{ "apiVersion": "v1", "kind": "Chapter", "metadata": { "generated": "2026-08-22T14:14:13Z", "language": "en", "book": "thanh-ngon-hiep-tuyen-woh", "chapter": 1 }, "data": { "n": 1, "bookSlug": "thanh-ngon-hiep-tuyen-woh", "bookCode": "TNHT-WOH", "refId": "", "title": "Quyển Nhứt (Volume One)", "translation": {"track":"translation","version":"1.0.0-rc1","sourceText":"Vietnamese (quốc ngữ) e-text of Thánh Ngôn Hiệp Tuyển, Quyển Nhứt — daotam.info transcription (mirror of the Sydney Centre for Studies in Caodaism), collated 2026-07; first compiled by Hội Thánh Đại Đạo Tam Kỳ Phổ Độ, Tòa Thánh Tây Ninh, 1928.","sourceLicense":"Public Domain in Vietnam (1928 compilation; life+50). US status flagged in strategy-library-acquisition.md; courtesy contact with daotam.info pending. English rendering original to this project (CC0-1.0).","sourceUrl":"https://www.daotam.info/booksv/tnhtv1.htm","sourceAccessedVia":"daotam.info e-text; collation status collated-against-daotam-2026-07 (93/111 verses machine-matched, NFC-normalized)","verificationStatus":"first-pass translator draft; a second Caodai witness (printed Tòa Thánh Tây Ninh edition) is desirable before sign-off","glossaryVersion":"overlay _translation-glossary.json v1.0.0 (thanh-ngon-hiep-tuyen-woh); central production glossary not applicable (Hebrew/Arabic only). Editor pass claude-opus-4-8, 2026-07.","modelDrafts":["claude-opus-4-8 (translator)"],"reviewer":"approved — all 111 verses defensible; zero lens-leakage; glossary 14/14 (a3f2530c). 4 human confirmations + second-witness pending.","reviewedAt":"2026-07-03","status":"reviewer-approved","humanRuling":"2026-07-03: Tam Kỳ Phổ Độ standardized to \"Third Universal Amnesty\" (project standard; literal \"universal deliverance\" kept in commentary/v75). Book voice = third-person \"the Master\"/\"my children\" (defensible; swap to first-person is a one-entry lever if preferred). Lens-routing ratified: 3 resonance loci (v4, v69, cơ bút) → wiki/article only, NOTHING in line or apparatus; zero leakage. v111 Giáo-Hữu read literal \"religious brethren\", flagged. Second printed Tòa Thánh Tây Ninh witness pending (single electronic witness, 8 cruxes). Not blockers for RC."}, "segments": [], "lines": [], "paragraphs": [{ "n": 1, "refId": "TNHT-1:1", "text": "Christmas 1925" },{ "n": 2, "refId": "TNHT-1:2", "text": "The Jade Emperor, the Supreme Being, styled Cao Đài,\nthe Immortal Elder, Great Bodhisattva Mahāsattva,\nteaching the Way in the Southern Quarter." },{ "n": 3, "refId": "TNHT-1:3", "text": "Through myriad ages it is I who hold sovereign power;\nGladly cultivate and pray, and receive the grace of Heaven;\nThe wondrous Way is poured out everywhere upon the mortal world;\nA thousand years, ten thousand names, kept whole upon the register." },{ "n": 4, "refId": "TNHT-1:4", "text": "Tonight, the 24th of December, you must rejoice, for it is the day I came down into the world to teach the Way over in the West (Europe).\nI am very glad to see the disciples revere and love me so.\nThis house shall be filled with my grace (the house of M. C...).\nThe hour and the day draw near; await my command.\nI shall let you see wonders, that you may revere and love me still more." },{ "n": 5, "refId": "TNHT-1:5", "text": "CHIÊU KỲ TRUNG — to save and guide HOÀI, the living;\nBẢN — the Way opens; SANG QUÍ GIẢNG — it is accomplished;\nHẬU ĐỨC TẮC CƯ — the realm of Heaven and Earth;\nHƯỜN MINH MÂN — arriving to take up the tower of renown.\n(The twelve capitalized words in the three lines above are the names of the twelve foremost disciples of His Majesty the Jade Emperor, the Supreme Being; the three words in slanted capitals in the last line are the names of the three séance attendants.)" },{ "n": 6, "refId": "TNHT-1:6", "text": "3 January 1926" },{ "n": 7, "refId": "TNHT-1:7", "text": "The Jade Emperor, the Supreme Being, styled Cao Đài,\nthe Immortal Elder, Great Bodhisattva Mahāsattva,\nteaching the Way in the Southern Quarter." },{ "n": 8, "refId": "TNHT-1:8", "text": "Wielding the cơ (the spirit-writing planchette) — Holding the pen." },{ "n": 9, "refId": "TNHT-1:9", "text": "For wielding the planchette or the pen, one