I recently took an organized day trip out of Saigon to see the famous Cu Chi Tunnels. Also on the itinerary was the Cao Dai Temple. Not knowing anything about it, I Googled the religion the evening before the trip to get some insight as to what it was all about. I learned that it was a Vietnamese religious movement organized in the early 1900s and now has over 6 million followers with practitioners living throughout the world. In addition to its spiritual roots, it also played a role in various political events throughout the 20th century.
As I read more about it, I found that the religion draws upon the principles of some of the world's major religions: Buddhism, Taoism, and Confucianism. Some of the art depicted in the religion's temples are Hindu while the religious structure is hierarchical, much like the organization of Roman Catholicism. The unique belief system promotes equality and peace and seeks to create a more tolerant world. It had me flashing back to my visit to Delhi's Baha'i House of Worship, as their foundation is quite similar.

I walked along the outer perimeter of the floor and couldn't help but notice a number of icons that were placed throughout the temple. The most prominent was an eye- a left eye to be exact- that was centered on the windows as well as on a giant sphere that sat in the middle of the alter alongside what must have been offerings to Cao Dai, their god. When I looked up, I saw a man's portrait painted on the ceiling. I thought it looked a heck of a lot like Benjamen Franklin. It turns out that it was. Along with Jesus, Joan of Arc, Julius Caesar, and Confucius, Ben is one of the religion's saints.



Still, it is always a good experience to have one's mind opened to new ideas and see how people in different places live their lives. I think the right word to describe the Cao Dai religion is colorful. From the quirks of the Holy See's design to the rather offbeat rules of the religion to the followers viewing Victor Hugo as a high spiritual being, it's not your average monotone belief system. But, it's interesting. After all, who wants to live in a black-and-white world?
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