THE
CAODAI INAUGURATION (1926)
Between the 1926
Inauguration and the latent
years in the Caodai history was a transition step, which was named Phổ Độ Lục Tỉnh (the Cochinchina-wide
diffusion) and lasted a month.
1. General Announcement to the Public
A few days right after the registration for the
Caodai legal entity, a booklet was published (14 pages, 15x24cm), entitled Phổ Cáo Chúng Sanh (General Announcement
to the Public). No matter how thin it is, the publication can introduce some
crucial points of Caodaism. [See Plate 7.]
2. The Cochinchina-wide diffusion
The earliest Caodaists formed three diffusion groups.
Group one was in charge of nine Cochinchinese provinces; group
two, five provinces; group
three, six provinces.
After a month of enthusiatically spreading the
fledgling religion (from Saturday 16 October 1926), each group was able to help
tens of thousands of people become Caodai followers. Among the newcomers were
lots of personages, who soon played their key roles of Caodai leaders during
the construction of the first Holy Assembly in Long Thành village (Tây Ninh
province) as well as the Caodai development in the following decades. The
earliest Caodaists finished the Cochinchina-wide diffusion on Sunday 14
November 1926 and gathered at the Thiền Lâm pagoda so as to ardently continue preparations
for the soon-coming Inauguration.
3. The Thiền Lâm holy house
Thanks to a permit dated 15 July 1925 and signed by
the chief of Tây Ninh province, the Thiền Lâm pagoda was constructed in Gò Kén
(today at 5/11 Long Trung hamlet, Long Thành Trung village, Hòa Thành district,
Tây Ninh province). Its head bonze was Monk Như Nhãn, also known as Thích Từ
Phong.
At the end of August 1926, Monk Như Nhãn willingly
let the earliest Caodai dignitaries borrow the unfinished Thiền Lâm pagoda and
transform it into a holy house named Thiền Lâm (also called Gò Kén or Từ Lâm).
As of the beginning of September 1926, the earliest dignitaries whole-heartedly
poured money and effort into the site so as to improve the holy house, inside
and outside. The Thiền Lâm pagoda (30x15m) can be seen today, about five or six
kilometres from the Tây Ninh city, on the right side of road 22B leading to
Saigon.
4. The 1926 Inauguration
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.
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 main hall of the Thiền Lâm holy house which was filled with dignitaries
of the Buddhist, Daoist, and Confucian branches, who respectively dressed in
yellow, blue, and red. [See Plate 7.]
5. The
Orthodox Dharma
On Saturday night 20 November 1926, during the
evocation seance in the main hall of the Thiền Lâm holy house, 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.
6. Extending the great ceremony at the
Thiền Lâm holy house
After every midnight
daily worship, an evocation seance was held for new followers to be admitted to
Caodaism by Heavenly Powers. Each night the average quantity of conversions
amounted to around a hundred or more, which made the seance last until 02:00 or
03:00 in the morning. Then, every new follower was issued with a certificate.
Due to continual flows of people pouring into the
Thiền Lâm holy house, the ceremony had to be extended, and lasted three months
rather than three days and three nights. During those three months, there were
lots of significant events.
6.1. Spiritual Papacy
Obeying Caodai God’s
command, His Holiness Lý Thái Bạch started His Spiritual Papacy on Monday 29
November 1926.
6.2. The New Law
On Monday 06 December 1926, Caodai God requested the earliest
dignitaries to stay frequently at the Thiền Lâm holy house so as to establish Tân Luật (the New Law), composed of
three parts: (a) Meditation House Law, stipulating
the meditation practice. (b) Religious
Law, stipulating the administration of the Caodai congregation. (c) Secular
Law, stipulating the life of Caodai followers.
After two debate sessions, the New Law was approved
on Monday 07 March 1927 by Caodai God. Tân
Luật was first printed at l’Imprimerie Commerciale C. Ardin, Saigon , 14 pages (15x24cm), and its distribution
commenced at the beginning of June 1927. [See
Plate 7.]
6.3. The
character Khí at the Dharma Protector
altar
On Monday 13 December 1926, His Holiness Lý Thái Bạch
instructed the dignitaries to make a long piece of felt (1.5x3 metres),
embroidered with the character Khí 氣 (Breath); it was
placed at the Dharma Protector altar, facing the God’s altar. Using the beaked
basket, His Holiness Lý wrote the character in the style of amulet. A week
later (on Monday 20 December), Caodai God told a dignitary to use red felt and
yellow embroidery thread to make the character.
6.4. The Orthodox Dharma for female dignitaries
During the evocation seance on Wednesday 02 February
1927, His Holiness Lý Thái Bạch arrived, establishing Pháp Chánh Truyền (the Orthodox Dharma) for female dignitaries of Cửu Trùng Đài (the Nonuple hierarchy),
from Đầu Sư (Cardinal) down to Lễ Sanh (Student-Priest). All female
dignitaries are to dress in white because they are not split into three
branches Thái (Buddhist, dressing in
yellow), Thượng (Daoist, blue), and Ngọc (Confucian, red).
6.5. The Orthodox Dharma for the Heaven Uniting Hierarchy
On Sunday 13 February 1927, Caodai God established Pháp Chánh Truyền (the Orthodox Dharma)
for Hiệp Thiên Đài (the Heaven
Uniting Hierarchy). The highest was Hộ
Pháp (Dharma Protector) Phạm Công Tắc, administering the Pháp (Dharma) branch. On the right of Hộ Pháp was Thượng Phẩm (Superior Dignity) Cao Quỳnh Cư, administering the Đạo (Dao) branch. On the left of Hộ Pháp was Thượng Sanh (Superior Being) Cao Hoài Sang, administering the Thế (World) branch. Below them were Thập Nhị Thời Quân (the Twelve Lords of
Time), split into three branches (Pháp, Đạo, Thế).
7. Monk Như Nhãn’s demand for the return of
the pagoda
Losing his belief in the new faith, and also being
hard pressed by his Buddhist congregation, at the beginning of December 1926,
Monk Như Nhãn decisively demanded the return of the pagoda.
Wednesday 23 March 1927 was the date when the Thiền
Lâm pagoda was returned to Monk Như Nhãn. Before this date, all belongings of
the holy house had to be transported to the newly purchased woods in Long Thành
village (Tây Ninh province).
This fatiguing removal ended the Inauguration period
at the Thiền Lâm holy house, which was planned to last three days and three
nights (from 18 through 20 November 1926), but which was finally prolonged to
three months (not including one more month due to the late returning of the
pagoda). This removal also marked a landmark in the Caodai history: the
construction of the Tây Ninh Holy See.
HUỆ KHẢI
