Copilot dịch.
Here’s the full English translation of your article “VNTB
– The Test for a BRANCH in Caodaism” while preserving its doctrinal
precision and structure. I’ve kept key Vietnamese terms like NHÁNH and ĐĐTKPĐ
in uppercase to retain their canonical meaning.
VNTB – The Test for a BRANCH in Caodaism
October 16, 2024 – Việt Nam Thời Báo
Author: Dương Xuân Lương
(VNTB) – Only the Lord (Thầy) has the
authority to establish a NHÁNH (Branch). Throughout the three eras of
universal salvation (phổ độ), the Lord established four NHÁNH:
Buddhism (Phật), Taoism (Tiên), Confucianism (Nho), and ĐĐTKPĐ.
A NHÁNH is not a “sect” (chi phái), and a “sect” is not a NHÁNH.
The Đại-Đạo Tam-Kỳ Phổ-Độ (ĐĐTKPĐ),
abbreviated as Caodaism, is the NHÁNH established by God in 1926. God is
the root (origin) and established only one NHÁNH—ĐĐTKPĐ—and no
second NHÁNH. God did not delegate the authority to establish a NHÁNH
to anyone.
Since the Hội Thánh Cao Đài was “sealed” in 1983,
many “sects” have claimed to be NHÁNH, causing confusion in society.
Based on God’s teachings about NHÁNH, this article derives the test for
a NHÁNH in ĐĐTKPĐ, presenting the pure identity of the faith.
PDF:
4. BẢN DỊCH PHÉP THỬ VỀ NHÁNH.pdf
The Test for a NHÁNH
From Đạo Sử by Lady Cardinal (Nữ Đầu Sư) Hương
Hiếu, Vol. 1, p. 56, 1995 U.S. edition. Original séance teaching on the NHÁNH
of ĐĐTKPĐ, February 21, 1926:
On the 9th day of the first lunar month (February 21, 1926),
the Feast Day of the Jade Emperor (Đức Ngọc Hoàng Thượng Đế), Prefect
Vương Quan Kỳ held a private séance at his home, 80 Lagrandière Street (now Gia
Long Street). That night, he invited Chư Nhu and several fellow believers to
attend. God descended and taught:
The precious throne joyfully blossoms with more flowers,
Several BRANCHES will later be one family.
Unite to cultivate the foundation of virtue,
Remain steadfast in loyalty until the end with Me.
The BRANCH you have is the BRANCH that I Myself own;
later you will understand. I am pleased when you live in harmony forever; that
is an offering most precious to Me. You must work together for the honor of My
Religion.
My Religion is you, and you are Me; you must empower one
another, do not be jealous. Fulfill your roles according to My will. One day
you will fully understand My intention.
At that time, Prefect Ngô Văn Chiêu asked God to compose a
commemorative poem using the names of several disciples:
Chiêu, Kỳ, Trung guide Hoài’s birth,
The original religion opens with Sang, Quý, Giáng established.
Hậu, Đức, Tắc, Cư in the realms of Heaven and Earth,
HƯỜN, MINH, MẪN ascend to the honored dais.
God added: “Hườn, Minh, Mẫn will understand later…”
The twelve capitalized words in the first three lines are
the names of the first twelve disciples of God. There were two named Sang, so
God counted them as one. The three capitalized words in the last line are the
names of three séance attendants.
The Hội Thánh Cao Đài later excerpted the content on NHÁNH
into Thánh Ngôn Hiệp Tuyển, Vol. 1, p. 9, 1928 edition.
https://khoinhonsanh2014.blogspot.com/2024/10/5475-vntb-phep-thu-ve-nhanh-trong-ao.html#more
1 – The Authority to Establish a NHÁNH Belongs to God; a
NHÁNH is not a “sect”
God is the root; from the root comes the NHÁNH.
Sometimes He specifies the name and number of NHÁNH, sometimes He refers
to them collectively.
1.1 – The NHÁNH of ĐĐTKPĐ
God taught: “The BRANCH you have is the BRANCH that I
Myself own; later you will understand. I am pleased when you live in harmony
forever; that is an offering most precious to Me. You must work together for
the honor of My Religion. My Religion is you, and you are Me; you must empower
one another, do not be jealous…”
The eleven words “The BRANCH you have is the BRANCH that
I Myself own” establish two key points:
- Only
God has the authority to establish a NHÁNH. He did not delegate
this authority to anyone. The singular “The BRANCH” means there is only
one NHÁNH or one organization—no second NHÁNH. Thus, terms
like “first branch,” “second branch,” “main branch,” “subsidiary branch,”
“esoteric branch,” or “universal salvation branch” are incorrect.
