About a kilometer past Vĩnh Tràng Pagoda toward Mỹ Phong, you reach number 193 Nguyễn Trung Trực Street, a three-mẫu (three-hectare) compound where the gate opens onto a wide courtyard and a multi-tiered temple. Step into the main hall and the first thing to catch the eye is neither dragon columns nor curved eaves, but the sacred emblem on the highest altar, an eye set inside a heart, radiating seventy-two rays of light. In front of the emblem stands a frame of fifteen oil lamps.
Anyone familiar with the Tây Ninh Holy See will pause right there. At Tây Ninh, the Divine Eye (Thiên Nhãn) is painted on a great sphere called the Celestial Globe (quả Càn Khôn). Here there is no globe, only a heart. This is Định Tường Holy See (Tòa Thánh Định Tường), the central seat of the Cao Đài Chơn Lý Holy See (Hội Thánh Cao Đài Chơn Lý), the branch that departs farthest from the Tây Ninh root in its outward form of worship.
IThe Tâm Hòa Nhãn sacred emblem and the Thái Cực Đăng lamp stand
The Supreme Being worshipped here is still Đức Chí Tôn, the Highest Lord in Caodaist teaching, and is still represented without a carved statue. The difference lies in the form of the emblem, which bears its own name, Tâm Hòa Nhãn, and in the 2020 Charter is also called in Vietnamese Tâm Thần Lẽ Thật (Heart, Spirit, Truth).
Tâm Hòa Nhãn places the Eye of Heaven inside a red heart, with a white sclera, a black pupil rimmed in sky blue, and seventy-two rays of light shining outward. As the branch itself explains, the eye still signifies the all-seeing vision of Đức Chí Tôn as throughout Caodaism, but setting that eye inside a heart expresses that the vision of Heaven and the heart of humanity must merge as one, rather than one side looking down from above and the other gazing up from below. Literally, the three words tâm hòa nhãn mean the heart harmonized with the eye. Below the sacred emblem stand four ancestral tablets honoring the Four Great Sages (Tứ đại Thánh nhơn), namely Shakyamuni Buddha, Laozi, Confucius and Jesus.
In front of the sacred emblem stands the Thái Cực Đăng (Supreme Ultimate Lamp), a stand of fifteen lamps also called the Thập Ngũ Linh Đăng (Fifteen Sacred Lamps). The fifteen lamps correspond to the fifteen articles of the branch's own code of precepts, and in ritual practice lighting all fifteen lamps opens each daily service.
In religious law, Chơn Lý does not use the common New Canonical Code (Tân Luật) but maintains two texts of its own, the Law of Equilibrium (Luật Bình Quân) and the Fifteen Precepts (Thập Ngũ Quy Điều). In doctrine, the branch emphasizes the teaching of the Three Minor Sub-Periods (Tam Tiểu Thời Kỳ), dividing the Third Amnesty of Caodaism into three smaller stages, namely the First, Second and Third Minor Sub-Periods, each with its own appointed task. That division is unique to this branch.
As far as historical records show, in 1928 Senior Archbishop Nguyễn Văn Ca (Thái Phối sư Nguyễn Văn Ca, religious name Bửu An Thiên) gathered followers to establish a temple in the Mỹ Tho area, and between 1930 and 1931 formed the Minh Chơn Lý Holy See (Hội Thánh Minh Chơn Lý) and built its central compound on three mẫu of land in Mỹ Phong. In 1938, when Lê Văn Được (religious name Ngọc Chơn Long, honored as Đại đức Tam Tôn) became head of the Hiệp Thiên Đài, the organization took the name Cao Đài Chơn Lý Holy See (Hội Thánh Cao Đài Chơn Lý). According to published records, the Holy See currently comprises about twenty-eight to thirty local temples (thánh thất) along with the An Thái Minor Holy See in Bình Định and sanctuaries such as Phổ Đà Cảnh, Vạn Linh Đài and Hồi Quán Vô Vi Cảnh across more than ten provinces and cities, with roughly six thousand to ten thousand adherents.
A common misunderstanding is to see the different sacred emblem and conclude that this is no longer Caodaism. That view does not hold up. Chơn Lý still worships Đức Chí Tôn, still upholds the principle of uniting the Three Teachings and Five Branches, still performs the four daily services, still maintains a nine-rank clerical hierarchy, and still observes the Three Refuges and Five Precepts. The differences lie in the sacred emblem, the canonical code and the division of sub-periods, matters that each Cao Đài Holy See determines for itself.