must let the spirit and the heart-mind grow still, so that the True Spirit (Chơn-Thần) may go forth out of the vital-body (phách) and come to attend the Master and hear his teaching:" },{ "n": 10, "refId": "TNHT-1:10", "text": "When one holds the pen, the hand obeys the True Spirit's dictation and writes it out — much as you, my child, set it down; so you can understand." },{ "n": 11, "refId": "TNHT-1:11", "text": "What is the True Spirit (Chơn-Thần)?" },{ "n": 12, "refId": "TNHT-1:12", "text": "It is the second body (périsprit), the spiritual body. While it still dwells within the mortal body, it is very hard for it to go forth on its own, for the mortal body holds it back." },{ "n": 13, "refId": "TNHT-1:13", "text": "That True Spirit of the Saints, the Immortals, and the Buddhas is infinitely marvelous, imperishable and indestructible. One of true cultivation, while the mortal body is still upon him, if he has attained the Way, can send it forth before the hour of death and roam beyond the heavens. Only such a True Spirit is permitted to come before the Master." },{ "n": 14, "refId": "TNHT-1:14", "text": "If, in wielding the planchette, [the medium] falls into trance, the True Spirit goes forth wholly out of the body. The Master then teaches it to write some character, and it traces along; the Master names the character, and its body, holding the planchette, writes it out; if the character is named wrong, it hears and will not accept it: the Master makes it write again and rebukes the one who read wrong." },{ "n": 15, "refId": "TNHT-1:15", "text": "As for holding the pen: when the Master comes, he unsettles your spirit for a moment, letting the spirit go forth to hear the Master teach, while your hand obeys and writes. This is one part of you and one part of the Master united as one — only thus can one penetrate the Cosmos (Càn-Khôn) and master all things." },{ "n": 16, "refId": "TNHT-1:16", "text": "Before wielding the planchette or holding the pen, you must change into clean garments, adorn yourselves and bathe until pure; only then may you come before the Precious Sanctuary (Bửu-Điện) to perform the office, letting nothing be lacking that would breach propriety. Whoever wields the planchette must keep the mind pure and clear and must not let a thought turn to worldly things. The hands that wield the planchette must also be censed with incense to drive off impurity, the heart stilled for a while; then the spirit must be set to advance and go forth out of the body to attend and receive instruction. One must have a True-Spirit that is refined and advanced for the marvel and mystery to work; one must keep a lifelong vegetarian diet for the soul to advance; one must train one's nature toward the utmost of the Saints, Immortals, and Buddhas in order to support the planchette (phò cơ) and teach the Way to all living beings. Whoever supports the planchette and holds the pen is like a General of the Master, set to transmit the Way to the world. My children, do not think the work of pen and planchette an ordinary matter. As for transmitting spirit by drawing on the aura-current (điển quang): everyone has this current within; one receives the outer current, and then one's spirit writes it out — sometimes right, sometimes wrong." },{ "n": 17, "refId": "TNHT-1:17", "text": "Therefore, whenever you wield the planchette, you must await the Master's command before carrying it out." },{ "n": 18, "refId": "TNHT-1:18", "text": "20 February 1926" },{ "n": 19, "refId": "TNHT-1:19", "text": "The Jade Emperor, the Supreme Being, styled Cao Đài,\nthe Immortal Elder, Great Bodhisattva Mahāsattva,\nteaching the Way in the Southern Quarter." },{ "n": 20, "refId": "TNHT-1:20", "text": "The precious throne, serene, puts forth more flowers;\nThe several branches shall in the end be one house;\nJoined together, strive to bank up the ground of Virtue (Đạo-Đức);\nWith a heart firm as vermilion and iron, come all the way to Me." },{ "n": 21, "refId": "TNHT-1:21", "text": "The wellspring of the Immortals — to seek the Way, is it so easy?\nThe power of the Cosmos is gathered into a single pouch.