Caodaism

Caodaism is a Vietnamese monotheistic religion founded in the 1920s. It combines teachings and practices associated with Buddhism, Christianity, Taoism, Confucianism, and spiritism.

Cao Đài: The supreme deity in Caodaism, also called the Great Divine Father. Caodaism centers on this deity as the source of its revelations and religious unity.
French Indochina: A French colonial federation in Southeast Asia that included Vietnam, Laos, and Cambodia. Caodaism arose in a colonial society undergoing religious and political change.
Cao Đài Temple: A place of worship designed for Caodaist ceremonies and devotion. Temple worship makes Caodaism’s distinctive cosmology visible in ritual and architecture.
Vietnamese folk religion: A range of Vietnamese practices involving local spirits, ancestors, and protective deities. Caodaism draws on spirit and ancestor practices while organizing them within a universal religion.
Religious pluralism: The coexistence of multiple religious traditions within a society or intellectual framework. Caodaism’s recognition of several traditions gives religious plurality a theological explanation.
Spiritism: A religious practice of communicating with spirits, often through mediums. Spirit communication helped transmit Cao Đài revelations to the movement’s founders.
Ngô Văn Chiêu: A Vietnamese civil servant regarded as Caodaism’s first disciple and an early recipient of revelations. His private spiritual practice preceded the organized religion’s public founding.
Caodaist Mass: A communal Caodaist ceremony featuring prayer, music, and formal offerings. Regular services express the religion’s devotional life and ordered ritual practice.
Đạo Mẫu: A Vietnamese religion centered on the worship of mother goddesses. It is a distinct Vietnamese religious tradition rather than Caodaism’s universalist synthesis.
Vietnamese nationalism: Movements and ideas seeking Vietnamese political independence and national self-determination. Caodaism developed amid colonial rule and became entangled with Vietnamese political life.

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Buddhism in VietnamCompared with: Its emergence offers a distinct Vietnamese response to religious pluralism and modernity.