Overview

In 1948, Vietnam’s great 20th Century mystic Phạm Công Tắc (1890-1959) began a series of sermons making Caodaism’s claims to universal salvation the clearest. In only two decades, Caodaism had stamped its fast-growing presence on the nation. With potent creative and poetic skill Phạm Công Tắc invited his co-religionists to take a shamanic journey with him to examine the heavens and literally see how they would be saved. The 35 sermons translated here are provided with a commentary and extensive introduction by Hartney. How Heaven Works is a fascinating insight into the deep connection between shamanic atmosphere, literature, and Modern syncretic concepts of salvation.

Full Product Details

Author:   Christopher Hartney
Publisher:   Brill
Imprint:   Brill
Volume:   178
Weight:   0.001kg
ISBN:  

9789004680692

ISBN 10:   9004680691
Pages:   385
Publication Date:   28 November 2024
Audience:   Professional and scholarly ,  Professional & Vocational
Format:   Hardback
Publisher's Status:   Forthcoming
Availability:   In Print  
Limited stock is available. It will be ordered for you and shipped pending supplier's limited stock.

Table of Contents

Preface Acknowledgements Part1 General Introduction and Context 1 Caodaism, Syncretism, and Renovation  1 What, Then, Is Caodaism?  2 Caodaism and Its Millenarian Project 2 The Textual-Historical Divisions of Tây Ninh Caodaism  1 Stage One: 1925–1934  2 Stage Two: 1935–1955  3 Stage Three: 1955–1975  4 A Fourth Stage: 1975– 3 Who Was Phạm Công Tắc and What Constitutes Mediumship in Caodaism  1 Mediumship in Caodaism  2 The Development of the Hiệp Thiên Đài  3 The Second Period of Scriptural Development 4 Sources of The Divine Path  1 Early Textual Developments at the Dawn of Caodaism  2 Kinh Khai Cửu Đại Tường và Tiểu-Tường: The Prayers of the Faith  3 Thiên Thai Kiến Diện [A Visit to Celestial Realms] 5 The Structure of The Divine Path  1 The Tây Ninh Section (Opening)  2 Approaching the Celestial Bát Quái Đài (First Orientation Section)  3 The Cloud Cave Interregnum (Sermon Five)  4 The Divine Mother and the White Jade Palace (Second Orientation Section)  5 The Work of the Cung Thế Thiên Hành Hóa  6 The “Tông Đường” or “Spiritual Family” Section  7 Beyond Nirvana: The “Đại Hội Long Hoa” or Great Dragon Flower Assembly 6 Site, Space, Voice, Ritual, and Eventually, Text  1 The Great Divine Temple as Performance Space  2 Ritual, Voice, and Shamanic Suggestion 7 The Purpose of Turning Performance into Text, and Conclusions  1 The Third Period of Text Development or the History of the Present Text  2 The Divine Path as Theological Memory Palace  3 The Ultimate Purpose of the Universe and of the Caodaist Paradise  4 Conclusions  5 A Short Note on the Translation Part2 The Sermons and Commentary Translators’ Note 1 What is the Divine Path to Eternal Life? There are Three Methods of Creating a Divine Position  Commentary on Sermon One 2 The Realm of The Thừa Thiên Hành Hóa  Commentary on Sermon Two 3 The Form of the Bát Quái Đài and the Sea of Suffering: A Sermon Given Specifically for Officials of the Cửu Trùng Đài  Commentary on Sermon Three 4 Entering the Bát Quái Đài via the Ô-Trì pond, Gender Equality, and the Sea of Suffering  Commentary on Sermon Four 5 The Paradise of Extreme Joy and the Image of the Divine Mother  Commentary on Sermon Five 6 The Power of the Divine Mother  Commentary on Sermon Six 7 The Ngân River and the Animal Nature of Humanity  Commentary on Sermon Seven 8 The Secrets and Mysteries of the Bát Quái Đài and the Motion of the Eight-levels of Souls  Commentary on Sermon Eight 9 The Dragon Flower Assembly Where Positions Will Be Granted to Worthy