\nTo escape the body of old took cultivation through ten thousand lives;\nTo save souls, now the grace washes over all five continents.\nSeeking the virtuous, time and again I sow the source of the Way;\nReforming the wicked, time after time I loosen the vein of sorrow.\nIf any truly wish to flee the sufferings of the mortal world,\nHow far off can the day of attaining the Right Fruit (Chánh-Quả) be?" },{ "n": 22, "refId": "TNHT-1:22", "text": "The branch that is yours is the branch of which the Master himself is master; later you will understand." },{ "n": 23, "refId": "TNHT-1:23", "text": "The Master gladly wishes you to be forever in harmony with one another; that is an offering the Master treasures greatly. You must together care for the good name of the Master's Way.\nThe Master's Way is you, and you are the Master; you must build up one another's standing, and do not be envious, hear! Keep to your duty according to what the Master wishes, and in days to come you will fully grasp the Master's will." },{ "n": 24, "refId": "TNHT-1:24", "text": "Entering the circle of brotherhood, love one another well;\nEach virtue that rises higher is one rank the higher.\nSet your will on Heaven (Thiên-Đường) and step swiftly toward it;\nOnly through much shared blood and flesh does one become kin." },{ "n": 25, "refId": "TNHT-1:25", "text": "You must understand: how marvelous is the Master? In his manner of teaching, the Master must teach each one according to his intelligence.\nEven were the Master an ordinary mortal, it would have to be so; if you teach lofty, strange things to a dull one, how could he understand?\nThe Master forbids you to criticize others' affairs; above all, do not offend against your fellow disciples (đạo-hữu), lest you incur sin; in everything you must firmly remember that the Master is within it.\nIt matters not whether of one lineage, to be one house —\nTogether in one Way is to be of one father;\nIn righteousness one may entrust a body of a hundred years,\nTeaching one another to attain the word 'harmony.'" },{ "n": 26, "refId": "TNHT-1:26", "text": "The Master charges you with one thing: in each and every matter await the Master's command, and do not use your own private mind to judge anything at all. The duties and charges that are yours the Master has appointed beforehand, but the hour and the day have not yet come; you must obey the Master's word, hear!" },{ "n": 27, "refId": "TNHT-1:27", "text": "From here the Master begins to teach the Way to......................." },{ "n": 28, "refId": "TNHT-1:28", "text": "In the White-Jade Capital (Bạch-Ngọc-Kinh) there are both male and female; do not mistakenly think there is any discrimination. There are Female Immortals and Female Buddhas of far greater power and rank than the males." },{ "n": 29, "refId": "TNHT-1:29", "text": "TR........... has received his mandate from the Master; wherever you go, the Master follows there. The words of Virtue that come from your mouth are the Master's words, infused into your mind so that you may go and transmit the Way; teach people as the occasion allows. You alone have not strength enough to win people over. Whether male or female, of whatever nation, if any wishes to know the Truth of the Way, you must save him; bid them come and hear the Master teach, and only then can they practice cultivation; at first you should not press them too hard.\nThe Master says this once, remember it from now on: even stones, iron, and plants, if they hear the Holy Word (Thánh-Ngôn) of the Master that you speak, will welcome it — how much more a human being; remember this and be at peace.\nAlready the sun's face peeps at the fringe of the clouds;\nTogether, thronging close, lead one another up the road;\nThe high Way, entrusted, has a lofty hand to save;\nThose near today shall later spread ten thousand miles." },{ "n": 30, "refId": "TNHT-1:30", "text": "Day after day the Master has told you: every matter the Master has infused into your heart. Whatever you plan, the Master has already decided. You need not weigh down your heart with worry. The Way is meant for those who have the affinity (duyên). Whoever has already become a disciple of the 'Evil Spirits and Demon-Sprites' (Tà-thần Tinh-quái) can in no way become a disciple of the Master." },{ "n": 31, "refId": "TNHT-1:31", "text": "Where there is the right principle, there is naturally the false;\nRight and false — these two principles, how are they told apart?