5.
A survey of Spiritual Pope Lý’s sermon
5.1.
The sermon
“My
siblings, on the occasion of your full presence today, I would like to bring up
some points essential to the current Caodai religion so as to partly help you
self-cultivate, do the Dao, achieve your merits, and strengthen your virtues.”
*
Contemplation 1: The object of the Caodai ideology
Encyclopædia Britannica (as above quoted at 2.3) reads, “An ideology speaks to the group, the
nation, or the class.” His Holiness Lý’s sermon on the Caodai ideology aims
at neither a country nor a class, but at a large group (or community)
denominated Caodaism or Caodai religion.
Here, firstly, it is necessary to
identify the object. Most of the Caodaists are proud to speak of their
whole-mankind-saving mission which is bestowed by God, and which has been often
reiterated in holy messages since 1926. However, whoever has wondered whether
Caodaists themselves are qualified to realise their noble mission?
For instance, while Caodai
religion itself remains fragmented, how can their adherents urge mankind to
build up a Great Dao free from differentiation, separation, and discrimination?
It should also be kept in mind that, for Westerners, there is a favourite
saying attributed to Confucius, “Don’t
complain about the snow on your neighbour’s roof when your own doorstep is
unclean.”
Although Caodaism
(Caodai religion) and the Third Universalism of the Great Way are synonymous,
between Caodai religion and the Third Universalism of the Great Way is still a
distance which has not been lessened. So, during an evocation seance at the Nam
Thành holy house on Monday 31 March 1969, Great Immortal Lê Văn Duyệt said, “Campaign after campaign, countless zeal and
time has been lost but the Third Universalism of the Great Way today still
confines itself to the frame of far-off religions.”
Then, Great Immortal Lê added, “Looking
back and forward, we see that Caodaism still comprises what of those who are
unwilling to raise their eyes to the immense sky despite their new means, new
purpose, new mission, and new capabilities.”
Getting to the point, one can
apprehend why Spiritual Pope first identifies whom His early 1974 sermon on the
Caodai ideology aims at.
5.2.
The sermon
“As
dignitaries, non-dignitary officials, believers, and congregants from Caodai
Holy Assemblies, Religious Assemblies, holy houses, holy meditation houses, and
associations, you are more or less related to one another; so, you should
dedicate your lives to serving God’s holy body. What I would like to speak of
today is the Caodai form and the Caodai doctrine or its ideology.”
* Contemplation
2: A requisite quality
At the beginning of this
paragraph, again and in more detail, His Holiness Lý affirms that the object of
His sermon includes “dignitaries,
non-dignitary officials, believers, and congregants from Caodai Holy
Assemblies, Religious Assemblies, holy houses, holy meditation houses, and
associations”. The persons in His list are called on to “dedicate” their lives.
Encyclopædia Britannica (as above quoted at 2.3) reads, “Both [religions and ideology], it may be said, demand commitment…”
(Commitment here means dedication.) So, it is no surprising that His Holiness
Lý appeals to Caodaists, “[Y]ou should
dedicate your lives to serving God’s holy body”. In other words, those who
are not prepared to dedicate their lives cannot apprehend the Caodai ideology
or realise it, either.
“Dedicating one’s life” does not
mean leaving a family and dwelling inside the walls of any Caodai temple. Such
a “physical dedication” certainly fails to serve the Caodai ideology. Thus,
what is the true meaning of “dedicating one’s life”? It might be rather early
to answer this question right now and here.
5.3.
The sermon
“The
Caodai form is God’s holy body on earth. Since its Inauguration, Caodaism has been
embellished for forty-nine springtimes. Its
imposing, majestic temples protrude everywhere. In spite of innumerable
changes of life, Caodai images still
appear throughout the time. However, one issue most of you neglect is the Caodai administration system and its personnel.”
*
Contemplation 3: Two closely correlative issues
By
saying “forty-nine
springtimes”, His Holiness Lý refers to the period from the 1926 spring to the 1974
one, when preaching His sermon on the Caodai ideology.
Through
nearly half a century, the Caodai history is part of the Vietnam
Nevertheless,
in the dualistic world, every entity simultaneously owns two opposing sides. For
Caodaists, as pointed out by Spiritual Pope Lý, what should have been much more
noticed is “the Caodai administration system and its personnel”.
