Thiền Lâm pagoda (2012)
V. THE INAUGURATION
According to the
programme, the Inauguration was planned to last three days and three nights,
from Thursday 18 through Saturday 20 November 1926 (from the fourteenth through
the sixteenth of the tenth lunar month). As of Wednesday 17 November, crowds
began pouring into Gò Kén (Long Thành village, Tây Ninh province) for the
ceremony at the Thiền Lâm holy house.
During the daytime, the
apostles were busy entertaining guests. On Thursday, after the midnight worship
before the altar, the apostles held a séance in the Thiền Lâm main hall. First,
Caodai God bestowed the holy name HƯƠNG upon female dignitaries.[1]
Then, God bestowed the
rank of Giáo Sư (Bishop) upon apostle
Lâm Ngọc Thanh (say Hương Thanh); and Phó
Giáo Sư (Deputy Bishop) upon Ca Thị Thế (apostle Ca Minh Chương’s daughter).
At midnight, Thursday 18,
and into the small hours of Friday 19 November 1926, the ordination of the
earliest Caodai dignitaries was conducted in the Thiền Lâm main hall.
Dignitaries of the Buddhist, Daoist, and Confucian branches (respectively dressed
in yellow, blue, and red) positioned themselves according to the arrangement
instructed by Caodai God during the séance on Tuesday 16 November 1926.
After God’s ascension,
the Thiền Lâm main hall was disturbed by evil spirits due to the carelessness
of apostle Ngọc Lịch Nguyệt (Confucian Cardinal Lê Văn Lịch) while practising
occult power to protect the séance. However, apostle Thượng Phẩm Cao Quỳnh Cư
managed to expel evils with holy water from the God’s Altar.
Despite such a
regrettable disturbance, everything still went on smoothly the following
morning. Then, after the noon worship, a séance was held; Caodai God arrived
and blamed the apostles for their carelessness resulting in the evils’
occurrence.
That night, during another
séance, Caodai God bestowed the rank of Giáo
Sư (Bishop) upon seven male apostles, one of whom was promoted from Giáo Hữu (Priest). God also summoned volunteers
for spreading Caodaism to Annam and Tonkin (northern and central Vietnam).
1. The earliest dignitaries conferred by Caodai God
After Thursday 18 and
Friday 19 November 1926, there were more dignitaries conferred by Caodai God.
Excluding Lễ Sanh (Student-Priests),
the newly-conferred dignitaries together with the previous ones are listed as
follows:
- Three Chưởng Pháp (Legist-Censors):
Thái Chưởng Pháp (Buddhist
Legist-Censor): Như Nhãn (ex-Monk).
Thượng Chưởng Pháp (Daoist Legist-Censor):
Nguyễn Văn Tương (former high-ranking priest of the Minh Sư faith).
Ngọc Chưởng Pháp (Confucian
Legist-Censor): Trần Văn Thụ (former high-ranking priest of the Minh Đường faith).
- Three Đầu Sư (Cardinals):
Thái Đầu Sư (Buddhist Cardinal): Thích
Thiện Minh (ex-Monk).
Thượng Đầu Sư (Daoist Cardinal): Lê
Văn Trung.
Ngọc Đầu Sư (Confucian Cardinal): Lê
Văn Lịch.
- Three Chánh Phối Sư (Principal Archbishops):
Thái Chánh Phối Sư (Buddhist Principal
Archbishop): Nguyễn Ngọc Thơ.
Thượng Chánh Phối Sư (Daoist Principal
Archbishop): Nguyễn Ngọc Tương.
Ngọc Chánh Phối Sư (Confucian Principal
Archbishop): Lê Bá Trang.
- One Thượng Phối Sư (Daoist Archbishop): Lê Văn Hóa.
- Three Thái Giáo Sư (Buddhist Bishops): Lâm Quang Bính, Lê Văn Nhung,
and Nguyễn Văn Luật. (Both Nhung and Luật were former Buddhist priests, ranked Yết Ma or Karma.)
- Fifteen Thượng Giáo Sư (Daoist Bishops): Dương Văn Hoài, Hà Văn
Bút, Lại Văn Hành, Lê Văn Son (Thượng Châu Thanh), Ngô Trung Tín, Ngô Văn Kim,
Nguyễn Tấn Hoài, Nguyễn Văn Chức, Nguyễn Văn Hoài, Nguyễn Văn Lai, Nguyễn Văn
Nhơn, Phạm Trí Viễn, Tống Quốc Định, Vương Quan Kỳ, and Vinh (from Chợ Lớn).
- Five Ngọc Giáo Sư (Confucian Bishops): Bùi Văn Thông, Ngô Tường
Vân, Nguyễn Phát Đạt, Nguyễn Văn Kinh (former priest of the Minh Sư faith), and Nguyễn Văn Muồi.
- Nineteen Thượng Giáo Hữu (Daoist Priests): Bùi Văn Thiên, Đoàn Văn
Bản, Huỳnh Văn Giỏi, Huỳnh Văn Sơn, Lê Văn Cúc, Nguyễn Ngọc Lân, Nguyễn Văn
Cúc, Nguyễn Văn Phương, Phạm Văn Thấp, Võ Văn Kinh, and Nghi.
- One female Giáo Sư (Bishop): Hương Thanh (Lâm Ngọc Thanh).
- One female Phó Giáo Sư (Deputy Bishop): Ca Thị Thế (daughter of
apostle Ca Minh Chương).
- Fifteen mediums: Hộ Pháp Phạm Công Tắc, Thượng Phẩm Cao Quỳnh Cư,
Thượng Sanh Cao Hoài Sang, Ca Minh Chương, Huỳnh Văn Mai, Lê Thiện Phước,
Nguyễn Trung Hậu, Nguyễn Văn Mạnh, Nguyễn Thiên(g) Kim, Phạm Tấn Đãi, Phạm Văn
Tươi, Trần Duy Nghĩa, Trương Hữu Đức, Trương Văn Tràng, and Võ Văn Nguyên.[2]
2. Pháp Chánh
Truyền (the Orthodox Dharma) bestowed by Caodai God
On Saturday night 20
November 1926, during the séance in the Thiền Lâm main hall, Caodai God
bestowed Pháp Chánh Truyền (the
Orthodox Dharma), establishing eight
dignitary ranks of Cửu Trùng Đài (the
Nonuple hierarchy), from Giáo Tông (Pope,
the top rank) down to Lễ Sanh (Student-Priest,
the eighth rank). In the following night, Caodai God stipulated the rules of
publicly selecting dignitaries, from Lễ
Sanh up to Giáo Tông.
HUỆ KHẢI