- The
plural “you” refers to a collective or organization—in this case, the
disciples within ĐĐTKPĐ. Therefore, “The BRANCH you have” refers to
the NHÁNH named ĐĐTKPĐ, established and owned by God
Himself. This includes Ngô Văn Chiêu, as he only withdrew to follow a
different practice after April 26, 1926.
The eleven words “My Religion is you, and you are Me”
affirm a two-way identity: My Religion = ĐĐTKPĐ, and ĐĐTKPĐ
= God. The title My Religion refers exclusively to the six words Đại-Đạo
Tam-Kỳ Phổ-Độ. Any religious organization with a different name is not
God’s Religion—it is a false claimant to Caodaism.
Summary: God is the root; only He can establish a NHÁNH.
ĐĐTKPĐ is the sole NHÁNH He established and owns. A NHÁNH
is not a “sect.” The teaching contains only the term NHÁNH—no mention or
implication of “sect.” Equating the two is wrong and violates the precept
against false speech.
1.2 – Poem on the NHÁNH for All Three Eras
Opening the séance of February 20, 1926, God taught:
The precious throne joyfully blossoms with more flowers,
Several branches will later be one family,
Unite to cultivate the foundation of virtue,
Remain steadfast in loyalty until the end with Me.
The poem does not specify the number or names of the NHÁNH,
so interpretation requires three steps:
(1) Understand each line;
(2) Compare with the séance content;
(3) Integrate with the Caodai scriptural system.
- Line
1: “Precious throne” = God’s throne. “Blossoms with more flowers”
means there were already flowers, now more are added—referring to the past
up to that moment. The earlier flowers are the three NHÁNH (Three
Teachings: Buddhism, Taoism, Confucianism) of the First and Second Eras;
in the Third Era, God added the NHÁNH of ĐĐTKPĐ. All four NHÁNH
were established by God.
- Line
2: Pháp Chánh Truyền, Chưởng Pháp: “Thus one becomes three, and
three are as one.” Commentary: The New Code encompasses all Three
Teachings (one becomes three), and the three old codes unite as one—the
“New Code.” Therefore, all four NHÁNH are God’s, and “one family”
refers to ĐĐTKPĐ. God instructed disciples to bring the essence of
the Three Teachings into ĐĐTKPĐ—this is “Returning the Three
Teachings to the Origin” (Quy Nguyên Tam Giáo). In practice, this
is reflected in the Southern Branch’s three divisions: Thái (Buddhism),
Thượng (Taoism), and Ngọc (Confucianism).
- Line
3: Religious virtue is expressed through religious law. Upon
initiation, one must solemnly swear before God (Heaven Above) with fellow
believers (Earth Below) as witnesses: “From now on, I acknowledge one
Cao Đài Jade Emperor, never changing my heart, uniting with fellow
disciples, upholding the laws of Cao Đài; if I am double-hearted, may
Heaven punish and Earth condemn.” The word “one” means singular—God
established only one Cao Đài Religion in 1926 at Gò Kén Pagoda, Tây Ninh.
Any “Cao Đài” before or after is not God’s.
- Line
4: Whoever keeps this virtue (the Oath) will return to God. Funeral
Prayer at the Deathbed, lines 11–12: *“Repent and at
Here’s the continuation of the
English translation for the section you provided, keeping the doctrinal terms
and structure intact:
1.3 – Poem Identifying the Three
NHÁNH, Their Names, and Their Unification
On January 23, 1926, God taught:
Nine Heavens and Ten Buddhas are
all Me,
In propagating the Way, divide into three BRANCHES.
Unite as one, holding sovereignty in hand,
The Ways of Saints, Immortals, and Buddhas are truly one family.
(Thánh Ngôn Hiệp Tuyển, Vol. 2, p. 210, 1972 edition)
God affirmed there are three NHÁNH,
naming them: Thánh (Saints), Tiên (Immortals), and Phật
(Buddhas). Today, God unites these three NHÁNH into one NHÁNH
within ĐĐTKPĐ, under His direct ownership.
1.4 – God’s Teaching on the
Three NHÁNH and Their Names in the First and Second Eras of Universal Salvation
Before the Inauguration Day
(November 18, 1926), God instructed the early disciples to go to Tam Tông Miếu
(82 Cao Thắng Street, Saigon) to request scriptures. God also instructed those
at Tam Tông Miếu to offer scriptures originating from China. The Hội
Thánh incorporated these into the Kinh Tứ Thời Nhật Tụng, in the
Opening Sutra (Khai Kinh), lines 5–10:
Within the Three Teachings are
words of exhortation,
Rooted in the heart to do right and do good.
The Doctrine of the Mean, clearly taught by Confucius the Sage,
Compassion, as the Buddha instructs, is sincerity and benevolence.
The Taoist Way cultivates the mind and nurtures the nature,
One root gives birth to three BRANCHES alike.
