Tuesday, February 19, 2013

Vietnam: Cao Dai Temple

For part of my vacation in January, I got to go visit my friend Danielle, who is now living in Vietnam.  Unfortunately, she and I did not end up taking any photos together, partially because the crime rate in Ho Chi Minh (where we were) is such that carrying a camera around wasn't the best of ideas, but mostly because that's the sort of thing that she and I frequently forget to do.  Nonetheless, I got plenty of other photos from while I was doing tourist-y things, so I have plenty to share with you.

Today, I want to spend an entire blog post on a stop that probably only took 30 minutes.  Outside of Saigon (AKA Ho Chi Minh) there is The Great Temple of the Cao Dai religion.  Cao Dai is one of the more interesting religions that I've come across in my travels.  It combines elements of Buddhism, Taoism, Confucianism and even Catholicism, melding together to form a uniquely Vietnamese experience.  Central to the religion is the presence of vibrant colors, which you will see from my pictures.

Having studied the basics of all of the religions involved, it was fascinating to watch the Cao Dai service unfold, picking out the contributions from each, but, as a religion rather than an intelectual exercise, I found Cao Dai to be a bit hard to wrap my mind around.  I couldn't (and still can't) fully fathom how people could be so devoted to a religion that was willing to glean what it liked from any religion that came into contact with it.  I can understand a lifestyle that would do that, but a religion?  If the point of religion is to acknowledge something higher than the worshiper, wouldn't bringing in elements of the worshiper's own design be counter-productive?  Can you be fully devoted to a religion that isn't fully devoted to its own traditions?  I'm not sure; but these things were all on my mind as I photographed the temple.


 





5 comments:

  1. It seems like I was just there yesterday! That temple was such a cool experience!

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    1. I was wondering if this was where y'all went. Did you go to Cu Chi as well?

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  2. Your description of the blending of religious views makes me think of the Life of Pi. It does seem hard to picture the blending of all how to justify mixing religious practices.
    The pictures are beautiful by the way. Hope you enjoyed the trip

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    1. Yeah! It's hard to accurately describe how it made me feel to try and ponder it, but it was definitely an interesting experience.

      I LOVED the experience, and I hope that my posts will reflect that.

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    2. Of course, I must say that I incorporate a lot of Buddhist concepts into my faith, BUT I will say that Buddhism was originally intended to be a lifestyle, not a religion, and the religious aspects seem to be mostly a blending of Buddhism and Hinduism, so I don't think I'm changing my Christianity by doing that. I feel more like the Buddhist teachings help me find a tangible way to express my convictions. That being said, I don't hold hard and fast to them by any means... I guess it's more like a set of guidelines that help me frame how I want to live out my Christianity.

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