\nHow do the Immortals and Buddhas come forth from mortal folk?\nThe mortal who would attain must come to Me." },{ "n": 32, "refId": "TNHT-1:32", "text": "... Those who have used up all the blessings of former lives and now further transgress the Heavenly Law (Thiên-Điều) — what could ever absolve such guilt? You know that even the penal law of this world shows no favoritism — how much less can the Heavenly Law be evaded? Even were it you, the Master would still wield that awesome power to punish, and would never show favor. You must greatly fear guilt; only with fear does one guard oneself; you must know fear and know how to guard yourselves, and understand clearly that 'Heaven and Earth are impartial' — do not presume upon the 'Great Merciful Father' (Đại-Từ-Phụ) and grow insolent toward his majesty, hear, my children." },{ "n": 33, "refId": "TNHT-1:33", "text": "23 February 1926" },{ "n": 34, "refId": "TNHT-1:34", "text": "To teach children, first make ready to teach yourself;\nThe merit of instruction is likewise a giving of life.\nIn the Way and in the world, one ought to know the world is weighty:\nEach point of bright light is a point of the divine.\n— Poem granted to Giáo-Tập [the Instructor]" },{ "n": 35, "refId": "TNHT-1:35", "text": "That is to say: the little ones you teach will later also become people in the world. That is 'the World.' If you know to hold the World dear, then strive to teach them to become good." },{ "n": 36, "refId": "TNHT-1:36", "text": "Each point of bright light is a human soul; it is the most sacred thing, treasured by the Master. If you wish to do good, then strive to teach those souls to become good. (An explanation of the last two lines of the poem.)" },{ "n": 37, "refId": "TNHT-1:37", "text": "25 February 1926" },{ "n": 38, "refId": "TNHT-1:38", "text": "The Jade Emperor, the Supreme Being, styled Cao Đài,\nthe Immortal Elder, Great Bodhisattva Mahāsattva,\nteaching the Way in the Southern Quarter." },{ "n": 39, "refId": "TNHT-1:39", "text": "TRUNG, come into the middle and perform the rite of worship for the Master to watch..." },{ "n": 40, "refId": "TNHT-1:40", "text": "You perform the rite correctly, but at each [prostration], remember to recite the Master's invocation: \"NAM-MÔ CAO-ĐÀI TIÊN-ÔNG ĐẠI-BỒ-TÁT MA-HA-TÁT\" [Homage to Cao Đài, the Immortal Elder, the Great Bodhisattva Mahāsattva]." },{ "n": 41, "refId": "TNHT-1:41", "text": "The Great Rite is to make the offering three times:\nThe first time, offer incense and flowers;\nThe middle time, offer wine;\nThe last time, offer tea." },{ "n": 42, "refId": "TNHT-1:42", "text": "You yourself must present those offerings." },{ "n": 43, "refId": "TNHT-1:43", "text": "When you perform the rite, join your two hands together, but the left hand must form the 'Tý' seal, the right hand turned palm-up beneath, and the left hand laid on top." },{ "n": 44, "refId": "TNHT-1:44", "text": "From now on (25-2-26), the 13th of the first lunar month of the year Bính-Dần, you must have made for yourself a special ceremonial robe — wide-sleeved, low-collared, like the robe of the Way, but fastened with nine loops and sky-blue in color. Remember to wear hemp sandals to attend the Master; otherwise, in every case, go entirely barefoot." },{ "n": 45, "refId": "TNHT-1:45", "text": "What is the prostration (lạy)?\nIt is to show outwardly the reverence within the heart.\nWhy join the two hands together?" },{ "n": 46, "refId": "TNHT-1:46", "text": "The left is the Sun, the right is the Moon — these are called Yin and Yang (Âm-Dương); Yin and Yang united as one give rise to the Cosmos (Càn-Khôn), begetting and transforming without end. This is the Way." },{ "n": 47, "refId": "TNHT-1:47", "text": "For the living, why are there two prostrations?" },{ "n": 48, "refId": "TNHT-1:48", "text": "It is because the origin of humankind comes from the joining of the two, Yin and Yang. This is the Way." },{ "n": 49, "refId": "TNHT-1:49", "text": "For the departed mortal, why are there four prostrations?