Phạm Công Tắc

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. He was leader of the Tây Ninh branch, the dominant branch of Cao Đài in southern Vietnam. His authority, however, was not uncontested.

In 1925, he and his two colleagues (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, 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.

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 became the religious head 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.

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 (2007).

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.

In 1941, many 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 at least four other Cao Đài 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. However, Japanese Armed Forces were defeated in 1945 and withdrew to Japan. Vietnamese, in general, and the Cao Đài Army, in particular, were faced with the Allied, then French, return to Vietnam.

In 1946, the political situation changed. Faced with the threat of the communist-led Việt Minh in the south, the French decided to bring back Hộ Pháp Phạm Công Tắc from exile and to ask for his cooperation in the struggle against the communists. Phạm Công Tắc agreed, but not all Cao Đài leaders followed his lead. 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 as leader of the Tây Ninh branch of the Cao Đài. Like most Cao Đài,

Phạm Cong Tác collaborated with the French with the aim of securing the independence of at least the southern part of Vietnam.

In 1954, Vietnamese Head of State Bảo Đại asked Hộ Pháp Phạm Công Tắc to be one of the advisors for the Vietnamese delegates in Geneva, Switzerland. He went to Paris and tried to prevent Vietnam from being partitioned. However, his persuasion failed, so he returned to Vietnam. After that, he paid visits to Taiwanese and South Korean leaders. In 1955, General Nguyen Thanh Phuong, unofficially instigated by Ngô Đình 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 1959.

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

• How to practice Caodaism under the pen-name Ai Dan – 1928
• A Visit to Heaven 1927
• The Third Method of Practicing Caodaism 1947
• Breviaries for secular activities
• Speeches
• Poems