The Caodai administration
system is a solid organisation with its elaborate hierarchy, from the
Holy See to parishes. Professor Jayne Susan Werner remarks, “The Cao Dai church was also highly
organized (…). Each Cao Dai priestly grade was endowed with a separate and
well-defined function, every aspect of which held a symbolic meaning.” (Peasant
Politics and Religious Sectarianism: Peasant and Priest in the Cao Dai in Viet Nam Connecticut
Nonetheless, it is really not at
all simple to have enough qualified Caodaists for all positions from the Holy
See to parishes. Accordingly, when His Holiness Pope Lý says, “the
Caodai administration system and its personnel”, these two issues
are closely correlative; in other words, they are two but one.
5.4.
The sermon
“Listen,
my siblings. God does not reside on any senseless objects; contrarily, God
resides in the ivory-tower heart and soul of mankind. The Caodai form is only
what is borrowed to embody God’s holy body on earth.”
*
Contemplation 4: The value of true self-cultivators doing the Dao
“[S]enseless
objects” refers to all kinds of temples constructed for worshipping Caodai God.
The negation that “God does not reside on
any senseless objects” might be regarded as the assertion of the value of
true self-cultivators doing the Dao. No matter how lofty and magnificent a
Caodai temple is, if it lacks true self-cultivators doing the Dao, it is merely
a body without soul, and Caodai God is not therein.
“God resides in
the ivory-tower heart and soul of mankind.” Here, Pope Lý does not use the
term “ivory tower” in the sense which we traditionally understand.
Generally, “ivory tower” means a state of separation
from the facts and practicalities of the real world. This meaning is not
positive. By saying someone hiding in his ivory tower, we do criticise him.
Contrarily, “ivory-tower heart and soul”
used by Pope Lý has a positive meaning.
Tower is a lofty
buiding used for worshipping Heavenly Powers. Ivory tower figuratively means a very precious tower as if made of
ivory. Thus, "ivory-tower heart
and soul” metaphorically means a state of mind which is saintly, so precious,
and worthy to be seated by God.
“God
resides in the ivory-tower heart and soul of mankind.” This truth is
always reiterated in Caodai holy messages. For instance, on Saturday 13 February
1926, Caodai God said:
My palace
in heaven already I’ve had,
What’s
the use of lofty thrones on earth?
No
matter whether you are poor or rich,
Only
your noble heart deserves My seat.
His Holiness Pope Lý says, “The Caodai form is only what is borrowed to
embody God’s holy body on earth.” In other words, if a Caodai temple lacks
true self-cultivators doing the Dao, it fails to embody God’s holy body on
earth, and thus, whoever needs to “borrow” it?
What is a Caodai form in the true sense of the word?
During an evocation seance at the Vietnam Organ for Universalising Caodai
Teaching on Thursday 25 February 1971, Quan Thánh Đế Quân (Guansheng Dijun)
said, "God tells you to build a holy house which is a tangible existence to
show God’s dharma power. That is its minor part. Its major part is to gather people,
guide their religious activities, spread the teaching, and awaken them. A holy
house is a common place for those who come to listen to the teaching, learn it,
and do the Dao.”
Then, He added, "A holy house should
facilitate two kinds of activities. On the one hand, it is used by meditation
practitioners who spread their own positive thought waves to support the peaceful
safety and prosperity of that place. On the other hand, it is used for exoteric
purposes which include preaching sermons, doing charity, and administering the
parish so that the system of the administrative mechanism can operate smoothly.
If such necessities did not matter, God did not tell you to build a holy house.”
5.5.
The sermon
“God
is not an image of a deity statue, a human statue or an object statue. The
God’s Eye itself is merely a symbol expediently borrowed to convey the truth
through a concrete form chosen subjectively. Just due to this fact, whether a
Caodai form construction has a value or not must be testified by people’s will.
The value of enlightened people will determine
the position of every congregation’s Caodai form.”
*
Contemplation 5: God personal versus God impersonal [see Appendix 1]
During an evocation seance at the Ngọc Minh Đài holy meditation house
(district 4, Saigon) on Wednesday 08 February 1967, Caodai God said, “I am the breath of nothingness...” As
the breath (qi 氣) of nothingness (xuwu 虛無), God does not have
a specific form. God is also the Macro Sacred Light. As the light, God is
shapeless. Accordingly, His Holiness Pope Lý says, “God is not an
image of a deity statue, a human statue or an object statue.”