This scripture teaches that the
Three Teachings are NHÁNH, and the three NHÁNH are Confucianism (Nho),
Buddhism (Phật), and Taoism (Tiên). All three NHÁNH
originate from one root—God or the Way. This scripture predates the
establishment of ĐĐTKPĐ by the Supreme Being, and thus pertains to the
First and Second Eras of Universal Salvation.
Conclusion
Based on God’s teachings about NHÁNH,
the article distills the Test for a NHÁNH in Caodaism into three steps:
- Only
God has the authority to establish a NHÁNH.
- Across
all three eras of universal salvation, God established four NHÁNH:
Buddhism (Phật), Taoism (Tiên), Confucianism (Nho),
and ĐĐTKPĐ.
- A NHÁNH
is not a “sect” (chi phái), and a “sect” is not a NHÁNH.
2 – Applying the Test for a
NHÁNH
ĐĐTKPĐ has its own faith and
legal system. Therefore, to study, research, and assess it accurately and
fairly, one must base the analysis on ĐĐTKPĐ’s own faith and laws—just
as one must use volleyball rules to comment on volleyball, not soccer rules.
2.1 – Example: Liên Giao Cao Đài
Magazine
The magazine published an article “Springtime
Reading of God’s Sacred Teachings” by Lữ Bảo Văn (February 20, 2017):
“The precious throne joyfully
blossoms with more flowers,
Several BRANCHES will later be one family.
Unite to cultivate the foundation of virtue,
Remain steadfast in loyalty until the end with Me.”
The author interpreted this as God
foretelling that His Religion, like a precious palace, would blossom over
time—good things would continually increase. Today, this has come true. The
author stated that initially there was one Cao Đài root, and later many NHÁNH
would grow from it, eventually bearing fragrant flowers and sweet fruit, but
ultimately uniting into one family. The author concluded that although there
may be many NHÁNH, the core of Cao Đài is one, and having many NHÁNH
does not mean different religions.
However, this interpretation does
not compare the poem with the full séance text or the meaning within the
doctrinal system. The author assumes there are many NHÁNH and equates NHÁNH
with “sect,” which contradicts the Test for a NHÁNH.
2.2 – Example: Luật Khoa
Magazine
In the article “Phạm Công Tắc
and the Struggles of Caodaism” by Vincente Nguyen (February 23, 2023), the
author wrote:
“…Faced with secession and the
joining of new BRANCHES of Caodaism, Phạm Công Tắc issued ‘Religious Decree No.
8’ excommunicating schismatic groups and considering them apostates. This
document became the greatest obstacle to reunifying the Caodai ‘sects’ for
decades.
Furthermore, Caodaism is known for harmonizing and selecting European religious
values, considered an inheritance from Phạm Công Tắc, as no other BRANCH of the
religion received as much moral and religious guidance from non-Asian
figures…”*
Religious Decree No. 8
states:
Article 1: “Any ‘sect’
founded from the root of Đại-Đạo Tam-Kỳ Phổ-Độ without the mandate of
the Hội Thánh shall not be recognized by all beings as belonging to the
Supreme Being, and must be deemed a heretical path.”
Comparing Decree No. 8 with the
article shows the author’s understanding—that many NHÁNH sprouted from
Caodaism—is incorrect. The author also equates “sect” with NHÁNH, which
contradicts God’s teaching and the Test for a NHÁNH. Figuratively
speaking, as in Journey to the West, this is like substituting the false
Monkey King for the true one.
As for the exact meaning of
“excommunication” (tuyệt thông), the author of this article does not
fully understand it. Regarding “sects,” Decree No. 8 defines them in Article 1.
The Hội Thánh Cao Đài kept the door open for “sects” to return, meeting
with them from 1964 to 1969 and reaching nine unification conditions. Some
temples returned to the Tây Ninh Holy See, but in 1983 the Hội Thánh Cao Đài
was “cut” (bị cốt), and activities were suspended.
The author thanks Vincente Nguyen
for the observation: “…as no other BRANCH of the religion received as much
moral and religious guidance…”—an observation worth deeper analysis in a future
article.
Notes:
- Bị
cốt (“cut”): Literally means chopping down the trunk of a tree above
ground while leaving the roots intact. In 1957, Đức Hộ Pháp Phạm Công Tắc
issued Sacred Order 257, instructing that when the Hội Thánh is
“cut,” the Bàn Trị Sự and believers elect someone to hold
administrative authority. In 1983, the communist government barred the Hội
Đồng Chưởng Quản of the Hội Thánh Cao Đài from exercising
administrative authority, replacing it with a Hội Đồng Quản Lý.
This is what is meant by “cut.”
- Liên
Giao Cao Đài Magazine – “Springtime Reading of God’s Sacred Teachings”
- Luật
Khoa Magazine – “Phạm Công Tắc and the Struggles of Caodaism”
