I. A GLIMPSE OF
NINE
CAODAI HOLY ASSEMBLIES AT PRESENT
In the
years 1995-2000, the Vietnam Government acknowledged the legal entity status of
the following nine Caodai Holy Assemblies:
1. Hội Thánh Cao Đài Tiên
Thiên (the
Caodai Tiên Thiên Holy Assembly). Its Tòa Thánh Châu Minh (the Châu Minh Holy See) is
located in Tiên Thủy village, Châu Thành district, Bến Tre province. Its legal
entity status was acknowledged by Decision No 51/QĐ/TGCP dated 29 July 1995 and
signed by the Government Committee for Religious Affairs.
(Bến Tre city of Bến Tre
Key Scriptures:
THÁNH HUẤN HIỆP TUYỂN / An
Anthology of Holy Teaching (2 volumes).
However, these two
volumes are also accepted by other Holy Assemblies except Hội Thánh Cao Đài Tây
Ninh 高臺西寧聖會 (the
Caodai Tây Ninh Holy Assembly). Generally speaking, the Caodai Tây Ninh Holy
Assembly regards other Holy Assembles as unthodox ones; therefore, it does not
accept any scriptures issued by other Holy Assemblies.
2. Hội Thánh Cao Đài
Chiếu Minh Long Châu (the
Cao Đài Chiếu Minh Long Châu Holy Assembly). Its Tòa Thánh Long
Châu (the Long Châu Holy
See) is located in Tân Phú Thạnh village, Châu Thành district, Cần Thơ city).
Its legal entity status was acknowledged by Decision No 1562/QĐ.CT.HC.96 dated
27 July 1996 and signed by the People’s Committee of Cần Thơ province.
(Cần Thơ city of Cần Thơ
3. Hội Thánh Cao Đài Minh
Chơn Đạo (the
Cao Đài Minh Chơn Đạo Holy Assembly). Its Tòa Thánh Ngọc Sắc (the Ngọc Sắc Holy See) is located in Hồ Thị
Kỷ village, Thới Bình district, Cà Mau province. Its legal entity status was acknowledged
by Decision No 39/QĐ/TGCP dated 02 August 1996 and signed by the Government
Committee for Religious Affairs.
(Cà
Mau city of Cà Mau
Key Scriptures:
a. NGỌC MINH KINH (1
volume).
b. THÁNH GIÁO MINH CHƠN ĐẠO / An
Anthology of Holy Teaching Bestowed on the Cao Đài Minh Chơn Đạo Holy
Assembly (1 volume).
4. Hội Thánh Truyền Giáo
Cao Đài (the
Caodai Missionary Holy Assembly). Instead of being called “Holy See”, its
central temple is named Trung Hưng Bửu Tòa (the Precious Seat for Restoration) and
located at 63 Hải Phòng street
(Đà Nẵng city is about
977km from Sài Gòn.)
Key Scriptures:
THÁNH TRUYỀN TRUNG HƯNG / An
Anthology of Holy Teaching for Caodai
Restoration (4 volumes).
5. Hội Thánh Cao Đài Tây
Ninh (the
Caodai Tây Ninh Holy Assembly). Its Tòa Thánh Tây Ninh (the Tây Ninh Holy See) is located in Hòa
Thành town, Hòa Thành district, Tây Ninh province. Its legal entity status was acknowledged
by Decision No 10/QĐ/TGCP dated 09 May 1997 and signed by the Government
Committee for Religious Affairs.
(Tây
Ninh city of Tây Ninh
Key Scriptures:
a. THÁNH NGÔN HIỆP TUYỂN / An
Anthology of Holy Sayings (2 volumes).
b. TÂN LUẬT / The New Law (1 volume).
c. PHÁP CHÁNH TRUYỀN / The Orthodox Dharma (1 volume).
d. KINH THIÊN ĐẠO - THẾ ĐẠO / The
Prayers of Heavenly and Worldly Ways (1 volume).
These four titles are
accepted by most Caodai Holy Assemblies because they were the pillars of
Caodaism before the religion was split into branches 枝派.
6. Hội Thánh Cao Đài Ban
Chỉnh Đạo (the
Caodai Ban Chỉnh Đạo Holy Assembly). Its Tòa Thánh Bến Tre (the
Bến Tre Holy See) is located at 100C Trương Định street, Bến
Tre city, Bến Tre province. Its legal entity status was acknowledged by
Decision No 26/QĐ/TGCP dated 08 August 1997 and signed by the Government
Committee for Religious Affairs.
