THE CAODAI
LEGAL ENTITY ESTABLISHMENT
LEGAL ENTITY ESTABLISHMENT
I. PREPARATION FOR THE CAODAI LEGAL
ENTITY ESTABLISHMENT
At 8.00 pm on Wednesday night of 29 September 1926 (the twenty-third of the year
Tiger’s eighth month), at Nguyễn Văn Tường’s home at 237 bis on an alley off Galliéni boulevard, district 1, Saigon
(today 208 Cô Bắc street),([1]) there was a large meeting to prepare for the registration
of Caodai legal
entity.
According to a Caodai holy message received on Tuesday 22 and into the small hours of Wednesday 23 September
1970,([2]) this historical event was first named
Khai Tịch Đạo (the Caodai legal entity establishment).
Also, as stated in the said holy message, the name Khai Minh Đại Đạo, i.e., the Caodai Inauguration,([3]) was given to the ceremony
to ordain the earliest
dignitaries of the fledgling Holy Assembly (Hội
Thánh) in Long Thành village (Tây Ninh province) on Thursday 18 and into the small hours of Friday
19 November 1926
(in the Mouse’s hour on the fifteenth of the year Tiger’s tenth month).
Right before the meeting, a torrential rain poured down long hours and
flooded many parts of the surrounding area. Consequently, the meeting was
isolated from curious outsiders, especially the colonial police. Then, any
meeting of twenty people or more was to be authorised by colonial rulers.
Co-chaired by apostles Lê Văn Trung (Daoist Cardinal Thượng
Trung Nhựt), Lê Văn Lịch (Confucius Cardinal Ngọc Lịch Nguyệt), and Cao Quỳnh
Cư (Thượng Phẩm 上品: Superior Dignity), the historic meeting was
attended by over two hundred earliest Caodai dignitaries and followers.
As a result, an eleven-page list of two hundred and forty-five Caodaists’
full names as well as their signatures was enclosed with the legal entity registration
dossier whereas the over-five-hundred-word text in French dated 07 October 1926
bore the names of twenty-eight Caodai apostles chosen by Caodai God. Then, Lê
Văn Trung himself took all the dossier to Cochinchina Governor’s Palace and
submit it to Acting Governor Le Fol on Thursday 07 October 1926,([4]) exactly as instructed by Caodai God, “I recommend you, Trung! Within next
Thursday, you must go and see Le Fol to register the Caodai legal entity in
time.” ([5])
II. THE REGISTRATION TEXT OF THE CAODAI LEGAL ENTITY
The registration
text of the Caodai legal entity was written in French,([6]) and below is its English translation:
Saigon, 07 October 1926
Dear Mr. Governor,
We, the undersigned, are honoured to respectfully inform you of the following:
In Indochina there have been Three
Religions (Buddhism, Daoism, and Confucianism). Our ancestors religiously
practised these three teachings and thus they lived a happy life strictly
obeying the good precepts taught by these Religions’ Founders.
The ancient humans were so carefree
that they could sleep without closing the doors and no one picked up objects
dropped on the road.
(Gia vô bế hộ, lộ bất thập di [家無閉户, 路不拾遺] is the saying recorded
in our annals.)
Alas! That wonderful era is defunct
due to the following reasons:
1. The adherents of those religions
have managed to separate themselves from one another while the purpose of all
religions is the same, that is, doing good deeds and avoiding evil ones, and
piously worshipping the Creator.
2. They have completely distorted the
significance of these sacred and precious teachings.
3. The rush for worldly comfort as
well as secular honour, and man’s desires are also the main causes of the today
divergences of opinions. The present Vietnamese people have completely
abandoned their good customs and traditions handed down from ancient times.
Facing these heartbreaking
situations, a group of Vietnamese, fervent traditionalists and religionists,
has studied and recast these religions into a sole and unique one, namely
Caodaism or Đại Đạo (the Great Dao).
The name ĐẠI ĐẠO TAM KỲ PHỔ ĐỘ (the Third Universal Amnesty) ([7]) was granted by the Supreme Being, who descended to earth, helping the
undersigned establish this new religion.
God has
come to this secular world under the name NGỌC HOÀNG THƯỢNG ĐẾ
(the Jade Emperor), namely CAODAI or GOD, the Supreme, the Omnipotent.
Through mediums at evocation seances,
NGỌC HOÀNG THƯỢNG ĐẾ has bestowed holy teachings upon the undersigned in order
to crystallise and preach the noble truth of the ancient Three Religions.
