An Analysis of the Meaning Enshrined in the Architecture of the Tay Ninh Holy See of Cao Dai

NGUYEN, Phuoc Tai,DINH, Van Thuy,NGUYEN, Thuan Quy,TRAN THI, Kim Hoang DAOS(The Daesoon Academy of Sciences) 2022 Journal of Daesoon Thought and the Religions of Ea Vol.2 No.1

In the 1920s, a new religion emerged in Tay Ninh Province, Southern Vietnam, under the name Caodaism; also known as the Third Universal Salvation of the Great Dao. It is the result of the typical combination of three main religions (Buddhism, Daoism, and Confucianism). Different ethnic groups populated Tay Ninh, such as Chinese, Khmer, Cham, and Kinh. Additionally, the core principle of Caodaism is known as The Three Religions Returned to the Origin, and it is also expanded as The Five Branches Reunited. The Five Branches are humankind's five ways of self-cultivation: the Way of Humans, the Way of Deities, the Way of Saints, the Way of Immortals, and the Way of Buddhas. Although Caodaism was only founded in 1920, this religion is well known domestically and internationally. This is because Caodaism has a distinctive identity; it is a new religion that advocates a syncretistic combination of essential religious teachings that follow the harmonization and reconciliation between the East and West as well as between the past and present. Moreover, the Tay Ninh Holy See is the most important, first, and largest Cao Dai temple in Vietnam. The temple is located in Tay Ninh Province in southwestern Vietnam. This article aims to introduce the Tay Ninh Holy See as the birthplace of Caodaism and as the largest Cao Dai religious palace, not only in Vietnam but also in other countries that practice Caodaism. A brief overview of Tay Ninh Holy See's origin, history, and planning will be provided. Most importantly, the style of the architecture at the Tay Ninh Holy See will be comprehensively analyzed to shed more light on the meaning of each section and the details of this temple structure.

大巡伦理思想探析

曾勇,秦铭昂,Zeng, Yong,Qin, Ming-ang DAOS(The Daesoon Academy of Sciences) 2021 대순사상논총 Vol.37 No.-

大巡伦理思想以"一道""二山""三界"为信仰要素, 建构一套生命宗教的新型伦理形态。其中, "一道"即姜甑山"大巡"天下所传"真理", 亦即大巡伦理思想之基本道德原则, 内容为"阴阳合德, 神人调化, 解冤相生, 道通真境" ; "二山"为大巡真理会之信仰对象, 即"教主"姜甑山和"道主"赵鼎山 ; "三界"为大巡道德关怀的涵括天地人在内的生命视域。围绕其宗教道德原则, 大巡真理会以"诚, 敬, 信"为"三要谛", 以"安心, 安身, 敬天, 修道"为"四纲领", 将其"一道"的伦理要旨, 转化为终极信仰的道德要求与人伦日用的行为规范, 进而对道人之身心修行工夫与神明交互感应做出宗教礼仪规制, 再从个人修道之"道通真境", 人神皆尊协同, 以及道信众生共建"地上仙境"道出其伦理价值理想。大巡伦理思想与佛, 耶, 道诸教相较, 具有三大精神特质 : "三界相生"的整体性, "人神皆尊"的协同性, 以及"地上天国"的入世性。 The ethics of Daesoon Jinrihoe is a system of contemporary practical morality, which contains religious features such as "One Dao" (一道), "Two Mountains" (二山, an allusion to Kang Jeungsan 姜甑山, and Jo Jeongson 趙鼎山), "Three Realms" (三界, means the realms of Heaven, Earth, and Humanity." For the purpose of my paper, "One Dao" is the ethical principle of Daesoon as well as the Tenets: "the Virtuous Concordance of Yin and Yang, Harmonious Union between Divine and Human Beings, the Resolution of Grievances for Mutual Beneficence, and Perfected Unification (jingyeong 眞境) with the Dao." "Two Mountains" are the Objects of belief. The Three Realms are the scopes of moral concern. In order to devote the Tenets of the ethical principle, ascetic practice in daily life has been emphasized as "Sincerity, Respectfulness, and Faithfulness" which are collectively called "Three Essential Attitudes." Meanwhile, "Quieting the Mind, Quieting the Body, Reverence for Heaven, and Cultivation (of oneself in accordance with doctrines)" are defined as the "Four Cardinal Mottoes." The ultimate belief is converted into guidelines for ethical conduct and religious rites. Through cultivation an interaction emerges between humankind and divine beings. The ethical ideal in Daesoon Jinrihoe includes personal "Perfected Unification with the Dao," nobility and cooperativity between humans and divine beings, and "the earthly paradise of the Later World." Compared to Buddhism, Christianity, and Daoism, Daesoon Jinrihoe's unique features are embodies by three aspects: the unity of mutual beneficence among the Three Realms, the cooperativity and nobility between humans and divinities, and the transcendental nature of the earthly paradise.

Freedom of Religion, Sangsaeng, and Symbiosis in the Post-COVID Study of (New) Religions

Donald A. WESTBROOK DAOS(The Daesoon Academy of Sciences) 2023 Journal of Daesoon Thought and the Religions of Ea Vol.2 No.2

This article explores the intersection of freedom of religion, sangsaeng, and symbiosis when considering the post-COVID study of religions, especially new religions. When it comes to the study of new and alternative religious groups, where there is more potential for misunderstanding and misinformation, it becomes all the more important-and indeed mutually beneficial, in the areas of religious liberty, religious freedom, and cross-cultural dialogue-to learn about a tradition by taking into account the spiritual life and practices of members themselves and their own sacred writings and practices. Daesoon Jinrihoe offers a case study of the importance of this principle and the notion of sangsaeng in particular is a fruitful utilitarian lens for thinking about how scholars, journalists, and others might approach the study of religion in our complex and global digital age of (mis) information. Daesoon Jinrihoe is also considered in light of Roy Wallis's typology of world-rejecting, world-affirming, and world-accommodating new religious movements. Open areas for sociological research are proposed and the nascent field of Daesoon studies is compared to some similar scholarly endeavors within NRM studies.

Daoist Thought through Symbols Observed in the Architecture of Tu An Hieu Nghia Pagodas and Temples from the Tri Tôn District, An Giang Province

NGUYEN Trung Hieu,NGUYEN Phuoc Tai DAOS(The Daesoon Academy of Sciences) 2023 Journal of Daesoon Thought and the Religions of Ea Vol.2 No.2

Daoism was introduced into the South-West of Vietnam via two main entries: the missionaries from North and Central Vietnam who migrated to the South by following the Southward movement and the spread of Daoism by Chinese migrant men who came and settled in the South-West of Vietnam from the late seventieth century to late nineteenth century. However, the biggest influence of Daoism in the Southwest of Vietnam was mainly the Chinese missionaries of Daoism. As time went by, together with the impacts of social and historical circumstances, Daoism had a strong influence on the lives of the South-West people in terms of different aspects, especially their faith and religions. The impact of Daoism into people's faith and religion was considerable, especially to the indigenous religions, of which the religion, Four Debts of Gratitude, is a representative example. With the aims of clarifying how Four Debts of Gratitude was influenced by Daoist thought and how the indigenous religions and systemized ideologies in the South-West of Vietnam were related during the period of living condition expansion as well as cohabitation of several ethnic groups in the region, this article focuses on Daoist thought expressed in typical symbols in the sacred architecture of the Four Debts of Gratitude such as Cổ Lầu, wine gourds, and the Eight Trigrams. Once properly examined, it becomes clear that the prominent symbols and other Daoist elements show that Daoism had a profound influence on the Four Debts of Gratitude.

Molding the East Asian Dragons: The Creation and Transformation of Various Ecological and Political Discourses

NGUYEN Ngoc Tho,PHAN Thi Thu Hien DAOS(The Daesoon Academy of Sciences) 2023 Journal of Daesoon Thought and the Religions of Ea Vol.2 No.2

The dragon is a special imaginary figure created by the people of East Asia. Its archetypes appeared primarily as totemic symbols of different tribes and groups in the region. The formation of early dynasties probably generated the molding of the dragon symbol. Dragon symbols carried deep imprints of nature. They concealed alternative messages of how ancient people at different locations dealt with or interacted with nature. Under pressure to standardize in the medieval and late imperial periods, the popular dragon had to transform physically and ideologically. It became imposed, unified, and framed, conveying ideas of caste classification and power, and losing itsecological implications. The dragon transitioned from a semi-ecological domain into a total social caste system. However, many people considered the "standardized" dragon as the symbol of the oppressor. Because of continuous orthopraxy and calls for imperial reverence, especially under orthopractic agenda and the surveillance of local elites, the popularized dragon was imbued within local artworks or hidden under the sanctity of Buddhas or popular gods in order to survive. Through disguise, the popular dragon partially maintained its ecological narratives. When the imperial dynasties ended in East Asia (1910 in Korea, 1911 in China, 1945 in Vietnam), the dragon was dramatically decentralized. However, trends of re-standardization and re-centralization have emerged recently in China, as the country rises in the global arena. In this newly-emerging "re-orthopraxy", the dragon has been superimposed with a more externally political discourse ("soft power" in international relations) rather than the old-style standardization for internal centralization in the late imperial period. In the contemporary world, science and technology have advanced humanity's ability to improve the world; however, it seems that people have abused science and technology to control nature, consequently damaging the environment (pollution, global warming, etc.). The dragon symbol needs to be re-defined, "re-molded", re-evaluated and reinterpreted accordingly, especially under the newly-emerging lens-the New Confucian "anthropocosmic" view.

Otherness and Diversity in Vietnamese Confucianism: The Formation of the Symbol of the Ancestral King Lạc Long Quân Based on the Nguyễn Huy Thiệp Complex

DINH Hong Hai DAOS(The Daesoon Academy of Sciences) 2023 Journal of Daesoon Thought and the Religions of Ea Vol.2 No.2

Quân sư phụ (君師父) is a concept of respectfulness derived from the Chinese Confucian concepts of sān gāng wǔ cháng (三綱五常, the Three Principles and Five Constant Virtues) and sān cóng sì dé (三從四德, the Four Virtues Applied to the Three Male Figures) that is applied to Vietnamese Confucianism in regards to not only kings but also Chinese Emperors, as well as Chinese culture generally. In his famous literary work Vàng lửa (Golden Fire), Nguyễn Huy Thiệp revealed the Vietnamese attitude to Chinese civilization: "Our country could be characterized as nhược tiểu (弱小, small and weak). Vietnam was like a maiden forcibly deflowered by Chinese civilization. 'She' enjoyed it, but also came to hate it and feel disgraced by it" (Nguyễn 1988). This is a special sentiment or psychological complex of the Vietnamese in relation to Chinese civilization. The research findings are that the Nguyễn Huy Thiệp complex is the rationale behind which the symbol of the ancestral King Lạc Long Quân (貉龍君) was altered via SinoVietnamese motifs in order to develop Vietnamese Confucian thought.

Disseminating Daesoon Thought: A Comparative Analysis

CHRYSSIDES, George D. DAOS(The Daesoon Academy of Sciences) 2022 Journal of Daesoon Thought and the Religions of Ea Vol.1 No.2

The author examines three new religious movements in South Korea: Jehovah's Witnesses, the Unification Church, and the Daesoon Jinrihoe, and aims to identify the factors that are conducive to the growth of each. All three organisations believe in a coming paradise, and the article explores their respective attempts to interest the populace in their appeal. Discussion is given to membership statistics and the problems of measuring allegiance and moves on to consider methods of propagation. Most obviously, evangelisation strategy is important: Jehovah's Witnesses and Unificationists have tended to engage the interest of strangers, while followers of Daesoon Jinrihoe are more inclined to evangelise family and friends. Additionally, there are other factors that determine an organisation's progress: cultural appropriateness, engagement in social and educational work, and attitudes to conflict and peace, the latter being particularly important in a society that has experienced war and occupation. Reference is made to the ways in which these three organisations finance themselves, and it is argued that financial resources merit greater attention in the scholarly study of religion, since monetary assets are needed to secure a spiritual movement's existence. Of the three organisations under discussion, the Daesoon Jinrihoe has been the most successful, being South Korea's largest new religion, while Jehovah's Witnesses are in steady state, and the Unification movement is experiencing slight decline.