In ancient days, Chinese people conceived of God in the image of their
kings; accordingly, their statues or paintings show God as a king wearing royal
vestments [see Plate 3]. The way they
conceived of God is denominated “anthropomorphism”
by philosophers. However, God does not belong to a nationality or race. Of
course, the Chinese image of God looks strange in the eye of other peoples. An
obvious proof is a fresco painting by Michelangelo (1475-1564), which forms part
of the Sistine Chapel’s ceiling in Vatican City. This Italian genius’s artwork
shows God as a strong, old-aged European man [see Plate 4].
Nonetheless, humans generally prefer God personal to God impersonal. They
need an image like them but transcending them so that they can trust in. That
is why Swami Vivekananda (1863-1902) says that if a fish could conceive of God,
its God would certainly be another fish of much more bigness, strength and
beauty. (cf. What Religion Is in the
Words of Swami Vivekananda, edited by John Yale. New York: Julian Press,
1962.)
Humans need an image or a symbol which not only combines God personal with
God impersonal but also represents the sameness of mankind. Thus, the Divine
Eye is the symbol of God in Caodaism; however, it is not the absolute. Getting to this
point, one can apprehend why Spiritual Pope Lý says, “The God’s Eye itself is merely a symbol expediently borrowed to convey
the truth through a concrete form chosen subjectively.”
God is the absolute; accordingly,
no matter how human honour or dishonour Him, God is still God. This truth was
taught by Caodai God during an evocation seance at the Vietnam Organ for
Universalising Caodai Teaching on Friday 04 March 1977 as follows:
You’ll
have Me, in your heart of saints,
The
Great Father of West and East.
Whether
or not mankind knows this,
My
life-loving virtue always remains.
In the Second Universalism of the Great Way, at the end of The Sermon on the Mount (Mt 5:45), Jesus
Christ taught the same principle: “… your Father who is
in heaven. He causes His sun to rise on the evil and the good, and sends rain
on the righteous and the unrighteous.”
In spite of embodying God’s holy
body on earth, a Caodai form itself is not an absolute value. Despite its
convenient location in a busy city, if a beautiful Caodai temple becomes
forsaken, what is the reason? Vietnamese people say, “The birds stay where the good land is.” Hence, the true value of a
Caodai form is really not conditional on the material it is made of. Getting to
this point, one can apprehend why Spiritual Pope Lý says, “Just due to this fact, whether a Caodai form construction has a value or
not must be testified by people’s will.”
“[W]hether a Caodai form construction has a value or not
must be testified by people’s will.” This
assertion means the value of a Caodai form is proved by the salvation effects
of Caodaism. For example, if a place has a Caodai holy house or holy meditation
house, are its inhabitants enlightened or more virtuous? Is their life more
peaceful?
Caodai teaching helps humans self-cultivate to transform
themselves into worthies and saints; however, is it expounded at holy houses
regularly every half a month? Can people be enlightened thanks to it? Consequently,
Pope Lý says, “The value of enlightened
people will determine the
position of every congregation’s Caodai form.”
5.6.
The sermon
“Just
think of this: Every peasant sows his rice seeds in a fertile field and never
on a silk velvet carpet. No matter how beautifully and colourfully the carpet is
embroidered, its value is only a carpet for luxurious decoration; how can it
elicit the seed of unceasing multiplication? It is mankind’s heart where the
salvation truth arises to bring about peaceful conditions for mankind. Thus,
Caodai congregants must develop their
heart like luxuriant branches. If a paddy is poorly cultivated, how will rice
culms be bent down by a rich profusion of ears?”
* Contemplation
6: The heart field
In this paragrapth His Holiness
Pope Lý talks about taking care of the heart field. The term self-cultivating contains the root cultivating which means preparing land
for sowing or planting; thus, its meaning is closely connected to the heart
field.