This new religion will teach people:
1. The sublime moral
principles taught by Confucius.
2. The virtues taught
in Buddhism and Daoism. These virtues include doing good deeds and avoiding
evil ones, loving mankind, living in harmony with others, and completely
avoiding dissension and war.
We, the undersigned, are honoured to enclose herewith:
1. Some excerpts from the collection
of Holy Sayings by the Jade Emperor. His teachings are considered more valuable
than any existence on earth.
2. The translation of some passages
from the prayers that NGỌC HOÀNG THƯỢNG ĐẾ has taught us.
The objective of the undersigned is
to bring mankind back to their ancient days of peace and harmony. Thus, humans
will aim at a new era of indescribable happiness.
On behalf of the majority of the
Vietnamese who entirely approve these studies and whose name list is enclosed
herewith, we the undersigned have the honour to notify that we will spread this
sacred teaching to the whole humanity.
Persuaded in advance that this new
religion will bring all of us peace and harmony, we the undersigned request you
to receive our notification officially.
We, the undersigned, would like to
ask you, Mr. Governor, to acknowledge our respect and sincerity.
III. TWENTY-EIGHT
APOSTLES’ NAMES LISTED IN THE REGISTRATION TEXT OF THE CAODAI LEGAL ENTITY
After having an eleven-page list of two hundred and forty-five Caodaists’
full names together with their signatures,([8]) the apostles held an evocation seance. Caodai God told Cao
Quỳnh Diêu to read aloud each name, one by one. Whenever the beak of the
evocation instrument tapped on the table after a name, the chosen name was to
be listed in the registration text of the Caodai legal entity.([9])
1. Mrs. Lâm Ngọc Thanh, proprietor, Vũng Liêm district. / 2. Mr. Lê Văn Trung, ex-member of the
Government Council of Indochina, Knight of the Legion of Honour, Chợ Lớn
province. / 3. Mr. Lê Văn Lịch, priest,
Long An village, Chợ Lớn province. / 4. Mr. Trần
Đạo Quang, priest, Hanh Thông Tây village, Gia Định province. / 5. Mr. Nguyễn Ngọc Tương, tri phủ, Cần Giuộc
district chief. / 6. Mr. Nguyễn Ngọc Thơ,
proprietor, Saigon. / 7. Mr. Lê Bá Trang,
đốc phủ sứ, Chợ Lớn province. / 8. Mr. Vương
Quan Kỳ, tri phủ, Poll-Tax Service, Saigon. / 9. Mr. Nguyễn Văn Kinh, priest, Bình Lý hamlet, Gia Định province. / 10.
Mr. Ngô Tường Vân, thông phán, Construction
Service, Saigon. / 11. Mr. Nguyễn Phát Đạt,([11]) proprietor, Saigon. / 12. Mr. Ngô Văn Kim, landowner, senior village
chief, Cần Giuộc district. / 13. Mr. Đoàn
Văn Bản, headmaster, Cầu Kho primary school, Saigon. / 14. Mr. Lê Văn Giảng, accountant, Hippolito
company, Saigon. / 15. Mr. Huỳnh Văn Giỏi,
thông phán, Immigration Service, Saigon. / 16. Mr. Nguyễn Văn Tường, interpreter, Police Station, Saigon. / 17. Mr. Cao Quỳnh Cư, clerk, Railway Service, Saigon.
/ 18. Mr. Phạm Công Tắc, clerk, Customs
Service, Saigon. / 19. Mr. Cao Hoài Sang,
clerk, Customs Service, Saigon. / 20. Mr. Nguyễn
Trung Hậu, headmaster, Dakao private school, Saigon. / 21. Mr. Trương Hữu Đức, clerk, Railway Service, Saigon.
/ 22. Mr. Huỳnh Trung Tuất, proprietor,
Đũi Market, Saigon. / 23. Mr. Nguyễn Văn
Chức, canton chief, Chợ Lớn province. / 24. Mr. Lại Văn Hành, village chief, Chợ Lớn province. / 25. Mr. Nguyễn Văn Trò, teacher, Saigon. / 26. Mr.
Nguyễn Văn Hương, teacher, Dakao. / 27.
Mr. Võ Văn Kỉnh, village primary
teacher, Cần Giuộc district. / 28. Mr. Phạm
Văn Tỉ, village primary teacher, Cần Giuộc district.