\nBecause two prostrations belong to the human portion, one prostration to Heaven, and one to Earth.\nFor the Spirits and the Saints, why are there three prostrations? It is to bow to those of the third rank of Heaven, and it also signifies bowing to the union of Essence, Breath, and Spirit (Tinh-Khí-Thần). This is the Way." },{ "n": 50, "refId": "TNHT-1:50", "text": "For the Immortals and the Buddhas, why are there nine prostrations?\nIt is on account of the nine Powers of the Nine Heavens (Cửu-Thiên) that opened and shaped [creation]." },{ "n": 51, "refId": "TNHT-1:51", "text": "And for the Master, why are there twelve prostrations?\nYou do not know, do you?" },{ "n": 52, "refId": "TNHT-1:52", "text": "The Twelve who Opened Heaven (Thập nhị Khai-Thiên) are the Master, Lord of all the Cosmos and the World (Càn-Khôn Thế-Giái); he holds all twelve Spirits of the Hours (Thời-Thần) in his hand; the number twelve is the Master's own number." },{ "n": 53, "refId": "TNHT-1:53", "text": "... It is not yet the time for you to know why the Holy Image, the 'Eye,' is drawn for the worship of the Master, but the Master will speak of it in brief so that you understand a little." },{ "n": 54, "refId": "TNHT-1:54", "text": "The eye is the master of the heart-mind;\nThe two lights are the Sovereign Ruler.\nLight is Spirit (Thần);\nSpirit is Heaven (Thiên);\nHeaven — that is I." },{ "n": 55, "refId": "TNHT-1:55", "text": "Spirit (Thần) is what has been lacking in the mysterious mechanism since the day the Way was sealed shut. In establishing this 'Third Universal Amnesty' (Tam-Kỳ Phổ-Độ), the Master alone grants that Spirit be joined with Essence and Breath (Tinh-khí) so as to complete the 'Three Treasures' (Tam Bửu) — the mysterious means to transcend the mortal and enter the holy." },{ "n": 56, "refId": "TNHT-1:56", "text": "Remember to tell your fellow disciples the reason why the Master's Eye is worshiped." },{ "n": 57, "refId": "TNHT-1:57", "text": "As for the ranks of Spirit, Saint, Immortal, and Buddha — since the day the Way was sealed, their laws remain intact and their methods of refinement unchanged, but the Heavenly Court (Thiên-Đình) each time struck away the 'Spirit,' not letting it join with 'Essence and Breath.'" },{ "n": 58, "refId": "TNHT-1:58", "text": "The Master has come to restore the True Spirit to its origin for you, that you may attain the Way. Understand that 'the Spirit dwells in the Eye' (Thần cư tại Nhãn). Set it forth so that your fellow disciples understand clearly. The origin of the Immortals and Buddhas lies, in its essential mystery, right there. The Master urges you, each time you preach the Way, ever to remember the Master's name." },{ "n": 59, "refId": "TNHT-1:59", "text": "13 March 1926" },{ "n": 60, "refId": "TNHT-1:60", "text": "The Jade Emperor, the Supreme Being, styled Cao Đài,\nthe Immortal Elder, Great Bodhisattva Mahāsattva,\nteaching the Way in the Southern Quarter." },{ "n": 61, "refId": "TNHT-1:61", "text": "The Master lets you know beforehand, so that later you may not complain that the Master's authority was not enough to keep all his disciples in check." },{ "n": 62, "refId": "TNHT-1:62", "text": "You understand well enough: in every matter there is both the true and the false; if there were no true, how could one know the false; and if there were no false, how could one tell what is true?... (Laughs)..." },{ "n": 63, "refId": "TNHT-1:63", "text": "The Master tells you to understand: to be worthy as a disciple of the Master is a most austere path. The more he loves, the more the Master tries you. If you prove worthy to be the Master's disciple, then the White-Jade Capital will receive you; but if you fall, the gate of Hell (Địa-Ngục) will invite you instead. Loving, loving, hating, hating — who can fathom it, ah!" },{ "n": 64, "refId": "TNHT-1:64", "text": "Therefore the Master does not, out of hatred, withhold words of exhortation; nor, out of love, fail to send demons to tempt you. The Master tells you beforehand so you may guard yourselves; all