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How Heaven Works
The Collective Shamanic Journeys of Phạm Công Tắc and the Syncretic Afterworld of Caodaism
Series: - Numen Book Series, Volume: 178
- Texts and Sources in the History of Religions, Volume: 178
Author:
In 1948, Vietnam’s great 20th Century mystic Phạm Công Tắc (1890-1959) began a series of sermons making Caodaism’s claims to universal salvation the clearest. In only two decades, Caodaism had stamped its fast-growing presence on the nation. With potent creative and poetic skill Phạm Công Tắc invited his co-religionists to take a shamanic journey with him to examine the heavens and literally see how they would be saved. The 35 sermons translated here are provided with a commentary and extensive introduction by Hartney.
How Heaven Works is a fascinating insight into the deep connection between shamanic atmosphere, literature, and Modern syncretic concepts of salvation.
Christopher Hartney, Ph.D. (2004), University of Sydney, is Senior Lecturer and Chair of Studies in Religion at that university. He has published extensively on Caodaism, sacred creativity, and the nexus between religion and violence.
Preface
Acknowledgements
1 Caodaism, Syncretism, and Renovation
1 What, Then, Is Caodaism?
2 Caodaism and Its Millenarian Project
2 The Textual-Historical Divisions of Tây Ninh Caodaism
1 Stage One: 1925–1934
2 Stage Two: 1935–1955
3 Stage Three: 1955–1975
4 A Fourth Stage: 1975–
3 Who Was Phạm Công Tắc and What Constitutes Mediumship in Caodaism
1 Mediumship in Caodaism
2 The Development of the Hiệp Thiên Đài
3 The Second Period of Scriptural Development
4 Sources of The Divine Path
1 Early Textual Developments at the Dawn of Caodaism
2 Kinh Khai Cửu Đại Tường và Tiểu-Tường: The Prayers of the Faith
3 Thiên Thai Kiến Diện [ A Visit to Celestial Realms]
5 The Structure of The Divine Path
1 The Tây Ninh Section (Opening)
2 Approaching the Celestial Bát Quái Đài (First Orientation Section)
3 The Cloud Cave Interregnum (Sermon Five)
4 The Divine Mother and the White Jade Palace (Second Orientation Section)
5 The Work of the Cung Thế Thiên Hành Hóa
6 The “Tông Đường” or “Spiritual Family” Section
7 Beyond Nirvana: The “Đại Hội Long Hoa” or Great Dragon Flower Assembly
6 Site, Space, Voice, Ritual, and Eventually, Text
1 The Great Divine Temple as Performance Space
2 Ritual, Voice, and Shamanic Suggestion
7 The Purpose of Turning Performance into Text, and Conclusions
1 The Third Period of Text Development or the History of the Present Text
2 The Divine Path as Theological Memory Palace
3 The Ultimate Purpose of the Universe and of the Caodaist Paradise
4 Conclusions
5 A Short Note on the Translation
Translators’ Note
1 What is the Divine Path to Eternal Life? There are Three Methods of Creating a Divine Position
Commentary on Sermon One
2 The Realm of The Thừa Thiên Hành Hóa
Commentary on Sermon Two
3 The Form of the Bát Quái Đài and the Sea of Suffering: A Sermon Given Specifically for Officials of the Cửu Trùng Đài
Commentary on Sermon Three
4 Entering the Bát Quái Đài via the Ô-Trì pond, Gender Equality, and the Sea of Suffering
Commentary on Sermon Four
5 The Paradise of Extreme Joy and the Image of the Divine Mother
Commentary on Sermon Five
6 The Power of the Divine Mother
Commentary on Sermon Six
7 The Ngân River and the Animal Nature of Humanity
Commentary on Sermon Seven
8 The Secrets and Mysteries of the Bát Quái Đài and the Motion of the Eight-levels of Souls
Commentary on Sermon Eight
9 The Dragon Flower Assembly Where Positions Will Be Granted to Worthy Souls
Commentary on Sermon Nine
10 The Secret and Essential Philosophy of the Religion: The Perispirit and Civilization
Commentary on Sermon Ten
11 The All-Pervasive Nature of the Four Sufferings/Four Noble Truths and the Story of the King of Hell
Commentary on Sermon Eleven
12 The Power of Protecting the Souls of Human Beings in the Religion
Commentary on Sermon Twelve
13 How Atheists Debate at the Cung Hiệp Thiên Hành Hóa
Commentary on Sermon Thirteen
14 The Method of Cultivating the Way; Although Each of the Five Branches Is Different, They All Have the Same Aim: To Free Humanity from Suffering
Commentary on Sermon Fourteen