(Bến Tre city of Bến Tre
Key Scriptures:
See the four titles of the Caodai Tây Ninh Church.
7. Hội Thánh Cao Đài Bạch
Y Liên Đoàn Chơn Lý (the
Caodai Bạch Y Liên Đoàn Chơn Lý Holy Assembly). Its Tòa Thánh Ngọc Kinh (the
Ngọc Kinh Holy See) is located in Hòa An hamlet, Mong Thọ village, Châu Thành
district, Kiên Giang province. Its legal entity status was acknowledged by
Decision No 2363/1998/QĐ-UB dated 08 July 1998 and signed by the People’s
Committee of Kiên Giang province.
(Rạch Giá city, the
center of Kiên Giang province, is about 248km from Sài Gòn.)
Key Scripture:
NGỌC ĐẾ CHƠN TRUYỀN - TÂN ƯỚC TRI NGUYÊN
8. Hội Thánh Cao Đài Chơn
Lý (the
Caodai Chơn Lý Holy Assembly). Its Tòa Thánh Chơn Lý (the Chơn Lý Holy See) is located at 193 Nguyễn Trung Trực street
(Mỹ Tho city of Tiền Giang
Key Scripture:
THIÊN ĐẠO CHƠN TRUYỀN / The
Orthodoxy of Heavenly Way (3 volumes).
9. Hội Thánh Cao Đài Cầu
Kho Tam Quan (The Caodai Cầu Kho Tam
Quan Holy Assembly). Its Tòa Thánh Tam Quan (the Tam Quan Holy See) is located in Tam
Quan town, Hoài Nhơn district, Bình Định province. Its
legal entity status was acknowledged by Decision No 199/2000/QĐ-TGCP dated 28
April 2000 and signed by the Government Committee for Religious Affairs.
(Qui Nhơn city, the
center of Bình Định province, is about 688km from Sài Gòn.)
Key Scripture:
TAM THỪA CHƠN GIÁO (1 volume), consisting of three parts:
a. PHẨM TIỂU THỪA (on basic teaching)
b. PHẨM TRUNG THỪA (on higher teaching)
c. PHẨM THƯỢNG THỪA (on meditation practice)
II. TWO CAODAI CONGREGATIONS
NOT ORGANISED
LIKE A HOLY ASSEMBLY
Besides
the nine above-mentioned Holy Assemblies, there are also two Caodai congregations
which are not organised like a Holy Assembly:
1. Cao
Đài Chiếu Minh Tam Thanh Vô Vi (comprising congregants
intensively practising meditation). Its central temple is named Thánh
Đức Tổ Đình (the Holy Virtue Patriarch Temple),
located at number 264, on 30-April street, Ninh Kiều district, Cần Thơ city.
Its legal entity status was acknowledged by a certificate of registration for
religious activities dated 15 December 2009 and signed by the Government Committee
for Religious Affairs.
Key
scripture:
ĐẠI THỪA
CHƠN GIÁO / The Mahayana Orthodox Teaching (1
volume), consisting of two parts:
a. HÌNH NHI HẠ HỌC / the exoteric teaching, also
known as ngoại giáo công truyền.
b. HÌNH NHI THƯỢNG HỌC / the esoteric
teaching, also known as nội giáo tâm
truyền.
2. Cơ
Quan Phổ Thông Giáo Lý Đại Đạo (the Organ for Universalising Caodai Teaching)
located at 171B Cống Quỳnh street HCM City
Key
scriptures:
Before 1975, this Organ published a series of THÁNH GIÁO SƯU TẬP 聖教搜集 / A
Collection of Holy Teachings, entitled as follows:
a. THÁNH GIÁO SƯU TẬP 1965 (1 volume)
b. THÁNH GIÁO SƯU TẬP 1966-67 (1 volume)
c. THÁNH GIÁO SƯU TẬP 1968-69 (1 volume)
d. THÁNH GIÁO SƯU TẬP 1970-71 (1 volume)
e. THÁNH GIÁO SƯU TẬP 1972-73 (1 volume)
N.B.:
The Chinese characters accompanying each Sino-Vietnamese name or title as given above are only an
effort to help the reader who can read Chinese characters easily understand the
Sino-Vietnamese names titles. They should be regarded as an expedient measure and thus, any
correction contributed by the reader is always expected and much appreciated.
29 August 2017
Huệ
Khải