around you, far and near, the Master has loosed a pack of tigers and wolves to dwell mingled among you. The Master constantly incites them to seize their chance and tear at you; but beforehand the Master has clad you in a suit of iron armor, and that armor they can never see — it is your virtue." },{ "n": 65, "refId": "TNHT-1:65", "text": "So strive to keep that suit of iron armor always, until the day you are gathered together with the Master." },{ "n": 66, "refId": "TNHT-1:66", "text": "Hear, and strive to obey." },{ "n": 67, "refId": "TNHT-1:67", "text": "Vĩnh-Nguyên-Tự [Vĩnh Nguyên Temple], 7 April 1926" },{ "n": 68, "refId": "TNHT-1:68", "text": "The Jade Emperor, the Supreme Being, styled Cao Đài,\nthe Immortal Elder, Great Bodhisattva Mahāsattva,\nteaching the Way in the Southern Quarter." },{ "n": 69, "refId": "TNHT-1:69", "text": "Dīpaṃkara, the Ancient Buddha (Nhiên-Đăng Cổ-Phật), is I;\nŚākyamuni (Thích-Ca Mâu-Ni) is I;\nTaishang, the Primordial Beginning (Thái-Thượng Ngươn-Thỉ), is I;\nNow am I called Cao Đài." },{ "n": 70, "refId": "TNHT-1:70", "text": "8 April 1926" },{ "n": 71, "refId": "TNHT-1:71", "text": "Śākyamuni Buddha Descends to the Séance (Giáng Cơ)." },{ "n": 72, "refId": "TNHT-1:72", "text": "Śākyamuni Buddha:\nturning the Buddha-Way (Phật-Đạo),\nturning the Buddha-Teaching (Phật-Giáo),\nturning the Buddhist Sangha (Phật-Tăng) back to the origin, to the Great Way (Đại-Đạo) — know this, all you living beings!" },{ "n": 73, "refId": "TNHT-1:73", "text": "Rejoice! Rejoice! We have met with the Third Universal Amnesty (Tam-Kỳ Phổ-Độ); the Spirits, Saints, Immortals, and Buddhas in great gladness break into great laughter. I no longer dread the suffering of the Three Evil Paths (tam đồ). One may follow the teaching of the Jade Emperor, styled Cao Đài, the Great Bodhisattva Mahāsattva." },{ "n": 74, "refId": "TNHT-1:74", "text": "CAO ĐÀI" },{ "n": 75, "refId": "TNHT-1:75", "text": "Lịch, my child, have you heard what the Buddha Tathāgata (Như-Lai) said?\nWhat is the Third Universal Amnesty (Tam-Kỳ Phổ-Độ)?\nIt is the universal deliverance conferred for the third time.\nWhy is it called Phổ-độ? What does Phổ-độ mean?\nPhổ is 'to spread abroad.'\nWhat is Độ?\nIt is to save living beings.\nTo fulfill the two words Phổ-độ, what must be done?\nWhat are living beings (chúng sanh)?\nLiving beings are the whole of humankind, not a chosen portion of people as you wrongly reckon.\nTo fulfill the two words Phổ-độ, what must be done? — the Master asks. You must reveal the precious Dharma (bửu-pháp) and hide it no longer. You must refine yourselves to completion, and within this fifth month return with Trung to go and transmit the Way." },{ "n": 76, "refId": "TNHT-1:76", "text": "Hear, and you must obey." },{ "n": 77, "refId": "TNHT-1:77", "text": ".... You must wear vestments like Trung's, but rose-colored." },{ "n": 78, "refId": "TNHT-1:78", "text": "22 and 23 April 1926, the 11th and 12th of the third [lunar] month of the year Bính Dần." },{ "n": 79, "refId": "TNHT-1:79", "text": "The Jade Emperor, the Supreme Being, styled Cao Đài,\nthe Immortal Elder, Great Bodhisattva Mahāsattva,\nteaching the Way in the Southern Quarter." },{ "n": 80, "refId": "TNHT-1:80", "text": "You three, my children, hear the instruction for the ceremony of Heavenly Ordination (Thiên-Phong):" },{ "n": 81, "refId": "TNHT-1:81", "text": "Are you glad, my children?" },{ "n": 82, "refId": "TNHT-1:82", "text": "Every day the Way is late in spreading is a day of harm to living beings. The Master is anxious, but the Heavenly Mechanism (Thiên-cơ) cannot be opposed, so its propagation meets obstacles; therefore you three (Trung, Cư, Tắc) arrange it thus:" },{ "n": 83, "refId": "TNHT-1:83", "text": "Trung, hear: Move the spirit-tablet of Lý-Bạch [Li Bai] and place it beneath the Master's image; clear out everything within, set one chair beside the altar; then above it place one large chair to be the throne of the Giáo-Tông [Pope]; three more arranged in a row below, to be the thrones of the three Đầu-Sư [Cardinals]. You must drape those four chairs to keep them pure, and bring the Heavenly Vestment of the Giáo-Tông and