In the Second Universalism, Jesus
Christ once talked about the heart field by using this parable: “A farmer went out to sow his seed. As he
was scattering the seed, some fell along the path, and the birds came and ate
it up. Some fell on rocky places, where it did not have much soil. It sprang up
quickly, because the soil was shallow. But when the sun came up, the plants
were scorched, and they withered because they had no root. Other seed fell
among thorns, which grew up and choked the plants, so that they did not bear
grain. Still other seed fell on good soil. It came up, grew and produced a
crop, some multiplying thirty, some sixty, some a hundred times.” (Mk
4:3-8)
In the Third Universalism, Caodai God advises His worldly children to take
care of their heart fields as follows: “Your
field is initially clean and empty. If you don’t transplant rice seedlings, grass
will grow on it. Then, you uproot all the grass but don’t transplant any good
rice seedlings. After a long time, grass will grow again. For this reason, your
heart is called heart field. You not only avoid evil deeds but also positively
do the good deeds.”
Our Master concludes:
Caring your heart field, do cultivate it.
To harvest sweet fruit, do sow sweet seeds.
A bumper crop is surely your happiness.
Nourishing compassion, you will succeed.
(Thánh Huấn Hiệp Tuyển
/ An Anthology of Holy Teachings, vol. I. Tâm Điền / Heart
Field.)
Let’s return to the sermon by His
Holiness Pope Lý. Why does He talk about taking care of the heart field in this
paragraph? Is there a certain relation to ideology?
An ideology aims at changing a
society or changing the heart or mind of its people. First of all, however, the
heart or mind of “ideologists” must be so adequate to pursue their noble ideal.
For example, for those who often praise the Great Way Great Way
Naturally, a man who is just good at oaring his small boat on some brooks
cannot stand in the position of a state-of-the-art ship’s captain in a vast
ocean. Similarly, the confined-to-religion man falls short of the
Great-Way-minded man in the sense that the Great Way is above and beyond
religion.
However, the Great-Way-minded man cannot descend from the sky. So, the
confined-to-religion man is to be educated so that he can transform himself
into the Great-Way-minded man. Consequently, the Caodai ideology (also the
Great Way ideology) should be extensively taught in Caodai congregations so as
to renovate “the frame of far-off
religions”, as expressed by Great Immortal Lê Văn Duyệt.
Nonetheless, humans are generally unwilling to agree with renovation, or
their renovation does not match the true sense of the term. In other words, the
confined-to-religion man uneasily free himself from “the frame of far-off religions”. Thus, during the said evocation
seance at the Nam Thành holy house on Monday 31 March 1969, Great Immortal Lê Văn
Duyệt seemed to deal with their psychology (or mentality) by speaking
vigorously as follows:
“Do not build a new house on an old foundation,
but make a new foundation before casting columns and building the house. Having
new responsibilities and undertaking new missions, the Third Universalism of
the Great Way must be compatible and coordinate with the new. Travelling on a
thorny road during a stormy time, whoever would ride an old horse or use an old
vehicle?”
Teaching the Caodai ideology also
means helping Caodaists build up a culture of doing the Dao for themselves. For
instance, having attended several anniversaries or preaching sessions held at a
Caodai congregation, one finally fails to taste the sweet essence of Caodaism
because every effort of that congregation is merely to glorify a certain
individual; if so, the culture of doing the Dao therein might be a problem.
Getting to this point, we apprehend Pope Lý’s words in paragraph 5.13 as
follows: “Caodaism does not belong to
this or that personage.”
Mentioning the culture of doing
the Dao, we should remember that the Latin root of culture is cultura which means
growing, cultivating, tilling the soil. Thus, culture is also closely related
to taking care of the heart field. Humans’ heart must
be the main target of religion. His Holiness Pope Lý says, “It is mankind’s heart where the salvation truth
arises to bring about peaceful conditions for mankind. Thus, Caodai congregants must develop their heart like luxuriant
branches.”
5.7.
The sermon
“If
Caodaism is not enlightened, the Caodai congregants’ heart is too poor. He who
rows a prajna boat needs to fish out all drowning victims rather than waiting
for the victim’s self-climbing into the boat. He who sprinkles the holy sweet
dew with a willow branch needs to save all suffering creatures rather than
waiting for the serious patient’s self-seeking the holy sweet dew. If his
waiting is in vain, will he be so heartless to blame the floating life buffeted
by waves on the sufferer’s karmic retribution?”
