THE
LATENT YEARS OF CAODAISM (1920-1926)
The history of Caodaism includes its earliest
beginnings six years long so that its earliest dignitaries and other essential
conditions for an organised or institutional religion could be well prepared.
1. Caodai God’s
first disciple: Ngô Văn Chiêu
(1878-1932)
Ngô was born in Bình Tây
district, Chợ Lớn province. Attending collège Chasseloup-Laubat in Saigon, Ngô
graduated with a diploma (diplôme
d’études primaires supérieures), which qualified him for the civil service
in Saigon in 1899. Later, leaving the Palace
of the Government of Cochinchina (Palais
du Gouvernement de la Cochinchine), he worked consecutively in Tân An
province (1909), Hà Tiên province (1920), and on Phú Quốc island district
(1920). He returned to Saigon and worked again
for the Palace of the Government of Cochinchina (1924), then retired (1931) and
spent his last days in Cần Thơ province. Below are
some key
landmarks in his spiritual life during the
years 1920-1925:
1.1. Hearing the name Caodai the first time (1920)
At his home in Tân An
province, circa January or February 1920, Ngô held a spirit evoking seance and
contacted a divinity who descended under the name Cao Đài Tiên Ông (Caodai the Immortal).
1.2. Hearing the name Caodai the second time (September 1920)
In Hà Tiên province,
on Sunday mid-autumn night 26 September 1920, Ngô was at the home of a notable
named Hữu Lân Lâm
Tấn Đức (1866-1934), who was uncle of Đông Hồ Lâm Tấn Phác (1906-1969), a
famous poet from Hà Tiên province. Then, a
divinity descended, bestowing a four-lined poem commencing with the name Cao Đài. [See Plate 2.]
1.3. Beginning meditation practice (1920)
Around the end of
1920, a spirit evoking seance was held at Quan Âm (Guanyin) pagoda on Dương Đông mountain (Phú Quốc island). Then, a
hidden-named immortal descended, requesting Ngô to become his disciple. On the
first day of the new lunar year (Tuesday 08 February 1921), Ngô commenced
perpetual vegetarianism along with meditation practice as instructed by the
hidden-named immortal.
1.4. The God’s Eye appeared twice (April 1921)
The hidden-named
immortal requested Ngô to devise a sacred symbol for the new faith. Ngô
suggested a cross 十 but the immortal asked him to think of another symbol. After one
week, Ngô still failed to meet the request.
On Wednesday morning
20 April 1920, around 8.00 am, sitting in a hammock slung at the rear of his
residence and looking out to the open sea, suddenly Ngô caught sight of a large
lifelike left eye encircled by radiant beams in the sky and full of splendour. [See Plate 3.] Frightened by such a vision, he hid his eyes in his hands. After a
while, he lowered his hands and still saw the same sight. Then, he joined his
hands praying to the immortal for making the eye disappear if he was to worship
it. Thereafter, its brightness gradually waned and finally faded away. However,
he still hesitated to worship the eye. The same eye came to sight again some
days later and would not disappear until he prayed and promised to worship it.
1.5. Hearing the name Caodai the third time (April 1921)
A few days after the
second appearance of the God’s Eye, Ngô attended a spirit evoking seance at
Quan Âm pagoda. The immortal requested him to draw what he had seen for
worship, and also revealed his name Cao
Đài Tiên Ông Đại Bồ Tát Ma Ha Tát (Caodai the Immortal Mahabodhisattva
Mahasattva). Ngô was told to address Him as Thầy
(Master).
1.6. A hermit life in Saigon
(1924-1925)
On Tuesday 29 July
1924, Ngô left Phú Quốc island for Saigon ,
where he led a hermit life while fulfilling his daily duties of an
administrative official. Caodai God did not let him start diffusing the new
faith until the beginning of 1926.
2. The Cao-Phạm group on D’Arras
street Saigon )
2.1. Cao Quỳnh Cư
(1888-1929) and Hương Hiếu (1887-1971)
Cao was born in Hiệp Ninh village, Hàm Ninh Thượng
canton, Tây Ninh province. In 1925, as a clerk, Cư worked for Saigon Railroad
Service, and rented a house at 134
Bourdais street Calmette street Saigon ).
2.2. Cao Hoài
Sang (1901-1971)
Cao was born in Thái Bình village, Tây Ninh province.
Attending collège Chasseloup-Laubat in Saigon ,
he graduated with a diploma (diplôme
d’études primaires supérieures). He worked for the Customs Service in Saigon as a clerk in 1920. Located on D’Arras street Cống Quỳnh street
2.3. Phạm Công
Tắc (1890-1959)
Phạm was born in Bình Lập village, Châu Thành
district, Tân An province. Attending collège Chasseloup-Laubat in Saigon , he graduated with a diploma (diplôme d’études primaires supérieures) in 1907. He became a colleague
of Cao Hoài Sang when joining the Customs Service in Saigon
as a clerk in 1910.