Below are some of the above-listed
apostles’ biographical notes:
1. Huỳnh Trung Tuất (1873-1947)
Approximately in late March or early April 1926, Huỳnh Trung Tuất
converted to Caodaism. He had three children from the marriage with Nguyễn Thị
Hòa (1872-1963).([12])
2. Huỳnh Văn Giỏi (1880-1954)
Huỳnh Văn Giỏi was from Giồng Luông village (today belonging to Đại Điền
village, Thạnh Phú district, Bến Tre province). His parents were Huỳnh Văn Ngôn
and Nguyễn Thị Được. His spouse Phạm Thị Thêu (1881-1953) bore him eight children.
He worked for the Immigration Service as a thông
phán, and dwelt on Bourdais street, next door to Cao Quỳnh Cư’s home.([13])
3. Lại Văn Hành (1878-1939)
Lại Văn Hành, who was a village chief, was initiated into Caodaism on
Tuesday 05 October 1926 at an evocation seance in Tân Kim village, Cần Giuộc
district, Chợ Lớn province. Trần Thị Chốt (1885-1968) was his spouse.([14])
4. Lê Bá Trang (1878-1936)
Lê Bá Trang was born on Monday 18 February 1878 in Tân Quy Đông village
(later belonging to Tân Vĩnh Hòa village, Châu Thành district, Sa Đéc
province). His parents were Lê Văn Lâu and Trần Thị Nga. From the first
marriage with Trần Thị Ngoạn (1878-1926), he had a daughter named Lê Thị Mạnh
(1900-1966). After his wife’s death, he got married to Huỳnh Thị An, from Sa
Đéc province, who bore him no child. After graduating from collège
Chasseloup-Laubat in Saigon, he passed a civil service examination and became
a secretary for the Government General of French Indochina (Gouvernement général de l’Indochine) in
Saigon. Later, at the rank of tri huyện, he was transferred to the Bến Tre
province government. While working as chief of Thủ Đức district (Gia Định
province), he was promoted to first-class tri phủ. In 1925, he was chief of
Châu Thành district (Chợ Lớn province), and later was raised to the rank of đốc
phủ sứ. In March 1927, he relocated to Vũng Tàu district as its chief, after
his Caodai discipleship began in May 1926.([15])
5. Lê Văn Giảng (1883-1932)
Lê Văn Giảng was from Phong Thới village, Vũng Liêm district, Vĩnh Long
province. His parents were Lê Văn Thoại and Võ Thị Lương. He and his spouse
Huỳnh Thị Chính (1886-1973), together with some of their seven children, joined
the meeting to prepare for the registration of Caodai legal entity. Then,
dwelling at 85 Lagrandière street, he was an accountant for Hippolito company
in Saigon.([16])
6. Ngô Văn Kim (1868-1940)
Ngô Văn Kim was a landowner and senior village chief, from Trường Bình
village, Cần Giuộc district (today belonging to Long An province); Chung Thị
Tạo (1868-1925) was his spouse. On Tuesday 02 February 1926, in Cần Giuộc
district, he was initiated into the new faith by Caodai God.([17])
7. Nguyễn Phát Đạt (1881-1942)
His real name was Trần Phát Đạt, whose parents were Trần Đăng Khoa and Võ
Thị Phú. He had worked for the Customs Service before running his own small
rubber farm.([18])
8. Nguyễn Văn Chức (1873-1956)
In 1926, Nguyễn Văn Chức became a Caodai disciple while he was chief of
Phước Điền Trung canton (Chợ Lớn province). Trần Thị Trầm (1871-1947) was his
spouse.([19])
9. Nguyễn Văn Kinh (1890-1945)
Nguyễn Văn Kinh was a son of Nguyễn Văn
Khá and Thái Thị Ban. Having a good command of Chinese characters, he was also
an oriental medical physician working at home in Bình Lý village, Bình Thạnh Trung canton, Gia Định
province (today belonging to Bình Mỹ village, Củ Chi district, HCM City).
Before converting to Caodaism, he had followed Minh Sư faith (1902).([20])
10. Nguyễn Văn Trò (1886-1949)
Nguyễn Văn Trò was son of Nguyễn Văn Lừa (1846-1914) and Nguyễn Thị Lộc
(1847-1942). His spouse Dương Thị Ngại (1885-1965) bore him a daughter. He
converted to Caodaism while teaching in Saigon.([21])
11. Nguyễn Văn Tường (1887-1939)
About a month after the death of Nguyễn Văn Tịnh, his father, Nguyễn Văn
Tường was born in Lương Hòa Lạc village (later belonging to Chợ Gạo district,
Mỹ Tho province). Võ Thị Quyên (1867-1934), his mother, sent him to Saigon,
where he lived in the care of his mother’s brother, a civil official, who sent
him to school. He became an interpreter for a police station in district 1,
Saigon. From the marriage with Đặng Thị Kế (1888-1943) he got a son named
Nguyễn Văn Tri (1910-1984) and a daughter named Nguyễn Thị Phẩm (1912-1947).