15 The Secret Dharma that Develops an Altruistic Life, Destroys Selfishness, and Elevates Public Life against Individual Desire
Commentary on Sermon Fifteen
16 The Law of Love and the Right of Justice; How to Lead Humanity Towards Union Through Belief
Commentary on Sermon Sixteen
17 The Power of the Law of Love, the Dharma of Justice, and the Agreement Between the Supreme Being and Humanity
Commentary on Sermon Seventeen
18 The True Happiness of Humanity
Commentary on Sermon Eighteen
19 The Supreme Being Devised the Caodaist Religion to Create Happiness for All Humanity and for Peace on this 68th Planet
Commentary on Sermon Nineteen
20 The Image of the Divine Mother on Earth Is the Image of Shiva; The Divine Extended Family of Each Individual Will Meet at Cung Diêu Trì
Commentary on Sermon Twenty
21 The Secret Inherent in What We Have Done, What We are Doing, What We Must Do; The Relation Between the Angel and the Animal in Each of Us and How This Relates to the Court of Heaven
Commentary on Sermon Twenty-One
22 The Philosophy of Civilization
Commentary on Sermon Twenty-Two
23 The Desire to Progress on the Path to the Eternal Life Is Limitless
Commentary on Sermon Twenty-Three
24 Our Sins Are Recorded by Our Own Perispirit; Therefore, There Is No Way We Can Deny Them
Commentary on Sermon Twenty-Four
25 The Phục-Linh Realm and How to Preach the Way
Commentary on Sermon Twenty-Five
26 The Method of Governing the Universe Lies in How We Govern Ourselves
Commentary on Sermon Twenty-Six
27 Our Arrival at the Cung Phục Linh and the Secret Dharma That Liberates the Self
Commentary on Sermon Twenty-Seven
28 Linh Tiêu Điện [The Ngọc Hư Cung] and the Governing Body of the Supreme Being
Commentary on Sermon Twenty-Eight
29 The Difference Between the Process of Rising Through Heaven and the Process of Falling into the Dark Realms
Commentary on Sermon Twenty-Nine
30 The Paradise of Extreme Joy: Where We Are Temporarily Liberated; Although This is Not the Ultimate Realm for Souls
Commentary on Sermon Thirty
31 The Supreme Being Preserves Our Divine Extended Family
Commentary on Sermon Thirty-One
32 What Is a Drop of Holy Water? What Is the True Appearance of Nirvana?
Commentary on Sermon Thirty-Two
33 Few People Achieve a Position in Heaven Because Lucifer Blocks the Way
Commentary on Sermon Thirty-Three
34 The Hổn-Ngươn Thượng Thiên
Commentary on Sermon Thirty-Four
35 Lôi Âm Temple, Where Amitabha Buddha Reigns, and Where the Pilgrim Reaches His Lotus Throne
Commentary on Sermon Thirty-Five
Appendix—Preface to the 1971 Edition: An Explanatory Introduction by Caodaist Historian Mr Trần Văn Rạng
Glossary
Bibliography
Index
Acknowledgements
Part1 General Introduction and Context
1 Caodaism, Syncretism, and Renovation
1 What, Then, Is Caodaism?
2 Caodaism and Its Millenarian Project
2 The Textual-Historical Divisions of Tây Ninh Caodaism
1 Stage One: 1925–1934
2 Stage Two: 1935–1955
3 Stage Three: 1955–1975
4 A Fourth Stage: 1975–
3 Who Was Phạm Công Tắc and What Constitutes Mediumship in Caodaism
1 Mediumship in Caodaism
2 The Development of the Hiệp Thiên Đài
3 The Second Period of Scriptural Development
4 Sources of The Divine Path
1 Early Textual Developments at the Dawn of Caodaism
2 Kinh Khai Cửu Đại Tường và Tiểu-Tường: The Prayers of the Faith
3 Thiên Thai Kiến Diện [ A Visit to Celestial Realms]
5 The Structure of The Divine Path
1 The Tây Ninh Section (Opening)
2 Approaching the Celestial Bát Quái Đài (First Orientation Section)
3 The Cloud Cave Interregnum (Sermon Five)
4 The Divine Mother and the White Jade Palace (Second Orientation Section)
5 The Work of the Cung Thế Thiên Hành Hóa
6 The “Tông Đường” or “Spiritual Family” Section
7 Beyond Nirvana: The “Đại Hội Long Hoa” or Great Dragon Flower Assembly
6 Site, Space, Voice, Ritual, and Eventually, Text
1 The Great Divine Temple as Performance Space
2 Ritual, Voice, and Shamanic Suggestion
7 The Purpose of Turning Performance into Text, and Conclusions
1 The Third Period of Text Development or the History of the Present Text
2 The Divine Path as Theological Memory Palace
3 The Ultimate Purpose of the Universe and of the Caodaist Paradise
4 Conclusions
5 A Short Note on the Translation
Part2 The Sermons and Commentary
Translators’ Note
1 What is the Divine Path to Eternal Life? There are Three Methods of Creating a Divine Position