lay it on the upper chair. The Thượng-Thanh set place in the middle; the Ngọc-Thanh set on the right; and on the chair at the left you must write on a slip of paper the word 'THÁI' in large letters and paste it on the backrest." },{ "n": 84, "refId": "TNHT-1:84", "text": "Right at the Master's seat of presiding, place a chair, before the thrones of the three Đầu-Sư, and set up a spirit-tablet; have Lịch write it thus:" },{ "n": 85, "refId": "TNHT-1:85", "text": "\"CỬU THIÊN CẢM ỨNG LÔI THINH PHỔ HOÁ THIÊN TÔN\" [the Heavenly Venerable of the Nine Heavens, who Answers Prayer and Transforms All Through the Voice of Thunder]; then draw in addition a talisman, the \"KIM QUANG TIÊN\" [the Golden-Light Whip], set straight through the middle, so that whoever looks in can all see it." },{ "n": 86, "refId": "TNHT-1:86", "text": "The table where the Master descends to the planchette is to be set before the altar of the Ngũ-Lôi [the Five Thunders]; once the descent is done, move it away to clear the space, so the two Đầu-Sư may kneel and take their oath." },{ "n": 87, "refId": "TNHT-1:87", "text": "You are also to set one more table in the middle by the window, facing inward at the front." },{ "n": 88, "refId": "TNHT-1:88", "text": "Cư, hear these instructions: Have Tắc bathe himself clean (cense him with incense), have him choose a clean set of Western clothes, dressed as usual, wearing a hat..." },{ "n": 89, "refId": "TNHT-1:89", "text": "(Laughs.....)" },{ "n": 90, "refId": "TNHT-1:90", "text": "By rights he ought to don helmet and armor as in the classical opera (hát bội), but because he is poor, the Master does not require it." },{ "n": 91, "refId": "TNHT-1:91", "text": "Have him stand up above, facing straight toward the throne of the Giáo-Tông, and take nine tấc of red cloth to cover his face." },{ "n": 92, "refId": "TNHT-1:92", "text": "Lịch, write out a talisman (the Giáng-Ma-Xử, the Demon-Quelling Pestle) and give it to him to hold." },{ "n": 93, "refId": "TNHT-1:93", "text": "My children, you must be pure from this day on, utterly rooting out the worldly heart and not soiling a single point, so that on that day the oath may be valid." },{ "n": 94, "refId": "TNHT-1:94", "text": "Cư, when you bring the three sets of Heavenly Vestments and set them up on the three thrones, you must hold the pen with a stick of incense, as every time, so that the Master may seal his power within the three sets of Vestments and the three thrones; only then call the two Đầu-Sư to come kneel before their Precious Thrones, so the Master may draw a talisman upon them. When the two Đầu-Sư have made their obeisance, they must come before the Master's Precious Sanctuary and perform the rite (twelve prostrations), and before the throne of the Giáo-Tông (nine prostrations); then have Giảng call out, \"Resume your seats\" (Phục vị), and the two men climb up and sit." },{ "n": 95, "refId": "TNHT-1:95", "text": "All the disciples divide into three ranks and kneel down; have Tắc climb onto the table; you hold the pen with incense and go to the table of the Ngũ-Lôi so the Master may summon it, and then come before Tắc so the Master may expel his True Spirit: remember to have Hậu and Đức cense their hands with incense, and if the younger one starts and falls, catch him." },{ "n": 96, "refId": "TNHT-1:96", "text": "Then have the two Đầu-Sư come down from their thrones and kneel before the Ngũ-Lôi, hands joined above their heads, kneeling right before the talisman (Kim-Quang-Tiên), and swear thus:" },{ "n": 97, "refId": "TNHT-1:97", "text": "\"I, Lê Văn Trung, styled by Heavenly Grace (Thiên Ân) as Thượng Trung Nhựt, and Lê Văn Lịch, styled by Heavenly Grace as Ngọc Lịch Nguyệt, swear before August Heaven and the Sovereign Earth, before the Precious Law of the Ngũ Lôi, that we will fulfill the Heavenly Way and guide all our younger brethren, who are all disciples of Cao Đài, the Jade Emperor; that in each and every thing we shall act by the Master's ordained command, not daring to usurp authority and set up a heterodox way (tả đạo); and that if in days to come we are found guilty, we swear the Ngũ Lôi shall strike us dead.