Around 1921, he purchased a 1,474-square-metre lot, located on an alley off
Galliéni boulevard (today Trần Hưng Đạo avenue), where his large house No. 237 bis
was constructed. He converted to Caodai on Wednesday 23 June 1926.([22]) Over three months later, at his
home, a large meeting was held to prepare for the registration of Caodai legal
entity.
11. Phạm Văn Tỉ (1887-1949)
Phạm Văn Tỉ was a village primary teacher in Cần Giuộc district. On
Saturday 20 March 1926, at an evocation seance held in Tân Kim village, Cần
Giuộc district (today belonging to Long An province), he was delivered by heavenly
powers. Later, Phạm Văn Tươi, his younger brother, became a high-ranking
dignitary at the Tây Ninh Caodai Holy See.([23])
12. Võ Văn Kỉnh (1880-1946)
Primary teacher Võ Văn Kỉnh, whose mother was Lê Thị Liên, was a Buddhist
from Thanh Hà village (today belonging to Tân Kim village, Cần Giuộc district,
Long An province). He married Lê Thị Ngưu and had four children. He converted
to Caodaism on Friday 05 March 1926.([24])
IV. THE
LEGAL BASIS FOR THE CAODAI LEGAL ENTITY ESTABLISHMENT
For legal operation, first of all, Caodaism must have its legal entity.
Therefore, on Thursday 07 October 1926, Lê Văn Trung himself submitted the
documents required by the current law to Le Fol, Acting Governor of
Cochinchina.
As a French colony, Cochinchina was soon ruled by the French Law. Just over
two years after their occupation of the three eastern provinces of Cochinchina (Gia
Định, Định Tường, Biên Hòa) and Côn Lôn island, instead of waiting until the
three western provinces (Vĩnh Long, An Giang, Hà Tiên) also fell into their
hands, the French colonialists started applying the French Law to the territory
they robbed. Indeed, on Wednesday 21 December 1864, Rear Admiral Pierre-Paul de la Grandière, Governor
of Cochinchina, promulgated
the French Law in the three eastern provinces of Cochinchina.([25])
In the early 20th century, Lê Văn
Trung and many other apostles were either district chiefs or high-ranking civil
officials in the Government of Cochinchina. Consequently, they had a thorough
knowledge of administrative procedures and the French Law being applied in
Cochinchina.
When completing formalities for
establishing the legal entity of their new religion, Caodai apostles followed
the French Associations Law of 01 July
1901,([26]) promulgated by Prime Minister Waldeck-Rousseau
(1846-1904). Its full text was made public in the France’s Official Journal
dated 02 July 1901. Today, some articles of the Law can be found on Internet.([27])
Excerpt translations of the Associations Law of 1901
Article 2.
Associations can be freely
established without prior authorisation or registration; nonetheless, they will
enjoy legal capacity only if they comply with the stipulations of Article 5.
Article 5. (Excerpt)
Any association which wants to obtain
the legal capacity envisaged by Article 6 will have to be made public by its
founders.
The prior registration will be made in the province
prefecture or the district sub-prefecture where its headquarters is located. It
will make known the name and the purpose of the association, the locations of
its establishments and the names, professions, residences and nationalities of
those who, with their specified titles, are in charge of its administration or
its direction. Two copies of the statutes must be attached to the registration.
The receipt of this registration will be given within five days.
Article 21 bis.
Complying with Article 5 quoted above, Lê Văn Trung submitted a dossier
including:
a. An over-five-hundred-word text in French explaining the name and the
purpose of Đại Đạo Tam Kỳ Phổ Độ (the
Third Universalism of the Great Dao).
b. Some excerpts from Caodai holy teachings and some passages of Caodai
prayers translated into French.
c. A list of Caodai adherents.
Right after completing the registration formalities, the apostles earnestly
spread Caodaism almost throughout Cochinchina without any permit, since Article
2 quoted above implied that prior permission by authorities was not required.
