dai (College of Men) with one giao tong (pope) who leads the Cuu Trung Dai. There are three chuong phap (legistlative cardinals), one belonging to each of the three legislative branches: the Nho (Confucianist), the Thich (Buddhist), and the Dao (Taoist). There are three dau su (cardinals), one for each branch. The chuong phap decide on religious laws and the dau su have the right to direct, both spiritually and temporally, the socalled Disciples of God or lay faithful, and also have the right to enact laws, which must be submitted for the approval of the pope. Next in line of power are the thirty-six phoi su (archbishops), twelve for each branch, with three chanh phoi su (principal archbishops). There are seventy-two giao su (bishops), twenty-four for each branch, who are responsible for the education of the disciples. The three thousand giao huu (priests) are also split evenly among the branches, presiding over ritual ceremonies in the province temples. The giao huu are in charge of propagating the religion. There are an unlimited number of le sanh (student priests), who are drawn from the most virtuous of the subdignitaries, or pho tri su. The chanh tri su (minor office-bearers) look after the adepts in the villages. There are also pho tri su (subdignitaries) and thong su

(religious village administrators). Finally, there are an unlimited number of tin do (adepts), or followers, of Cao Dai. Female dignitaries may reach the rank of cardinal only.

In the 1950s the Cao Dai joined the forces opposed to Ngo Dinh rule in the Republic of South Vietnam (RVN). They formed a Cao Dai army and joined a military alliance with the Binh Xuyen gang and the Hoa Hao religious sect that also fought against Diem's forces. The coalition was eventually defeated and a fragile coexistence between the RVN government and the three groups was recognized.

Before the fall of the RVN in 1975, the Cao Dai claimed between 1 and 2 million adherents. The Socialist Republic of Vietnam officially recognized Cao Daism in 1986, and the movement still has its world headquarters in Tay Ninh Province. Today there are perhaps 6 million Cao Daists around the world.

Cima, Ronald J., ed. (1989) Vietnam: A Country Study. Washington, D.C.: U.S. Government Printing Office.

Do, Merdeka Thien-Ly Huong. (1994) Cao Daiism: An Introduction. Washington, D.C.: Cao Dai Temple Overseas Center for Dai Dao Studies.

Wallace, Anthony F. C. (1966) Religion: An Anthropological View. New York: Random House.

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