* Contemplation
7: The Path of Bodhisattvas
Spiritual Pope Lý says, “If Caodaism is not enlightened, the Caodai
congregants’ heart is too poor.” His assertion
indicates that educating the followers or preaching to them is always crucial
in enlightening Caodaism so that its true salvation values can be thoroughly apprehended.
Spiritual Pope Lý adds, “He who rows a prajna boat needs to fish out
all drowning victims rather than waiting for the victim’s self-climbing into
the boat. He who sprinkles the holy sweet dew with a willow branch needs to
save all suffering creatures rather than waiting for the serious patient’s
self-seeking the holy sweet dew. If his waiting is in vain, will he be so
heartless to blame the floating life buffeted by waves on the sufferer’s karmic
retribution?” Here, He advises Caodaists to positively
enter the world, practising the Bodhisattva Path.
The Bodhisattva Path
spirit is also shown in the purpose of Caodaism. During an evocation seance at the
Vietnam Organ for Universalising Caodai Teaching on Wednesday 23 August 1972,
His Holiness Spiritual Pope Lý Thái Bạch said, “In the Third Universalism Era, Caodaism does not simply aim at
training its believers to become Buddhas, Immortals, and Saints so as to enjoy
themselves in the heavens but neglect their present duty to build an honest,
saintly world where people live in love, harmony, morality, and completely
enjoy happiness of their families, happiness of their countries and peoples, as
well as happiness of mankind.”
In the Second Universalism, Bodhisattvas vowed, "Sentient beings are innumerable, I vow to save them all.”
In the Third Universalism of the Great Way, the first disciple of Caodai God
named Ngô Văn Chiêu (1878-1932) solemnly promised, “First I vow to
devote myself to saving innumerable sentient beings.”
Establishing Caodaism, God took this great vow:
Kalpa after kalpa, my children are awry,
And what I see has deeply pitied Me.
So I vowed to Immortals and Buddhas,
If Caodai establishment fails, I’ll plead guilty.
(Đại Thừa
Chơn Giáo / The Mahayana Orthodox
Teaching. Hanoi: Religion pub., 2016, p. 32.)
That is the great conduct of a Mahabodhisattva; so, in the Third
Universalism, God’s title is Caodai the
Immortal Mahabodhisattva Mahasattva.
The Caodai path of self-cultivation is also the path of Bodhisattvas. Every
day, when kneeling before the God’s Altar for daily four-time worshipping, Caodaists
themselves do vow to be Bodhisattvas four times by reading the second vow.
Indeed, before completing each of everyday ceremonies, Caodaists read the
Five Vows, of which the second is “Secondly, we vow
to save all sentient beings.” And, so as to
save them all, “Firstly, we vow to spread
Caodaism.” In other words, the first and the
second vows are correlative.
5.8.
The sermon
“Every
congregation needs to be organised. The Caodai administration system is not to
serve God. It is not needed by God but it is required just to serve the whole
congregants. Expediently borrowing the Caodai administration system is the way
to embody the interdependence and mutuality so that even a little congregant
will be able to return to the Macro Sacred Light in this last era.”
*
Contemplation 8: The Caodai administration system
His Holiness Pope Lý says, “Every congregation needs to be organised.” In
the preceding Contemplation 3, Professor Jayne Susan Werner’s remark is cited, “The Cao Dai church was also highly
organized (…).”
Whom is the Caodai elaborate
adminstration system designed to serve? Pope Lý maintains, “The Caodai administration system is not to serve God. It is not needed
by God but it is required just to serve the whole congregants.”
During an evocation seance at the Vietnam Organ for
Universalising Caodai Teaching on Thursday 07 March 1974, the Earliest Caodai
Apostles said, “God does not appeal to
humans for serving God. Instead, humans should transform themselves to build a
paradise on earth for mankind and the world.”