V. THE FRENCH’S REACTION
Although Article 5 of the Associations
Law stipulates that “The receipt of this registration will
be given within five days”, over
three months after his submission of the dossier, Lê Văn Trung still failed to
get a receipt. So, on Wednesday 13
October 1926, Caodai God said to Lê Văn Trung, “My son, Trung! You must tell Le Fol to give you the receipt of the registration. Go and
see him tomorrow, and I’ll be with you.” ([29])
On Friday
09 April 1926, Aristide Eugène le Fol, at the rank of first-class administrator
(administrateur de 1er classe), was
appointed as Acting Governor of Cochinchina,([30]) and his over-eight-month term lasted from 19 April 1926 to
30 December 1926, when Paul Marie Alexis Joseph Blanchard de la Brosse
officially took the power.
In his research entitled Le Caodaïsme, about Le Fol’s attitude
towards the registration on 07 October 1926, Gustave Meillon writes, “The prudent man [Le Fol] was content to take the document, but did
not formally commit to recognising the religion.” ([31])
Thus, against the Associations Law of
1901, Le Fol neglected to issue “the receipt of this registration”. Did his negligence result from his
“prudent” nature? Moreover, over a
month later, he took a further step.
In his report dated 01 January 1932, Inspector Lalaurette writes, “However, by confidential telegraph No.
146-C, dated 14 November 1926, the Governor warned administrators, chiefs of
provinces of the religious movement initiated by Lê Văn Trung and his group of
missionaries, and he ordered them to secretly keep a watchful eye on the
diffusion and send reports to him by confidential correspondence.” ([32])
Four months after Le
Fol’s secret telegraph, as
quoted in Lalaurette’s said report, Governor Blanchard de la Brosse still mentioned it in his circular
No. 52-C dated 07 March 1927: “My
predecessor, by Circular No. 146-C, demanded you to pay close attention to the
development of Caodaism.” ([33])
As reflected in the two above quotations
from Lalaurette’s report, the
French’s reaction definitely prove that if whoever says, “Caodaism was founded
or authorised by the French,” he is obviously not honest.
VI. THE SIGNIFICANCE
OF THE CAODAI LEGAL ENTITY ESTABLISHMENT
The fact that the Associations Law of 1901 was applied in French Cochinchina
may help us understand why the earliest apostles of Caodaism could establish
their new faith’s legal entity so easily and smoothly in Saigon in the 1926
autumn. This understanding also sheds new light on the choice of Cochinchina,
rather than Tonkin or Annam,([34]) for the cradle of Caodaism.
At the outset, the twenty-third of the year Tiger’s eighth month (Wednesday
29 September 1926) was chosen for the meeting to prepare for the Caodai legal
entity establishment. Later,
the twenty-third of the eighth lunar month turned into an anniversary observed
by Caodai congregations.
Before apostle Nguyễn Văn Tường’s death, the anniversary used to be
celebrated at his home on an alley off Galliéni boulevard, where the historical
meeting had been held.
After Tường’s death, the anniversary celebration was moved to Cầu Kho holy
house (also apostle Đoàn Văn Bản’s home). Finally, since the second site was
defunct, the anniversary commemoration has been maintained at Nam Thành holy
house.([35])
Nonetheless, it should not be thought that the anniversary of the Caodai
legal entity establishment is much more significant than the Caodai
Inauguration anniversary (on the fifteenth of the tenth lunar month), or vice
versa. In point of fact, as quoted at the end of Chapter II (page 155), the first of the year Tiger’s first month
should be much more emphasied because Caodai God once asserted, “This day (…) when I established Caodaism…” Furthermore,
when the Supreme Being Himself established Caodaism, He naturally needed no
“permission”.
HUỆ KHẢI
([31]) “Prudent, il se contente d’en prendre acte, sans toutefois s’engager
formellement à le reconnaître.”
(http://antruong.free.fr/Lecaodaisme.html,
accessed on 04 January 2017.)
([32]) Néanmoins par télégramme confidentiel No. 146-C du 14 novembre 1926, le
Gouverneur avisait les administrateurs, chefs de Province, du mouvement
religieux que préparait Lê Văn Trung et son groupe de missionaires, et les
invitait, “à suivre discrètement cette propagande et à le tenir au courant sous
le timbre ‘Sûreté’.” [Lalaurette 1932: 15]
([34]) Actually, Annam (Central Vietnam) was not
the promised land for Caodai diffusion. My bilingual booklet entitled Cấm Đạo Cao Đài Ở Trung Kỳ 1928-1950 /
Caodaism under Persecution in Central Vietnam 1928-1950 (Hà Nội: Religion
Publishing House, 2012) provides a chronological record of persecutions
unceasingly carried out by the French colonial rulers as well as the Huế court.
