The Misguided Perception of Dr. Huỳnh Ngọc Thu Regarding Đạo Cao Đài
08.10.2025 – 6:2
Author Duong Xuan Luong.
Copilot translated into English
(VNTB) – Dr. Huỳnh Ngọc Thu referenced the History of
Đạo Cao Đài (2005) published by the Cơ Quan Phổ Thông Giáo Lý—a body that holds
no legitimate authority to represent Đạo Cao Đài. His failure to conduct
independent analysis led to the adoption of irresponsible views that lack both
legal and doctrinal validity within Đạo Cao Đài.
Dr.
Huỳnh Ngọc Thu, an ethnologist and Head of the Department of Anthropology at
the University of Social Sciences and Humanities (Vietnam National University,
Ho Chi Minh City), specializes in the study of Đạo Cao Đài. He completed his
doctoral dissertation on the religious life of Cao Đài followers within the
cultural context of Southern Vietnam. In 2011, he published the article “Dualism
in Đạo Cao Đài in Southern Vietnam” in the Journal of Science &
Technology Development, Vol. 14, Issue X3-2011, pp. 93–106. (1b)
https://vietnamthoibao.org/vntb-nhan-thuc-sai-lam-cua-tien-si-huynh-ngoc-thu-ve-dao-cao-dai/
In
this article, Dr. Thu constructs a “Dualist” model consisting of two
components:
The
Pháp Môn Cao Đài Chiếu Minh Tam Thanh Vô Vi, established in 1924
The
Đại Đạo Tam Kỳ Phổ Độ, abbreviated as Đạo Cao Đài, founded by Đức Chí
Tôn in 1926
Dr.
Thu assigns roles as follows: the Pháp Môn represents Vô Vi (the Soul),
while Đạo Cao Đài represents Phổ Độ (the Body) (pp. 98–99). This section
cites the History of Đạo Cao Đài, Vol. 1, 2005 edition by Cơ Quan Phổ
Thông Giáo Lý.
He
further asserts the degree of interconnection: “When speaking of Đạo Cao Đài,
one cannot refer only to Phổ Độ but must also consider Cao Đài Vô Vi; both
exist in a dualistic form” (p. 103).
Rebuttal
Based
on founding dates, mission durations, and legal standing, I assert that Dr. Huỳnh
Ngọc Thu’s article “Dualism in Đạo Cao Đài in Southern Vietnam” is
academically flawed and lacks historical, legal, and doctrinal foundation.
Source Validation for Rebuttal
Dr.
Thu’s bibliography includes:
.
Page 104, item 7: Hội Thánh Truyền Giáo Cao Đài 1995b, Thánh Ngôn Hiệp Tuyển,
Pháp Chánh Truyền, Tân Luật.
Commentary: These texts
are copyrighted by the official Hội Thánh Cao Đài. The Hội Thánh Truyền Giáo
reproduced them without authorization. Therefore, I rely on the original
editions published by Hội Thánh Cao Đài in 1972.
.
Page 105, item 15: Tổ Đình Chiếu Minh Tam Thanh Vô Vi, History of Quan Phủ
Ngô Văn Chiêu, reprinted in 2003
Commentary: The 1996
edition was altered by the Pháp Môn itself, introducing numerous contradictions
compared to the 1932 first edition and the 1935 second edition. Thus, I rely on
the original History of Quan Phủ Ngô Văn Chiêu, 1932 (first edition) and
1935 (second edition). (2)
Summary:
For Đạo Cao Đài, I use legally recognized documents issued by Hội Thánh Cao
Đài.
For the Pháp Môn, I rely on unaltered original sources.
1/- Sacred Identity and Mission Duration of the Two
Organizations
Certainly,
Luong. Here's the English translation of section 1/- Sacred Identity and
Mission Duration of the Two Organizations, rendered with assertive
scholarly clarity and preserving all reference numbers:
1/- Sacred Identity and Mission Duration of the Two
Organizations
1.1/- Pháp Môn Cao Đài Chiếu Minh Tam Thanh Vô Vi
The
History of Quan Phủ Ngô Văn Chiêu, first published in 1932 and reprinted
in 1935, contains identical content on pages 26–27, written by Ngài Chiêu
himself:
Saigon, May 27, 1927.
“…This Way of Cao Tiên is titled Thiên Hoàng (1),
beginning in the year 1924, which is counted as Year One. After five hundred
years, there will be the Way of Địa Hoàng, and another 500 years later,
reaching 1,000 years, there will be another Way called Nhơn Hoàng.