Therefore, the
Caodai administration system is established and the duty of each member of the
hierarchy is assigned distinctly. For instance, Pháp Chánh Truyền Chú Giải (The Orthodox Dharma Accompanied with
Annotations) expresses the duty of Chánh Trị Sự (the village
sub-parish head) as follows:
“Each month, Phó Trị Sự (village sub-parish deputies) must, in
turn, provide thirty congregants who voluntarily offer their service to the
congregation. It means that each day Chánh Trị Sự has one helper. Chánh Trị Sự
asks that volunteer to take a tour of the congregation, visiting the sick and
the poor. If any inhabitant of the congregation has an accident, or gets sick,
or lives in poverty, Chánh Trị Sự
requests that volunteer to stay for helping the unfortunate person. That is the
very noble duty of Chánh Trị Sự. The
specific beauty of Caodaism consists in his duty performance.”
However, the Caodai administration system is a means,
not an end. This means is not absolute; so, Pope Lý says that it is expediently
borrowed.
Hence, the true value of the
Caodai administration system depends upon whether its end is achieved or not.
What is its end? Pope Lý answers, “Expediently
borrowing the Caodai administration system is the way to embody the
interdependence and mutuality so that even a little congregant will be able to
return to the Macro Sacred Light in this last era.”
How can its true value be
achieved? The response is found in the next paragraph.
5.9.
The sermon
“Thus,
for those who have set up a structure of Caodai form but fail to preserve or
enlighten it more, it is indeed a serious defect and also a great sin of
themselves. Do not let any soul feel pity before a God’s holy body. Once it was
constructed, it must be enlightened and developed
in an effort to keep in line with the
purpose of its constructor or its antecedents.”
*
Contemplation 9: Making a temple versus making a priest
“A
structure of Caodai form” at grass-roots level is a holy house set up in a
parish. If this form is not preserved or enlightened more, “it is indeed a serious defect and also a great sin” of its
administrator. In this sense, the
parish head’s responsibility is so heavy. His virtue is needed to maintain the
total harmony of the holy house. If his ability is poor, thanks to his own
virtue he can attract talents who are able to help the holy house.
Contrarily, if a holy house turns into a place of trouble and struggles, it
is truly no longer a God’s holy body on earth. Those who sincerely want to
self-cultivate dare not step into such a place. Witnessing the degeneration of
a holy house, thoughtful people must be moved and feel pity. And His Holiness
Pope Lý advises, “Do not let any
soul feel pity before a God’s holy body.” But, if there is a case against
His advice, He warns that it is “a great
sin”.
During an evocation seance at the
Vietnam Organ for Universalising Caodai Teaching on Monday 13 August 1973, His
Holiness Pope Lý reminded us, “It should
be kept in mind that making a temple is easier than making a priest.” In
other words, setting up a structure of Caodai form to represent the God’s holy
body on earth is easier than recruiting a worthy Caodaist to administer that place,
especially a Great-Way-minded man rather than a confined-to-religion man (as
mentioned in Contemplation 6).
5.10.
The sermon
“Additionally,
you had better pay attention to the outward appearance, because it shows the
unanimity of souls and the power of the worldly way in the course of spiritual
construction and human salvation. Do not consider it false and neglect it.
Whoever only dreams of reaching the shore of enlightenment but forgets to build
a boat for safely and surely crossing the sea of suffering? No prajna boat can
carry a mortal across the river of illusion.”
* Contemplation
10: Form versus content
His Holiness Pope Lý says, “Additionally, you had better pay attention
to the outward appearance, (…). Do not consider it false and neglect it.”
Philosophers say that form (i.e., the outward appearance) and content
influence each other. Before detaching himself from the Cao-Phạm’s exoteric
activities, Ngô Văn Chiêu often helped some poor brethren have neat clothing
with his own money. He advised, “Dressing scruffily is disadvantageous to your
preaching sermons.”
Lots of Caodai followers neglect to improve their Vietnamese language
skills but often eagerly disseminate the texts about Caodaism which are full of
errors of spelling, terms, and grammar, etc. Such poor texts fail to well
influence the reader. Worse than that, their poor language can distort the true
meanings of holy teachings.
In the same way, a Caodai temple that looks untidy cannot leave a good
impression upon visitors.
Spiritual Pope Lý says, “Whoever only
dreams of reaching the shore of enlightenment but forgets to build a boat for
safely and surely crossing the sea of
suffering?” So, form is necessary.
However, He adds, “No prajna boat can carry a mortal across
the river of illusion.” Form is not absolute. Doing the Dao, one should
cleverly strike a balance between form and content.
Huệ Khải
