Phạm Công Tắc

=Secular life=

Hộ Pháp Phạm Công Tắc (1890-1969), an important leader of Cao Đài, was born in Vietnam. Being a young citizen in a French colony, he received an education designed by the metropolis, and later became a secretary in the colonial government.

A junior governmental official, he was transferred to various places in Vietnam and Cambodia. In 1927, he resigned and devoted his life to God.

Religious life

The first disciple

Of the first twelve disciples, he was the most important leaders of Cao Đài, a new religion, in the process of construction and perfection of the religious mechanism.

A top-level medium

In 1925, he and his two colleagues (Messrs. Cao Quynh Cu and Cao Hoai Sang) tried to contact with spiritual entities through spirit communications. Using table-tapping, they got messages, first from their deceased relatives, then from Saints, and eventually from God. They all were admitted to be God’s first disciples in the Third Religious Amnesty.

On 25-4-1926, eighteen mediums were chosen by God to spread His teachings and carry out His instructions. Of those, Mr. Phạm Công Tắc was the most important medium. It was he who wrote out the Cao Đài Religious Constitution and most of the Scriptures currently worshipped by Caodaiists. He was promoted to Hộ Pháp, one of the top-ranking posts of the clergy.

An organizer

In 1927, transferred to Cambodia by the colonial government, he seized the opportunity to establish Cao Đài Foreign Missions under spiritual guidance.

After acting Giáo Tông Lê Văn Trung’s death, he took over the power and established a number of other religious organs. Arguably, most of the relatively complex religious structure owed him the full development as we know it.

An architect

He himself both gave the order to begin the construction of the Tây Ninh Holy See and later officiated the inauguration. Without this temple, Cao Đài might not have become a well-organized religion. Furthermore, other buildings and houses were set up under his supervision, including The Temple Of Intuition, The Temple of Enlightenment, Long Hoa Market, The Temple of Acknowledgement, The Temple of the Goddess. Others were planned for more favorable conditions such as The Temple of Thousands of Dharma, The Main Entrance Avenue, Cao Đài University which have not been started yet so far (2007).

A priest spreading God’s teachings

In addition to the responsibilities of religious leadership, he was a true missionary who, in the name of God, preached the new doctrines. Not to mention numerous religious speeches, he gave speeches on The Holy Never Pathway and Esoteric Practice which were shorthanded by stenographists and published in 1970. These documents were considered among the most significant scriptures due to their content of Cao Đài philosophy as well as the ways of religious practice.

A leading religious figure in Vietnam from 1940s to 1950s

In 1941, lots of Vietnamese rebellions against French colonists broke out throughout the country. French rulers did what they could to crush the movement, imprisoning those who challenged their power. The fact that Cao Đài developed too fast also frightened them too much to overlook this new religion. Eventually, Hộ Pháp Phạm Công Tắc and other dignitaries were sent into exile in Madagascar. During this period, French soldiers seized the Tây Ninh Holy See and the other religious offices, temporarily prohibiting all religious activities.

As a result, the Cao Đài Armed Forces were founded by General Tran Quang Vinh in Southern Vietnam so as to protect Cao Đài believers as well as to overthrow the French government with Japanese military aid. Unfortunately, Japanese Armed Forces were defeated in 1945 after the first American A-bomb raid and had to return to their country. Vietnamese, in general, and the Cao Đài Army, in particular, had to face the second French invasion. In 1946, the political situation changed, compelling the French to release Hộ Pháp Phạm Công Tắc for the co-operation in the part of Cao Đài Army. A treaty was signed between General Tran Quang Vinh and the French colonists on 9-6-1946. From then on, Hộ Pháp Phạm Công Tắc resumed his post, bettering the mechanism of Cao Đài.

In 1945, Vietnamese Head of State Bảo Đại asked Hộ Pháp Phạm Công Tắc to be the top advisor for the Vietnamese Delegates in Geneva, Switzerland. He went to Paris and tried to prevent Vietnam from being partitioned. However, a priest’s persuasion seemed to have no influence on heartless politicians, so he failed and returned to Vietnam. After that, he paid visits to Taiwanese and South Korean leaders. In 1955, General Nguyen Thanh Phuong, unofficially instigated by Ngô Ðình Nhu, surrounded Tây Ninh Holy See, demanding an internal purification which was actually a raid on those who opposed Ngô Đình Diệm’s regime. So critical was the situation that Hộ Pháp Phạm Công Tắc had to flee the country, seeking political asylum in Cambodia. He lived there until his death in 1969.

An author

He was the author of many books on Cao Đài, including:

• How to practice Caodaiism – under the pen-name Ai Dan – 1928

• A Visit to Heaven – 1927

• The Third Method of Practicing Caodaiism– 1947

• Breviaries for secular activities.

• Speeches.

• Poems.

A symbol of Esoterism for Caodaiists

It is believed that Hộ Pháp Phạm Công Tắc was taught how to practice esoterism by God. He himself established the first meditation house, The Temple of Intuition, and entered for the first esoteric performance. However, there has been no evidence that he taught someone else to do so. He was the only Cao Đài leader who did a lot of preaching on Esoteric and Exoteric Practices of Cao Đài. Therefore, he is considered the Master of Cao Đài Esoterism.

Reference• Chân dung Hộ Pháp Phạm Công Tắc – Trần văn Rạng – 1974

• Lời thuyết Đạo của Hộ Pháp Phạm Công Tắc –– Tài liệu Tòa Thánh Tây Ninh – 1973

• Bí Pháp – Tài liệu Tòa Thánh Tây Ninh- 1973

• Con Đường Thiêng Liêng Hằng Sống – Tài liệu Tòa Thánh Tây Ninh -1973

• Đại Đạo Sử Cương – Trần văn Rạng – 1972

• Đại Thừa Chơn Giáo – Chiếu Minh – 1956

• Bí Pháp Luyện Đạo – Bát Nương Diêu trì Cung – Bản Thảo.

• Tự Điển Cao Đài – Nguyễn văn Hồng