\"" },{ "n": 98, "refId": "TNHT-1:98", "text": "Coming to the table of the Hộ-Pháp [the Defender of the Dharma], likewise kneel down and make the same vow, with the closing clause as follows:" },{ "n": 99, "refId": "TNHT-1:99", "text": "\"If in days to come we transgress the Heavenly Law, we swear that the Hộ-Pháp shall cast us down into the Three Evil Paths (Tam-đồ), unable to escape the mortal round.\"" },{ "n": 100, "refId": "TNHT-1:100", "text": "Then have Giảng call out once more, \"Resume your seats,\" and the two Đầu-Sư go back to sit upon their thrones, and the disciples all come to bow, two prostrations each." },{ "n": 101, "refId": "TNHT-1:101", "text": "Then comes the disciples' turn: one by one they go to the table of the Ngũ-Lôi and swear:" },{ "n": 102, "refId": "TNHT-1:102", "text": "\"Given name?....... Family name?...... I swear: From now on I acknowledge the one Way of Cao Đài, the Jade Emperor, alone; I will not change my heart or turn my mind, but will be in union with all the disciples and keep the laws of Cao Đài; and if hereafter I harbor a divided heart, then let Heaven slay me and Earth destroy me (Thiên-tru, Địa-lục).\"" },{ "n": 103, "refId": "TNHT-1:103", "text": "Coming before the table of the Hộ-Pháp, they swear likewise, and then come to bow to the two Đầu-Sư." },{ "n": 104, "refId": "TNHT-1:104", "text": "24 April 1926" },{ "n": 105, "refId": "TNHT-1:105", "text": "The Jade Emperor, the Supreme Being, styled Cao Đài,\nthe Immortal Elder, Great Bodhisattva Mahāsattva,\nteaching the Way in the Southern Quarter." },{ "n": 106, "refId": "TNHT-1:106", "text": "From of old the Master established the Five Branches of the Great Way (Ngũ chi Đại-Đạo), namely:" },{ "n": 107, "refId": "TNHT-1:107", "text": "The Way of Humanity (Nhơn-đạo);\nThe Way of the Spirits (Thần-đạo);\nThe Way of the Saints (Thánh-đạo);\nThe Way of the Immortals (Tiên-đạo);\nThe Way of the Buddhas (Phật-đạo)." },{ "n": 108, "refId": "TNHT-1:108", "text": "According to the customs of mankind, the True Religion (Chánh-Giáo) was fashioned; for in earlier times, when Heaven could not be seen and Earth could not be surveyed (Càn vô đắc khán, Khôn vô đắc duyệt), humankind practiced religion only each within its own quarter." },{ "n": 109, "refId": "TNHT-1:109", "text": "But now humankind has come together. Heaven and Earth are now fully known (Càn-Khôn dĩ tận thức), yet on account of that multitude of religions humankind is set against itself; therefore the Master has now resolved to bring all back to the origin and restore them to one (quy nguyên phục nhứt). Furthermore, in earlier times the Master entrusted the True Religion to mortal hands, and day by day it drifted farther from the Holy Teaching (Thánh-Giáo) and became a merely Worldly Religion (Phàm-Giáo). The Master finds it grievous, ever seeing that for nearly ten thousand years mankind has had to fall into sin, into the doom of the Avīci Hell (A-Tỳ)." },{ "n": 110, "refId": "TNHT-1:110", "text": "The Master has resolved to come in his own person to save you, no longer willing to entrust the True Religion to mortal hands. Yet it is necessary to establish a Governing Body (Chánh Thể), with senior and junior ranks, so that it may be easier for you to guide one another — elder brother ahead, younger behind — until you reach the Isle of the Immortals (Bồng Đảo)." },{ "n": 111, "refId": "TNHT-1:111", "text": "Therefore the Master has established one rank of Giáo-Tông, meaning the eldest brother, and three ranks of Đầu-Sư, meaning religious brethren (Giáo-Hữu). No one here below shall any longer have leave to say that he holds authority in the Master's stead over the souls of mankind. Only one of great virtue may sit in the position the Master bestows. As for the disciples, each is as any other; none may form cliques or set up parties; whoever commits an offense the Master expels, that there be no disorder." } ] }, "links": { "self": "/v1/library/books/thanh-ngon-hiep-tuyen-woh/chapters/1", "book": "/v1/library/books/thanh-ngon-hiep-tuyen-woh/", "chapters": "/v1/library/books/thanh-ngon-hiep-tuyen-woh/chapters/", "library": "/v1/library/", "schema": "/v1/schema/book/" } }