Origins of Caodaism

Caodaism is a Vietnamese religion that combines elements of Buddhism, Confucianism, Taoism and Christianity, as well as other traditions, in the belief that all religions share one divine source. It emerged in southern Vietnam, where Ngo Van Chieu, a colonial civil servant, reported receiving messages from the supreme being in spiritualist sessions. The faith was formally proclaimed in Tay Ninh, which became the site of its Holy See and its ornate temple. It honours figures such as Buddha, Confucius, Jesus and the Vietnamese poet Nguyen Binh Khiem. Caodaism gained large numbers of followers, and today it has millions of adherents.

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