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I was sorting out scans when I came across these that might be of interest.
This was taken >10 years ago, when I was in Vietnam.
These two students came with me on a road trip to the city of Tay Ninh to visit the Cao Dai temple.
Tay Ninh is the seat of this religion and the temple is beautifully ornate.
It is worthwhile to read this about the religion.
and this
The talk page in Wikipedia is even more enlightening because of the offhand references to the Cao Dai army.
and this:
Notice how the symbols and figures are like those seen on Hindu temples.
Telephone and utility poles are concrete because of insects and humidity.
This was taken >10 years ago, when I was in Vietnam.
These two students came with me on a road trip to the city of Tay Ninh to visit the Cao Dai temple.
Tay Ninh is the seat of this religion and the temple is beautifully ornate.
It is worthwhile to read this about the religion.
and this
Cao Dai (a.k.a. Dao Cao Dai or Caodaism) is a syncretist Vietnamese religious movement with a strongly nationalist political character. Cao Dai draws upon ethical precepts from Confucianism, occult practices from Taoism, theories of karma and rebirth from Buddhism, and a hierarchical organization (including a pope) from Roman Catholicism. Its pantheon of saints includes such diverse figures as the Buddha, Confucius, Jesus Christ, Muhammad, Pericles, Julius Caesar, Joan of Arc, Victor Hugo, and Sun Yat-sen.
The talk page in Wikipedia is even more enlightening because of the offhand references to the Cao Dai army.
and this:
1. Could you tell the story of the formation of the Caodai Army: the reasons it needed to be established, the role that your father played in negotiating with the French and also with the Japanese, and the ways in which Diem eventually moved to disband it.
It started in 1941 when our Pope (Ho Phap Pham Cong Tac) was arrested and jailed in Madagascar by the French authorities. The main reason was that French authorities were concerned about the growing mass of people converted into Caodaism and were afraid that Caodai was one of the many political movements which fought France in order to claim independence for Viet Nam. The Holy See was confiscated and was used as a parking spot for military vehicles. All the Caodai temples in the country were ordered to be shut down and many dignitaries were arrested and jailed. In that context my father, who was a dignitary in the rank of Giao Huu (Priest) and a few other dignitaries, started to fight back the French authorities in order to save the religion from extinction. At the time there were also the Japanese in Viet Nam trying to take power from the French, so they wanted to make Caodai as an ally, because both had the same goal. So my father collaborated with the Japanese and with their assistance started to assemble an army in order to fight back the French. To make a long story short, it ended up with the Japanese with the assistance of the Caodai army overthrowing the French authorities on 9 March 1945. Unfortunately, Japan was defeated a few months later and France came back to Viet Nam. So French authorities arrested and jailed my father right away, it was in May 1946. At the time, the political situation had changed, French authorities had to fight also the Communists, as well as many other armed groups, because all wanted to reclaim independence for Viet Nam. In that context, French authorities offered peace to Caodai, and my father, who was Commander-in-Chief of the Caodai army, had accepted it with a lot of conditions, one of which was to release our Pope (Ho Phap Pham Cong Tac) from jail in Madagascar and return him back home. August 1946, the Pope returned home and retook the reins of the Caodai religion. Between 1946 and 1954 (year of the Geneva Conference, where Viet Nam was divided into North and South), Caodai played a big role in the Vietnamese society. The Caodai population was high at the time, about 2 million followers, about one-fifth of South VietNam total population. But Ho Phap wishes was to transform the Caodai army into the national army and to return the religion to religious activities, leaving political problems to politicians. So by 1955, you can say that the Caodai army was disbanded, but in reality, it was rolled into the national army. Some people stayed with the army, others chose to quit and return to work for the religion.
In this story of the Caodai army, I would like to point out one important thing to consider. As you know, Caodai religion is a spiritist religion, which means that everything in Caodai comes from instructions from God and other Divinities. No exception with my father. Now, looking back to history, I can say that he received step-by-step instructions, thru spiritist messages, from Divinities such as Li-Tai-Pe, the spiritual Pope, Le Van Trung, the interim Pope, and Victor Hugo, the Spiritual Chief of Caodai Overseas, on how to deal with the Japanese, with the French, and so on. I dont think that my father could do it by himself (creating an army) without the assistance from the other world. In brief, and in Caodai religious terms, we say that my father had a divine mission and he accomplished his mission successfully.
It started in 1941 when our Pope (Ho Phap Pham Cong Tac) was arrested and jailed in Madagascar by the French authorities. The main reason was that French authorities were concerned about the growing mass of people converted into Caodaism and were afraid that Caodai was one of the many political movements which fought France in order to claim independence for Viet Nam. The Holy See was confiscated and was used as a parking spot for military vehicles. All the Caodai temples in the country were ordered to be shut down and many dignitaries were arrested and jailed. In that context my father, who was a dignitary in the rank of Giao Huu (Priest) and a few other dignitaries, started to fight back the French authorities in order to save the religion from extinction. At the time there were also the Japanese in Viet Nam trying to take power from the French, so they wanted to make Caodai as an ally, because both had the same goal. So my father collaborated with the Japanese and with their assistance started to assemble an army in order to fight back the French. To make a long story short, it ended up with the Japanese with the assistance of the Caodai army overthrowing the French authorities on 9 March 1945. Unfortunately, Japan was defeated a few months later and France came back to Viet Nam. So French authorities arrested and jailed my father right away, it was in May 1946. At the time, the political situation had changed, French authorities had to fight also the Communists, as well as many other armed groups, because all wanted to reclaim independence for Viet Nam. In that context, French authorities offered peace to Caodai, and my father, who was Commander-in-Chief of the Caodai army, had accepted it with a lot of conditions, one of which was to release our Pope (Ho Phap Pham Cong Tac) from jail in Madagascar and return him back home. August 1946, the Pope returned home and retook the reins of the Caodai religion. Between 1946 and 1954 (year of the Geneva Conference, where Viet Nam was divided into North and South), Caodai played a big role in the Vietnamese society. The Caodai population was high at the time, about 2 million followers, about one-fifth of South VietNam total population. But Ho Phap wishes was to transform the Caodai army into the national army and to return the religion to religious activities, leaving political problems to politicians. So by 1955, you can say that the Caodai army was disbanded, but in reality, it was rolled into the national army. Some people stayed with the army, others chose to quit and return to work for the religion.
In this story of the Caodai army, I would like to point out one important thing to consider. As you know, Caodai religion is a spiritist religion, which means that everything in Caodai comes from instructions from God and other Divinities. No exception with my father. Now, looking back to history, I can say that he received step-by-step instructions, thru spiritist messages, from Divinities such as Li-Tai-Pe, the spiritual Pope, Le Van Trung, the interim Pope, and Victor Hugo, the Spiritual Chief of Caodai Overseas, on how to deal with the Japanese, with the French, and so on. I dont think that my father could do it by himself (creating an army) without the assistance from the other world. In brief, and in Caodai religious terms, we say that my father had a divine mission and he accomplished his mission successfully.
Notice how the symbols and figures are like those seen on Hindu temples.
Telephone and utility poles are concrete because of insects and humidity.
