Includes bibliographical references and index.

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.

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. See Less

English

Description based on print version record.