Spiritual Caodaism -A Religion Created By God
Spiritual Caodaism
During a trip to Vietnam, I had the pleasure of visiting a town called Tay Ninh. The town is well known for their Cao Dai Temple. When I arrived to the Cao Dai temple, its architectural beauty immediately mesmerized me. It was very different from all of the temples I had visited prior. The outside walls were painted with dazzling colors, and embellished with symbolic designs and sculptures. On top of the front entrance was a painting of an eye surrounded by rays. According to the guide, the eye and rays represent wisdom, awareness and spiritual light pouring out onto the world. The artwork was magnificent.
The inside was more breathtaking than the outside. There were high ceilings and huge columns. Each column was decorated with figures of colorful dragons. The richness of the artwork was beyond words. The hand of God undoubtedly guided the master builder of this glorious spiritual temple. During my visit, I witnessed a temple ceremony. The music and the gestures of the participants were very captivating. You could sense a divine energy moving smoothly through the air. It seemed as if a peaceful and spiritual atmosphere had descended over the entire temple. It was absolutely an enthralling experience.
The Caodaism religion is the third largest religion in Vietnam. It was officially established in 1926. Ngo Minh Chien, also known as Ngo Van Chien, who was born in 1878 and known to be a spiritualist with a passion for western and eastern theologies, was approximately 41 years old when he began receiving divine revelations from God. According to him, God gave him explicit instructions for establishing a new religion. During these divine revelations, the true meaning of religion was revealed to him. He was instructed to combine all religions-Catholism, Buddhism, Toaism, Confusianism, Islam, etc. into one. By incorporating all of the good elements of each religion into one, peace and harmony in the world would be promoted.
The Caodaism religion consists of one God, an earth goddess and an array of saints who are the assistants of God. Its basic principles are to attain spiritual growth and end the continuous cycle of reincarnation. Moreover, they believe that man is inherently good, and killing is wrong. It is a religion of love and harmony, in which God is the central focal point and creator of all.
Spiritual Caodaism -Go to Art Gallery
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