Cao Dai is a religion that originated in Vietnam in the 1920s. The name Cao Dai literally means “High Tower” or “High Palace” and is the name of the supreme deity in the religion. Cao Dai draws elements from other faiths including Buddhism, Taoism, Confucianism, Christianity and Islam. Adherents of Cao Dai believe that these various religions communicate the same divine truth.
The origins of Cao Dai can be traced to séances conducted in Phnom Penh, Cambodia in 1919-1920. The séances were attended by civil servant Ngo Van Chieu and French citizen Le Van Trung, and the techniques of spiritism were used to communicate with spirits. The communications revealed a complex theology that included ideas from multiple religions. Ngo Van Chieu became the main prophet of the newly founded religion, revealing divine messages to early adherents.
In 1926, after returning to his native Vietnam, Ngo Van Chieu formally established the religion under the name Cao Dai. The Chinese characters for Cao Dai were chosen since Cao represents the “roof” of the universe where the supreme deity resides, while Dai means the “floor” where humans exist.
Some key facts about Cao Dai:
– The supreme deity is called Cao Dai or Duc Cao Dai, meaning “Highest Lord” or “Highest Power.”
– Cao Dai is depicted as an eye inside a triangle, symbolizing divine omnipresence and omniscience.
– There are various lesser divine beings in the Cao Dai pantheon, including Buddha, Jesus Christ, Muhammad, Laozi, Confucius and others. These are seen as manifestations of the supreme deity.
– Cao Dai temples focus on communicating with the spirits and divine beings of the religion.
– Prayer and veneration play a central role in Cao Dai religious practice. Adherents engage in rituals 3-6 times per day.
– Meditation, vegetarianism and nonviolence are encouraged for more spiritually focused Cao Dai followers.
– Morality and ethics are emphasized, drawn from Confucian teachings. Key virtues include loyalty, piety, honesty and generosity.
– Universalism and religious unity are promoted. There is no conflict seen between different religions and revelation.
– Cao Dai has its own organizational hierarchy and governance. There are 3 branches – Executive, Legislative and Judicial.
– Cao Dai temples incorporate architectural styles from Christianity, Buddhism and Taoism. The Holy See temple in Tay Ninh is the religion’s central temple.
– The Tay Ninh Holy See temple was completed in 1955 after almost 3 decades of construction. It is a unique architectural hybrid of multiple religious influences.
– Cao Dai followers number around 2-3 million worldwide, mainly concentrated in Vietnam. It experienced rapid growth in the 1920s and 1930s.
– Persecution and suppression of Cao Dai began in the 1950s under the Catholic president of South Vietnam, Ngo Dinh Diem.
– After the Communist victory in the Vietnam War, Cao Dai was targeted again beginning in 1975. The religion lost its institutional autonomy.
– Cao Dai incorporated elements of French secularism during the colonial era, adapting a bureaucratic organizational style.
– Cao Dai priests and dignitaries wear colorful garments that incorporate symbols such as the Divine Eye, yin-yang and dharma wheel.
– No conversion or missionary work is permitted in Cao Dai. Adherents believe spiritual truth is already present in existing religions.
– Only individuals specifically selected by divine will can assume leadership positions or become mediums in the Cao Dai religion.
– Cao Dai followers are expected to be vegetarian at least 10 days per month. Alcohol, tobacco, gambling and superstition are discouraged.
– Cao Dai temples hold elaborate ceremonies that include offerings, chants, prayers and dances accompanied by a traditional orchestra.
– Incense, flowers, alcohol and feasts are offered to deities during rituals which mirror Asian ancestral worship traditions. Prayers are chanted in Vietnamese.
– The largest annual Cao Dai festival is called Tam Ty, held between the 15th and 30th day of the 7th lunar month. It commemorates spirits of the faith.
– For Cao Dai adherents, the ultimate spiritual goal is to escape the cycle of rebirth and enter the Supreme Being rather than attain nirvana.
– Cao Dai originated during a time of colonialism and valued strong nationalism and modernism, aspects which were incorporated into the religion.
– Caodaists believe that the full truth has not yet been revealed and there will be a Third Era or Third Amnesty heralding a new prophet.
– Saint Victor Hugo is revered as a divine figure in Cao Dai based on spiritual communications in séances during the founding period.
– Cao Dai temples have three gates representing the Three Teachings – Christianity is the left gate, Buddhism is the center gate, Taoism is the right gate.
– The internal organization of Cao Dai has a bureaucracy modelled after the French colonial government to oversee administrative matters.
– Caodaists have a strong focus on charity and doing good works in the community including building schools, hospitals and assistance programs.
– Caodaists have faced persecution at times due to government suspicion over the religion’s strong organizational structure and passionate following.
– Caodaists incorporate practices such as prayer, veneration of ancestors, nonviolence and vegetarianism which are strongly Asian influenced.
– Adherents of Cao Dai do not seek to aggressively convert or proselytize others but focus on their own individual spiritual cultivation.
– Cao Dai accepts and values the figures and teachings of most other faiths rather than asserting itself as the one true religion.
– The Divine Eye is a core Cao Dai symbol seen in temples prominently displayed as an affirmation of God’s ever-present divine consciousness.
– The Tay Ninh Holy See has one main tower, representing the top of Mt. Sinai where Moses first communicated with God in the Bible.