A second, smaller misunderstanding concerns the name. Two names are used interchangeably for this site, Định Tường Holy See after the old provincial name of the Mỹ Tho region, and Chơn Lý Holy See after the name of the Holy See. Both refer to the same place.
One further detail should be noted. The two Chinese characters at the top of this page represent the branch's name reconstructed by the library for readers familiar with Chinese script, not copied from a horizontal plaque inside the hall.
IIFrom the Minh Chơn Lý congregation to a Holy See
This site belongs to the earliest layer of Cao Đài foundations outside Tây Ninh. Just two years after the Opening of the Way, a congregation took shape in Mỹ Tho, in the early 1930s it formed the Minh Chơn Lý Holy See on three mẫu of land in Mỹ Phong, and in 1938 it adopted the name Cao Đài Chơn Lý Holy See.
- 1926Opening of the Cao Đài religionThe inauguration ceremony of the Great Way of the Third Universal Amnesty (Đại Đạo Tam Kỳ Phổ Độ) was held in southern Vietnam, establishing the common foundation recognized by all later branches.
- 1928 - 1931From Mỹ Tho Temple to the Minh Chơn Lý Holy SeeIn 1928, Thái Phối sư Nguyễn Văn Ca gathered followers to found a temple in Mỹ Tho. Between 1930 and 1931, the Minh Chơn Lý Holy See was established, with the First An Thiên Assembly on June 17, 1931 ordaining him Head of the Cửu Trùng Đài under the religious name Bửu An Thiên, and developing the three-mẫu compound in Mỹ Phong.
- 1938Renamed Cao Đài Chơn Lý Holy SeeOpening the Third Minor Sub-Period in the branch's history, Lê Văn Được (religious name Ngọc Chơn Long) assumed leadership of the Hiệp Thiên Đài, the organization took the name Cao Đài Chơn Lý Holy See, enshrined the Tâm Hòa Nhãn emblem, and shaped its own canonical code comprising Luật Bình Quân and Thập Ngũ Quy Điều.
- Later decadesGradual construction and restorationThe Holy See temple on the Mỹ Phong compound was built and restored over several phases, with funds and labor contributed largely by adherents as merit service (công quả).
- 2020New term charter adoptedThe Holy See adopted its Charter for the 2020 to 2025 term, setting out the four-hall structure (Tứ Đài), the Tâm Thần Lẽ Thật emblem, the Thập Ngũ Linh Đăng clerical order, and the nine clerical ranks of the Cửu Trùng Đài.
One point should be stated plainly, as sources differ on the founding year of this branch. A study on Nhịp Cầu Tâm Giao notes 1928 for the founding of Mỹ Tho Temple and June 17, 1931 for the An Thiên Assembly that established the Minh Chơn Lý Holy See. The preamble to the Holy See's 2020 Charter likewise takes 1931 (Tân Mùi year) in Mỹ Tho as its founding milestone. Meanwhile, Wikipedia and the Cao Đài Inter-branch Review record 1930 (Canh Ngọ year) for the founding of Định Tường Temple and the Minh Chơn Lý Holy See and 1938 for the change of name to Cao Đài Chơn Lý Holy See, while the portal of the Tây Ninh Department of Ethnic and Religious Affairs gives 1932. Because these dates reflect successive stages from the initial temple to the formation of the Holy See and its renaming, this article records each milestone with its source rather than picking a single number at random.
IIIFour halls instead of three
Anyone who has read about the three-hall layout of Caodaism and then steps inside here will encounter something unusual, because in Chơn Lý the structure of worship and governance is divided into four halls (Tứ Đài) rather than three, and their roles do not completely mirror those of other branches.
The most sacred section, housing the Tâm Hòa Nhãn (Tâm Thần Lẽ Thật) emblem, the four tablets of the Four Great Sages, and the Thái Cực Đăng lamp stand. This is the sanctuary of Đức Chí Tôn and the Divine Beings.
The section responsible for upholding religious law, preserving Luật Bình Quân and Thập Ngũ Quy Điều, and mediating between the visible and invisible realms.
The section responsible for administration and missionary work, with nine clerical ranks rising from Lễ Sanh up to Giáo Tông. The floor rises in stepped levels in the manner common to Cao Đài temples.
The fourth hall, found only in Chơn Lý. According to Articles 12 and 36 of the 2020 Charter, