| Scriptures | 1)Prayers of the Heavenly and Earthly Way. 2)The Religious Constitution of Cao Daism. 3)The New Canonical Codes. 4)Compilation of Divine Messages. 5)Sermons of His Holiness, Ho Phap Pham Cong Tac. |
Daozang, a collection of 1400 texts organized in 3 sections which includes the Tao Te Ching, Zhuang Zi, I Ching, and some others. |
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| Founder | Ngo Van Chieu. |
Lao Tzu |
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| Place of origin | Vietnam |
China |
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| Use of statues and pictures | Common |
They can be used as meditation objects, but they are not that common. |
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| Practices | Prayer, Veneration of ancestors, Nonviolence, and vegetarianism. |
Philosophical maturity, virtuous conduct, internal alchemy, and some sexual practices. |
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| Concept of Deity | One God |
Being manifestations of the Tao, Gods are seen as higher life forms. |
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| Literal Meaning | God's Palace. |
To follow the Tao. |
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| Place of worship | Temple. |
Taoist monasteries, temples, shrines. |
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| Clergy | Priests, etc. |
Taoist clergies are led by the daoshis, masters of the Tao, and followed by daojiaotus, followers of Taoism who also support the clergy, although it is not common. |
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| Principle | All religions should become one world religion. |
The Tao is the only principle. The rest are its manifestations. |
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| Belief of God | One God. Ancestors are also worshipped. |
Tao literally means the Way, which indicates the movement of a dynamic existence that is composed of opposing forces. Taoists do not believe in a personal God. |
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| Goal of religion | To unite all the world religions into one religion. |
To be one with the Tao. |
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| Time of origin | Early part of the 20'Th Century. |
Approx. 550 B.C.E (Before Common Era) |
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| Geographical distribution and predominance | Vietnam, North America. |
China, Korea, to lesser extent Vietnam and Japan. |
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| View of other Dharmic religions | Buddha is counted amongst Cao Dai's religious figures. |
Taoism has many similarities with Buddhism. Taoists are neutral against other Dharmic religions. |
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| View of the Buddha | Buddha is one of the religious figures revered in Cao Dai. |
Some Taoists argue that the Buddha was a student of Lao Tzu, although there is no concrete evidence for it. Most Taoists respect and follow the Buddha's teachings. |
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| Holy days/Official Holidays | Hoi Yen Dieo Tri |
Chinese New Year, 3 Day Festival of the Dead, Ancestor Day. |
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| Concept of God | Before God Existed, there was the concept of the Tao. God was Born from the Big Bang. |
Numerous deities. |
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| Marriage | Between one man and one woman. |
A social bonding, applicable with clerics as well. |
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| View of Oriental religions | Confucius and Lao Tzu are also included among Cao Dai's religious figures. They also worship ancestors, & other spirits, by Oriental religious beliefs. |
Taoists usually follow other Oriental religions too. |
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| View of other Oriental religions | Believes that all religions should unite as one religion. |
Usually follows other Oriental religions. |
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| Original Languages | Vietnamese. |
Mandarin or Cantonese |
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| Original Language(s) | Vietnamese |
Old Chinese |
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| Authority of Dalai Lama | N/A. |
Taoists respect the general Buddhist traditions, but the Dalai Lamas have no special significance to Taoists. |
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| Confessing sins | Not discussed. |
Sin is not a Taoist concept. |
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Comments: Cao Dai vs Taoism