Jo Jeongsan in Context: "Second Founders" in New Religious Movements

INTROVIGNE, Massimo DAOS(The Daesoon Academy of Sciences) 2021 Journal of Daesoon Thought and the Religions of Ea Vol.1 No.1

Scholars of new religious movements have emphasized the role of "second founders," such as Judge J.F. Rutherford for the Jehovah's Witnesses, Brigham Young for the Mormons, or Deguchi Onisaburo for Oomoto. They systematize and structure movements often created by the "first founders" with a minimal organization only. The paper argues that the model for the sequence first founder/second founder described by these scholars is the relationship between Jesus and Paul of Tarsus at the origins of Christianity. It proposes a comparison between Jesus of Nazareth and Kang Jeungsan, who established the tradition leading to present-day Daesoon Jinrihoe. It then summarizes the biography of Jo Jeongsan, recognized by Daesoon Jinrihoe as its "second founder" within the same tradition, and discusses the analogies between his connection to the "first founder," Kang Jeungsan, and the connection Paul of Tarsus established with Jesus Christ. The paper considers recent scholarship about Paul, often described as the "New Perspective on Pauline Scholarship." Paul never personally met Jesus Christ, except after the latter's death through a spiritual revelation, just as Jo Jeongsan never met Kang Jeungsan, except after his death, when he manifested himself to him in spirit. Nonetheless, Paul was able to decisively shape the largest branch among the followers of Jesus Christ, just as Jo Jeongsan originated the lineage leading to Daesoon Jinrihoe, currently the largest religious order among those recognizing Kang Jeungsan as the incarnated Supreme God.

The Modern White Horse Temple and Online Reconfiguring of a Buddhist Heritage Space

Kai, SHMUSHKO DAOS(The Daesoon Academy of Sciences) 2023 Journal of Daesoon Thought and the Religions of Ea Vol.3 No.1

Recent research shows that since the early 2000s, the Chinese Communist Party has increasingly used various cultural heritage sites, including Buddhist sites, as soft power agents. Furthermore, in the context of the Belt and Road Initiative, launched by the People's Republic of China, Buddhist temples, representatives, and practices have been harnessed to play a role in the state's agenda. In this context, White Horse Temple, as a feature of cultural tourism in Henan Province, is facing new opportunities and challenges. The article examines the material particularities of reconstructing the temple in light of this trajectory, building on materials retrieved at the site, and online representations of the temple. The author explores how the temple's unique spatiality and characteristics stress the use of soft power which harnesses online and offline cultural and popular trends for state agenda.

Confucianism in Vietnam: A Hauntology-based Analysis of Political Discourse

LINH Trinh Ngoc DAOS(The Daesoon Academy of Sciences) 2023 Journal of Daesoon Thought and the Religions of Ea Vol.3 No.1

From the time it was propagated to Vietnam until it was forced to relinquish its leadership position in both politics and philosophy, Confucianism in Vietnam was never orthodox Confucianism. This study employs the theory of invented tradition to examine how Confucianism penetrated the ethnic Vietnamese community at the turn of the first millennium and points out its vital requirement: the construction of a Chinese-style centralized administrative government based on Neo-Confucianism. This requirement unfolded during the Le So Dynasty in the fifteenth century. Moreover, the theory of invented tradition can also be applied to discover the motivation behind Neo-Confucianism's process of manufacturing orthodoxy to speed up the goal of Sinicization. Somehow, the launching of the imperial examination system, meant to fulfill a system of bureaucracy, ended up resolving one of the greatest challenges of medieval times. It is to seek the ruler's uncritical submission to the ruled. This article applies hauntology to analyze two forms of Confucianism discourse in Vietnam. In doing so, this study determined that Confucianism evolved into its own unique system of thought in Vietnam and in the end, was not even recognizable as Confucianism. Throughout Vietnam's turbulent history, Confucianism shifted from a symbol of progress to one of backwardness. This culminated Vietnam's preoccupation with the de-Sinicization during the early twenty-first century.