Souls  Commentary on Sermon Nine 10 The Secret and Essential Philosophy of the Religion: The Perispirit and Civilization  Commentary on Sermon Ten 11 The All-Pervasive Nature of the Four Sufferings/Four Noble Truths and the Story of the King of Hell  Commentary on Sermon Eleven 12 The Power of Protecting the Souls of Human Beings in the Religion  Commentary on Sermon Twelve 13 How Atheists Debate at the Cung Hiệp Thiên Hành Hóa  Commentary on Sermon Thirteen 14 The Method of Cultivating the Way; Although Each of the Five Branches Is Different, They All Have the Same Aim: To Free Humanity from Suffering  Commentary on Sermon Fourteen 15 The Secret Dharma that Develops an Altruistic Life, Destroys Selfishness, and Elevates Public Life against Individual Desire  Commentary on Sermon Fifteen 16 The Law of Love and the Right of Justice; How to Lead Humanity Towards Union Through Belief  Commentary on Sermon Sixteen 17 The Power of the Law of Love, the Dharma of Justice, and the Agreement Between the Supreme Being and Humanity  Commentary on Sermon Seventeen 18 The True Happiness of Humanity  Commentary on Sermon Eighteen 19 The Supreme Being Devised the Caodaist Religion to Create Happiness for All Humanity and for Peace on this 68th Planet  Commentary on Sermon Nineteen 20 The Image of the Divine Mother on Earth Is the Image of Shiva; The Divine Extended Family of Each Individual Will Meet at Cung Diêu Trì  Commentary on Sermon Twenty 21 The Secret Inherent in What We Have Done, What We are Doing, What We Must Do; The Relation Between the Angel and the Animal in Each of Us and How This Relates to the Court of Heaven  Commentary on Sermon Twenty-One 22 The Philosophy of Civilization  Commentary on Sermon Twenty-Two 23 The Desire to Progress on the Path to the Eternal Life Is Limitless  Commentary on Sermon Twenty-Three 24 Our Sins Are Recorded by Our Own Perispirit; Therefore, There Is No Way We Can Deny Them  Commentary on Sermon Twenty-Four 25 The Phục-Linh Realm and How to Preach the Way  Commentary on Sermon Twenty-Five 26 The Method of Governing the Universe Lies in How We Govern Ourselves  Commentary on Sermon Twenty-Six 27 Our Arrival at the Cung Phục Linh and the Secret Dharma That Liberates the Self  Commentary on Sermon Twenty-Seven 28 Linh Tiêu Điện [The Ngọc Hư Cung] and the Governing Body of the Supreme Being  Commentary on Sermon Twenty-Eight 29 The Difference Between the Process of Rising Through Heaven and the Process of Falling into the Dark Realms  Commentary on Sermon Twenty-Nine 30 The Paradise of Extreme Joy: Where We Are Temporarily Liberated; Although This is Not the Ultimate Realm for Souls  Commentary on Sermon Thirty 31 The Supreme Being Preserves Our Divine Extended Family  Commentary on Sermon Thirty-One 32 What Is a Drop of Holy Water? What Is the True Appearance of Nirvana?  Commentary on Sermon Thirty-Two 33 Few People Achieve a Position in Heaven Because Lucifer Blocks the Way  Commentary on Sermon Thirty-Three 34 The Hổn-Ngươn Thượng Thiên  Commentary on Sermon Thirty-Four 35 Lôi Âm Temple, Where Amitabha Buddha Reigns, and Where the Pilgrim Reaches His Lotus Throne  Commentary on Sermon Thirty-Five Appendix—Preface to the 1971 Edition: An Explanatory Introduction by Caodaist Historian Mr Trần Văn Rạng Glossary Bibliography Index

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Author Information

Christopher Hartney, Ph.D. (2004), University of Sydney, is Senior Lecturer and Chair of Studies in Religion at that university. He has published extensively on Caodaism, sacred creativity, and the nexus between religion and violence.

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