– Though influenced by French Catholicism, Cao Dai does not have sacraments administered by clergy or viral senses of sin or salvation.
– Cao Dai’s governing council attempts to create a balance between Vietnam’s three political forces – communism, capitalism and nationalism.
– Cao Dai has its own religious law based on prophecy, codes and ethics systematized in the 1930s based on seance revelations.
– There are 60-72 books which make up the Cao Dai canon or scriptures covering spirit communications, codes, and teachings.
– Cao Dai was founded at a time when many Vietnamese were seeking independence from French colonial rule after centuries of domination.
– The political activism and strong organizational leadership of Cao Dai was seen as threatening by colonial and post-colonial authorities.
– Caodaists see humans as inherently divine in nature but clouded by ignorance, prescribed prayer and moral living as the solution.
– Though born in the 20th century, Cao Dai incorporates rituals, symbols and practices that provide a sense of ancient heritage.
– Cao Dai temples hold four daily prayer sessions: 6AM, noon, 6PM and midnight, with larger elaborate ceremonies held weekly.
– Caodaists perform ritual offerings of incense, flowers, tea, alcohol, and fruit displaying syncretism with Buddhist and Taoist traditions.
– Adherents of Cao Dai go through a spiritual hierarchy starting at lay follower rising through student, lesser dignitary, dignitary, and priest.
– In its theology, Cao Dai avoids discussing notions of reincarnation, instead focusing on disconnect from the Supreme Being as the issue to overcome.
– The Divine Eye symbolizes human devotion directed toward the Supreme Being who brings enlightenment into devotees’ consciousness.
– Cao Dai uses the Chinese characters for “high” and “tower” to represent how the Supreme Being dwells in the highest, most revered place.
– Cao Dai temples have altars and shrines to figures like Jesus Christ, Kwan Yin, Muhammad, Lao Tze, and Confucius side by side.
– Cao Dai combines moral disciplines taken from Confucianism, Taoism, Buddhism and Christianity appealing to Vietnamese culture.
– The political agenda of Cao Dai involves forming a theocracy – government ruled by divine authority based on spirit guidance and prophecy.
– Many Cao Dai ceremonies have origins in 19th century Asian spiritism movements that later contributed to the faith’s founding.
– Cao Dai puts less emphasis on specific doctrines, scriptures or teachings but rather on cultivating unity between followers.
– The Tay Ninh Holy See temple in southern Vietnam is the Vatican equivalent for Caodaism, from which all spiritual authority flows.
– Cao Dai sculptures and artwork portray religious figures dressed in traditional robes rather than limiting to one historical image.
– Cao Dai Tay Ninh Holy See temple has been compared to the Esoteric Buddhist pagoda of Borobudur in Java, Indonesia in its structure.
– The Divine Eye theme permeates Cao Dai artistic expressions from elaborate temple frescoes to colored robes worn by dignitaries.
– Cao Dai seeks to converge science and religion based on divine messages imparting cosmological revelations.
– Cao Dai temples host elaborate rituals masked dances, processions and music that create a celebratory atmosphere.
– Woman have mostly played supportive roles in Cao Dai versus positions of leadership, but a few officials have promoted women’s causes.
– Caodaists celebrate the Monkey God, Sun Wukong from Chinese folklore, as a heroic saint-deity who fought injustice.
– There are two other smaller branches of Cao Dai aside from Tay Ninh which broke away from the main church due to leadership disputes.
– Caodaists often wear white robes and headscarves during ceremonies representing purity and equality regardless of status.
– Although granted special veneration, Victor Hugo is not actually worshipped as a deity by Cao Dai adherents.
– A moral code called the Ten Rules of Behavior forms the core ethics for Cao Dai, promoting virtuous living.
– Doctrine about the nature of the Supreme Being is left open and not rigidly defined by Cao Dai theology and teachings.
– The focus on ethical self-cultivation in Cao Dai is suited to the Vietnamese identity where virtue, honor and integrity are valued.
– Cao Dai architecture contains Arabic letters, Chinese characters, and Egyptian symbols combining global religious iconography.
– Depictions of the Divine Eye represent God’s omnipresent all-seeing consciousness that is constant and eternal.
– Cao Dai doctrine urges adherents to act with integrity and uprightness as the highest purpose beyond rituals or practices.
– The ornate robes of Cao Dai dignitaries incorporate Taoist yin-yang symbols, Confucian scholarship motifs and Buddhist dharma wheels.
– Cao Dai does not reject or negate other religions but rather incorporates their teachings into a syncretic universal theology.
– The faith advocates responsible ethical living in line with the Divine Will which is revealed through spirit contact and mediums.
– Cao Dai left a mark on Vietnamese independence struggles against colonial rule, sometimes linked with militant nationalist movements.
– Cao Dai temples have four mens’ and two womens’ entrances representing the six ways to rebirth – a teaching adapted from Buddhism.
– The French occupied Vietnam in 1859, after hundreds of years of Confucian dynasties, sowing the seeds for new religions like Cao Dai.
– Communication with spirits such as Victor Hugo, Sun Yat Sen and Nguyen Binh Khiem led to revelations compiled into Cao Dai holy scripture.
– The Divine Eye mirrors the omnipresent universal consciousness of the Absolute Supreme Being who is perfect love, justice and goodness.
– Caodaists do not seek to proselytize or convert given their inclusive belief that divine truth rests within all traditions.
