A CONCISE CAODAI
HISTORY:
THE 1926
INAUGURATION
V. THE INAUGURATION
According
to the programme, 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.
During
the daytime, the apostles were busy entertaining guests. On Thursday, after the
midnight worship before the altar, the apostles held a séance in the Thiền Lâm
main hall. First, Caodai God bestowed the holy
first name HƯƠNG upon female dignitaries.([1])
Then,
God bestowed the rank of Giáo Sư
(Bishop) upon apostle Lâm Ngọc Thanh (say Hương Thanh); and Phó Giáo Sư (Deputy Bishop) upon Ca Thị
Thế (apostle Ca Minh Chương’s daughter).
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 Thiền Lâm
main hall. Dignitaries of the Buddhist, Daoist, and Confucian branches
(respectively dressed in yellow, blue, and red) positioned themselves according
to the arrangement instructed by Caodai God during the séance on Tuesday 16
November 1926.
After
God’s ascension, the Thiền Lâm main hall was disturbed by evil spirits due to
the carelessness of apostle Ngọc Lịch Nguyệt (Confucian Cardinal Lê Văn Lịch)
while practising occult power to protect the séance. However, apostle Thượng
Phẩm Cao Quỳnh Cư managed to expel evils with holy water from the God’s Altar.
Despite
such a regrettable disturbance, everything still went on smoothly the following
morning. Then, after the noon worship, a séance was held; Caodai God arrived
and blamed the apostles for their carelessness resulting in the evils’
occurrence.
That
night, during another séance, Caodai God bestowed the rank of Giáo Sư (Bishop) upon seven male
apostles, one of whom was promoted from Giáo
Hữu (Priest). God also summoned volunteers for spreading Caodaism to Annam
and Tonkin (northern and central Vietnam).
1. The
earliest dignitaries conferred by Caodai God
After
Thursday 18 and Friday 19 November 1926, there were more dignitaries conferred
by Caodai God. Excluding Lễ Sanh (Student-Priests),
the newly-conferred dignitaries together with the previous ones are listed as
follows:
- Three Chưởng Pháp (Legist-Censors):
Thái Chưởng Pháp (Buddhist Legist-Censor): Như Nhãn
(ex-Monk).
Thượng Chưởng Pháp (Daoist Legist-Censor): Nguyễn Văn Tương
(former high-ranking priest of the Minh
Sư faith).
Ngọc Chưởng Pháp (Confucian Legist-Censor): Trần Văn Thụ
(former high-ranking priest of the Minh
Đường faith).
- Three Đầu Sư (Cardinals):
Thái Đầu Sư (Buddhist Cardinal): Thích Thiện Minh (ex-Monk).
Thượng Đầu Sư (Daoist Cardinal): Lê Văn Trung.
Ngọc Đầu Sư (Confucian Cardinal): Lê Văn Lịch.
- Three Chánh Phối Sư (Principal
Archbishops):
Thái Chánh Phối Sư (Buddhist Principal Archbishop): Nguyễn
Ngọc Thơ.
Thượng Chánh Phối Sư (Daoist Principal Archbishop): Nguyễn
Ngọc Tương.
Ngọc Chánh Phối Sư (Confucian Principal Archbishop): Lê Bá
Trang.
- One Thượng Phối Sư (Daoist Archbishop):
Lê Văn Hóa.
- Three Thái Giáo Sư (Buddhist Bishops):
Lâm Quang Bính, Lê Văn Nhung, and Nguyễn Văn Luật. (Both Nhung and Luật were
former Buddhist priests, ranked Yết Ma
or Karma.)
- Fifteen Thượng Giáo Sư (Daoist Bishops):
Dương Văn Hoài, Hà Văn Bút, Lại Văn Hành, Lê Văn Son (Thượng Châu Thanh), Ngô
Trung Tín, Ngô Văn Kim, Nguyễn Tấn Hoài, Nguyễn Văn Chức, Nguyễn Văn Hoài,
Nguyễn Văn Lai, Nguyễn Văn Nhơn, Phạm Trí Viễn, Tống Quốc Định, Vương Quan Kỳ,
and Vinh (from Chợ Lớn).
- Five Ngọc Giáo Sư (Confucian Bishops):
Bùi Văn Thông, Ngô Tường Vân, Nguyễn Phát Đạt, Nguyễn Văn Kinh (former priest
of the Minh Sư faith), and Nguyễn Văn
Muồi.
- Nineteen Thượng Giáo Hữu (Daoist
Priests): Bùi Văn Thiên, Đoàn Văn Bản, Huỳnh Văn Giỏi, Huỳnh Văn Sơn, Lê Văn
Cúc, Nguyễn Ngọc Lân, Nguyễn Văn Cúc, Nguyễn Văn Phương, Phạm Văn Thấp, Võ Văn
Kinh, and Nghi.
- One female Giáo Sư (Bishop): Hương Thanh
(Lâm Ngọc Thanh).
- One female Phó Giáo Sư (Deputy Bishop): Ca
Thị Thế (daughter of apostle Ca Minh Chương).
- Fifteen mediums: Hộ Pháp Phạm Công Tắc,
Thượng Phẩm Cao Quỳnh Cư, Thượng Sanh Cao Hoài Sang, Ca Minh Chương, Huỳnh Văn
Mai, Lê Thiện Phước, Nguyễn Trung Hậu, Nguyễn Văn Mạnh, Nguyễn Thiên(g) Kim,
Phạm Tấn Đãi, Phạm Văn Tươi, Trần Duy Nghĩa, Trương Hữu Đức, Trương Văn Tràng,
and Võ Văn Nguyên.([2])
2. Pháp Chánh Truyền (the Orthodox Dharma)
bestowed by Caodai God
On
Saturday night 20 November 1926, during the séance in the Thiền Lâm main hall,
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.
Nhiêu Lộc, 28 July 2015
HUỆ KHẢI
[Nguyễn Văn Hồng 1], Đạo Sử Nhựt Ký. Quyển 1 (1925-1934). Bản
thảo (1.213 trang).