2.4. Experiment
with the turning table
On Friday night 24 July 1925, at Cao Hoài Sang’s home
on D’Arras street, the Cao-Phạm group experimented with “la table tournante” (the turning table) as instructed in French
books of Spiritism. In the first two nights, their efforts were in vain. On
Sunday night 26 July 1925, they could contact the siprit of Cao Quỳnh Tuân
(Cư’s father). [See Plate 4.]
2.5. Thất Nương (the Seventh Lady)
On Thursday night 30
July 1925, at Cao Hoài Sang’s home, the Cao-Phạm group contacted Thất Nương,
the Seventh of the Nine Immortal Ladies, who all escort Buddha Mother (the
Golden Mother of the Jade Pond). Thereafter, almost every night, the Cao-Phạm
group could contact and exchange poems with various divintities. Cư’s wife
(Hương Hiếu) managed to copy down the messages received during those
evocations.
2.6. His Holiness AĂÂ
At Cư’s home on
Friday night 28 August 1925, the Cao-Phạm group contacted a divinity who called
himself AĂÂ. Until the very end of December 1925, they did not know that AĂÂ
was no one else but Caodai God.
On Friday mid-autumn night 02 October 1925, complying
with AĂÂ’s request, the Cao-Phạm group held a vegetarian feast (later named the
Peach Banquet) at Cư’s home to offer Buddha Mother
(the Golden Mother of the Jade Pond) and the Heavenly Powers. On this
occasion, they began to use the beaked basket to evoke divinities. Today,
adapting that night’s event, Caodai congregations annually observe the
mid-autumn night’s Peach Banquet, enriched with more rituals.
2.7. The Cao-Phạm group became Caodai God’s disciples
Obeying AĂÂ’s
command, on Wednesday night 16 December 1925 (the first of the eleventh lunar
month), the Cao-Phạm group held an outdoor ritual of seeking the Dao on the
ground before Cư’s house. [See Plate 5.]
Then, they did become the disciples of Caodai God, who
came under the name AĂÂ.
2.8. Lê Văn Trung (1876-1934)
Learning of the
spirit evoking seances held on D’Arras street, lots of guests visited the
Cao-Phạm group. Among them was Lê Văn Trung, born in Phước Lâm village, Phước
Điền Trung canton, Cần Giuộc district, Chợ Lớn province. After graduating
from collège Chasseloup-Laubat in Saigon
(1894), and then passing a civil service examination, he started his clerical
job at the Palace of the Government of Cochinchina. After twelve years, he
resigned to stand for the Colonial Council of Cochinchina (Conseil Colonial de Cochinchine) and won the election. In 1912, he was conferred Knight of the Legion of Honour
(Chevalier de la Légion d’Honneur) by
the French Government. In 1914, he was appointed to the Government Council of
Indochina (Conseil de Gouvernement de
l’Indochine).
Besides the above-mentioned activities, he went into
business after leaving the Palace of the Government of Cochinchina. In 1920 his
business began to decline and eventually ended up in a total failure four years
later. Deeply distressed, he worsened himself by smoking opium. Misfortunes
never come singly: His eyesight degenerated and he was almost blind.
Around June 1925, he joined a spirit evoking seance
at Chợ Gạo (i.e., Rice Market, around the junction of Phú Lâm and Hùng Vương
streets, district 6 today). His Holiness Lý Thái Bạch (Li Taibai) descended,
advising him to cultivate himself. He started vegetarianism, quit smoking
opium, and his eyesight was gradually recovered. After the closure of the
Chợ Gạo evocation seance, he joined a seance at Cao Quỳnh Cư’s home on Monday
11 January 1926, and was taught by Caodai God. Exactly a week later, an evocation seance was held at his home on Quai
Testard street, Chợ Lớn (today Châu Văn Liêm street, district 5). Caodai God
descended, initiated him into the new faith.
2.9. Union with Ngô Văn Chiêu
Around late January
1926, Caodai God told the Cao-Phạm group to unite with Ngô Văn Chiêu to found
Caodaism. They were also requested to respect Ngô as their Eldest Brother (Anh Cả). According to Caodai New Law, Eldest Brother is also a title
for Pope (Giáo Tông). Thereafter, Ngô instructed them in worship rituals,
especially the altar arrangement with the God’s Eye.
2.10. Ngô’s separation from the Cao-Phạm group
In April 1926, Caodai
God requested Lê Văn Trung, Cao Quỳnh Cư, and Phạm Công Tắc to inform Ngô of a
papal robe to be made for him. However, Ngô refused the papacy on Saturday 24
April 1926, and detached himself from the exoteric activities initiated by the
Cao-Phạm group in order to be able to lay a solid foundation of Caodai
esotericism.
3. Establishing the Caodai legal entity
To prepare for the registration of Caodai legal entity, at 20:00 on Wednesday evening of 29 September 1926 at the home of a dignitary named Nguyễn Văn Tường (1887-1939) in Saigon (today 208
Cô Bắc street
Right after completing the formalities for
establishing the Caodai legal entity, the earliest dignitaries immediately
spread their new faith almost throughout Cochinchina without authorisation,
according to Article 2 of the Associations Law 1901 mentioned above. Thus, the Caodai legal entity establishment ended the
latent years of the new faith.
HUỆ KHẢI