Commentary on Sermon One
2 The Realm of The Thừa Thiên Hành Hóa
Commentary on Sermon Two
3 The Form of the Bát Quái Đài and the Sea of Suffering: A Sermon Given Specifically for Officials of the Cửu Trùng Đài
Commentary on Sermon Three
4 Entering the Bát Quái Đài via the Ô-Trì pond, Gender Equality, and the Sea of Suffering
Commentary on Sermon Four
5 The Paradise of Extreme Joy and the Image of the Divine Mother
Commentary on Sermon Five
6 The Power of the Divine Mother
Commentary on Sermon Six
7 The Ngân River and the Animal Nature of Humanity
Commentary on Sermon Seven
8 The Secrets and Mysteries of the Bát Quái Đài and the Motion of the Eight-levels of Souls
Commentary on Sermon Eight
9 The Dragon Flower Assembly Where Positions Will Be Granted to Worthy Souls
Commentary on Sermon Nine
10 The Secret and Essential Philosophy of the Religion: The Perispirit and Civilization
Commentary on Sermon Ten
11 The All-Pervasive Nature of the Four Sufferings/Four Noble Truths and the Story of the King of Hell
Commentary on Sermon Eleven
12 The Power of Protecting the Souls of Human Beings in the Religion
Commentary on Sermon Twelve
13 How Atheists Debate at the Cung Hiệp Thiên Hành Hóa
Commentary on Sermon Thirteen
14 The Method of Cultivating the Way; Although Each of the Five Branches Is Different, They All Have the Same Aim: To Free Humanity from Suffering
Commentary on Sermon Fourteen
15 The Secret Dharma that Develops an Altruistic Life, Destroys Selfishness, and Elevates Public Life against Individual Desire
Commentary on Sermon Fifteen
16 The Law of Love and the Right of Justice; How to Lead Humanity Towards Union Through Belief
Commentary on Sermon Sixteen
17 The Power of the Law of Love, the Dharma of Justice, and the Agreement Between the Supreme Being and Humanity
Commentary on Sermon Seventeen
18 The True Happiness of Humanity
Commentary on Sermon Eighteen
19 The Supreme Being Devised the Caodaist Religion to Create Happiness for All Humanity and for Peace on this 68th Planet
Commentary on Sermon Nineteen
20 The Image of the Divine Mother on Earth Is the Image of Shiva; The Divine Extended Family of Each Individual Will Meet at Cung Diêu Trì
Commentary on Sermon Twenty
21 The Secret Inherent in What We Have Done, What We are Doing, What We Must Do; The Relation Between the Angel and the Animal in Each of Us and How This Relates to the Court of Heaven
Commentary on Sermon Twenty-One
22 The Philosophy of Civilization
Commentary on Sermon Twenty-Two
23 The Desire to Progress on the Path to the Eternal Life Is Limitless
Commentary on Sermon Twenty-Three
24 Our Sins Are Recorded by Our Own Perispirit; Therefore, There Is No Way We Can Deny Them
Commentary on Sermon Twenty-Four
25 The Phục-Linh Realm and How to Preach the Way
Commentary on Sermon Twenty-Five
26 The Method of Governing the Universe Lies in How We Govern Ourselves
Commentary on Sermon Twenty-Six
27 Our Arrival at the Cung Phục Linh and the Secret Dharma That Liberates the Self
Commentary on Sermon Twenty-Seven
28 Linh Tiêu Điện [The Ngọc Hư Cung] and the Governing Body of the Supreme Being
Commentary on Sermon Twenty-Eight
29 The Difference Between the Process of Rising Through Heaven and the Process of Falling into the Dark Realms
Commentary on Sermon Twenty-Nine
30 The Paradise of Extreme Joy: Where We Are Temporarily Liberated; Although This is Not the Ultimate Realm for Souls
Commentary on Sermon Thirty
31 The Supreme Being Preserves Our Divine Extended Family
Commentary on Sermon Thirty-One
32 What Is a Drop of Holy Water? What Is the True Appearance of Nirvana?
Commentary on Sermon Thirty-Two
33 Few People Achieve a Position in Heaven Because Lucifer Blocks the Way
Commentary on Sermon Thirty-Three
34 The Hổn-Ngươn Thượng Thiên
Commentary on Sermon Thirty-Four
35 Lôi Âm Temple, Where Amitabha Buddha Reigns, and Where the Pilgrim Reaches His Lotus Throne
Commentary on Sermon Thirty-Five
Appendix—Preface to the 1971 Edition: An Explanatory Introduction by Caodaist Historian Mr Trần Văn Rạng
Glossary
Bibliography
Index
This work will appeal to scholars in the field of new religions, sacred literature and creativity, shamanism, and studies in the visualisation of afterworlds.