Thiên Hoàng 1924 1
Địa Hoàng 2424 500
Nhơn Hoàng 2924 1,000
Do not let anyone see this, what’s the point? No one
would believe it; they would mock it further. They call hardship superstition,
and anything easy and pleasant they deem righteous…
Respectfully,
Chiêu” (End of
quote) (3)
Commentary: The term Cao
Tiên is an abbreviation for Cao Đài Tiên Ông. In this letter dated
May 27, 1927, Ngài Chiêu refers to Đức Cao Đài as a Tiên Ông (Immortal
Sage), not as the Supreme Being (Thượng Đế).
Ngài
Ngô Văn Chiêu clearly established that the Way of Cao Tiên is divided into
three epochs: Thiên Hoàng, Địa Hoàng, and Nhơn Hoàng,
totaling 1,500 years. He specified the starting year of each phase, making
these figures precise and quantifiable—not symbolic. This constitutes the
sacred mission duration entrusted by Đức Cao Tiên to the Pháp Môn. That mission
is the spiritual roadmap for propagation, drawn as early as 1924. Anyone who
redraws this map is straying; anyone who attempts to extend it is forging a new
path without divine mandate—wandering under the illusion of serving the Way.
Any interpretation that contradicts this original map and its 1,500-year sacred
duration does not belong to the legitimate spiritual mission of the Pháp Môn.
This
is Ngài Chiêu’s own handwriting, making it the primary legal and historical
evidence of the Pháp Môn. His note—“Do not let anyone see this…”—further
confirms that this was an internal document, not meant for external
reinterpretation. Yet it was later published by his successors, meaning that
any source deviating from this original manuscript must be rejected.
Legal Recognition:
On April 26, 2010, the Government Committee for Religious Affairs officially
granted legal status to Pháp Môn Cao Đài Chiếu Minh Tam Thanh Vô Vi
(ten-character designation) at the Thánh Đức Tổ Đình in Cần Thơ. This
constitutes the formal identity of the Pháp Môn in the eyes of society.
Summary: The
organizational identity—“Way of Cao Tiên titled Thiên Hoàng”—was
established by Ngài Chiêu in 1924 under the name Pháp Môn Cao Đài Chiếu Minh
Tam Thanh Vô Vi. Its sacred mission duration is 1,500 years. This is the
legal and doctrinal foundation of the Pháp Môn.
1.2/- Đại Đạo Tam Kỳ Phổ Độ, abbreviated as Đạo
Cao Đài
This
section is based on the Thánh Ngôn Hiệp Tuyển (TNHT) and the Pháp
Chánh Truyền Chú Giải, 1972 edition.
1.2.1/- Thánh Ngôn Hiệp Tuyển
On the founding year:
TNHT,
Volume 2, page 127 states:
DIVINE TEACHING ON THE DAY OF
FOUNDATION
November 18, 1926 (14-10-Bính Dần)
The Way was founded at Gò Kén Pagoda, Tây Ninh (Từ Lâm Tự).
NGỌC HOÀNG THƯỢNG ĐẾ
wrote: CAO ĐÀI GIÁO ĐẠO NAM PHƯƠNG
Thus,
it was Đức Ngọc Hoàng Thượng Đế who instructed the founding of the Way in 1926.
On legal recognition in society:
The 1965 Charter, Article One, states:
The official name is Đại Đạo Tam Kỳ Phổ Độ, abbreviated as (Đạo Cao
Đài).
On mission duration:
TNHT, Volume 1, page 31. On August 9, 1926, Đức Cao Đài Thượng Đế delivered a
poetic teaching on the Southern Branch’s spiritual registry:
THANH-Đạo tam khai thất ức niên,
Thọ như Địa huyển thạnh hòa Thiên.
Vô-hư qui phục nhơn sanh khí,
Tạo vạn cổ đàng chiếu Phật duyên.
Accordingly,
Đạo Cao Đài has a sacred mission duration of 700,000 years (thất ức
niên).
1.2.2/- Pháp Chánh Truyền
The
Pháp Chánh Truyền Chú Giải, in its second paragraph of the Preface,
states:
“…To establish a great religion such as ĐẠI ĐẠO TAM KỲ
PHỔ ĐỘ, capable of transmitting the teachings for seven hundred thousand years,
without establishing a proper Dharma structure—how could one possibly manage
such a vast number of disciples…”
This
confirms that Đạo Cao Đài’s sacred mission duration is 700,000 years (thất
ức niên).
Conclusion of Section 1.2:
The
above citations clearly establish the identity of Đại Đạo Tam Kỳ Phổ Độ,
abbreviated as Đạo Cao Đài, founded by Đức Cao Đài Thượng Đế through the
official Inauguration Ceremony on November 18, 1926 (14-10-Bính Dần) at
Gò Kén Pagoda, Tây Ninh. Its sacred mission duration is 700,000 years.
This constitutes the legal and doctrinal foundation of Đạo Cao Đài in society.
2/- Comparative Analysis and Evaluation
. In 1924, Cao Tiên instructed
Ngô Văn Chiêu to establish the Pháp Môn Cao Đài Chiếu Minh Tam Thanh Vô Vi
(ten-character designation), with a sacred mission duration of 1,500 years.
. In 1926, Cao Đài Thượng Đế
instructed His disciples to establish the Đại Đạo Tam Kỳ Phổ Độ
(six-character designation), abbreviated as Đạo Cao Đài (three
characters), with a sacred mission duration of 700,000 years.
These
two religious organizations bear distinct names, were founded in different
years, and possess vastly different mission durations. This means they hold
separate spiritual identities. Therefore they are two independent systems. (4)
To quantify the disparity in mission duration:
700,000
÷ 1,500 = approximately 466.67 times (rounded to 466 times)
If
one brick symbolizes 1,500 years: the Pháp Môn has one brick; Đạo Cao Đài has
466 bricks.
If
1,500 years represent one tier of a tower: the Pháp Môn has one tier; Đạo Cao
Đài has 466 tiers.
If
1,500 years equal one page of a book: the Pháp Môn has one page; Đạo Cao Đài
has 466 pages.
If
1,500 years mark one step in a sacred journey: the Pháp Môn takes one step; Đạo
Cao Đài takes 466 steps.
The
disparity is so vast that it cannot be adequately visualized in a single
article.
Dr.
Huỳnh Ngọc Thu’s attempt to merge two organizations with distinct identities
and a 466-fold difference in mission duration into a single “Dualist”
model is indefensible—legally, historically, doctrinally, and logically.
Note on Academic Logic:
A “Dualist” model only holds value when the two entities share symmetrical or
comparable attributes. In this case, the 466-fold disparity in mission duration
destroys any possibility of symmetry.
To illustrate the consequence through subtraction:
700,000
years – 1,500 years = 698,500 years
If
the Pháp Môn is considered the “soul” and Đạo Cao Đài the “body,” then Dr.
Thu’s model implies that once the “soul” completes its mission, the “body”
continues for 698,500 years without a soul. This is a concept that
violates religious doctrine, human ethics, and academic integrity.
To
portray a sacred religious organization as a “body without a soul” for 698,500
years is not only a grave social misrepresentation—it is a profound affront
to the sanctity of Đức Chí Tôn in Đạo Cao Đài.
3/- Conclusion
The
“Dualist” model proposed by Dr. Huỳnh Ngọc Thu in his article Dualism in Đạo
Cao Đài in Southern Vietnam:
–
Lacks legal foundation from both the Pháp Môn and Đạo Cao Đài.
–
Lacks historical foundation from both the Pháp Môn and Đạo Cao Đài.
–
Has no doctrinal basis to unify two entirely distinct sacred missions.
–
Fails academic logic by merging two asymmetrical entities into a symmetrical
model.
Dr.
Huỳnh Ngọc Thu’s reliance on the History of Đạo Cao Đài (2005) published
by the Cơ Quan Phổ Thông Giáo Lý, an organization with no legitimate
authority to represent Đạo Cao Đài (5); and his failure to conduct
independent analysis, led to the adoption of irresponsible views that hold no
legal or doctrinal validity within Đạo Cao Đài. This constitutes a serious
methodological error, falling short of the scholarly standards expected of
a PhD specializing in Đạo Cao Đài.
Dr.
Thu’s “Dualist” model has sown the seeds of error. But those seeds did not
arise spontaneously—they were handed down by the Cơ Quan Phổ Thông Giáo Lý
(6) and accepted by Dr. Huỳnh Ngọc Thu without verification. This causal chain
has produced a dangerous cycle of “error begets error”, distorting the
truth.
The
next article will trace the toxic roots of this collaboration and analyze how
it has infiltrated both society and academia—shaping a deeply flawed perception
of Đạo Cao Đài.
(LINK
VNTB: https://vietnamthoibao.org/vntb-nhan-thuc-sai-lam-cua-tien-si-huynh-ngoc-thu-ve-dao-cao-dai/ )
--------------
Notes:
(1b)/-
https://khoinhonsanh2014.blogspot.com/2025/09/6035-tien-si-huynh-ngoc-thu-va-luan-ieu.html#more
(2)/-
https://vietnamthoibao.org/tieu-tua-cua-sach-lich-su-quan-phu-ngo-van-chieu-sai-su-that/
(3)/-
https://khoinhonsanh2014.blogspot.com/2025/10/6046-am-muu-ban-ung-ngai-ngo-van-chieu-1.html#more
(5)/-
https://vietnamthoibao.org/vntb-co-quan-pho-thong-giao-ly-can-cuoc-nhiem-vu/
(6)/-
https://vietnamthoibao.org/vntb-phap-mon-chieu-minh-co-quan-pho-thong-giao-ly-nguoi-mu-so-voi/
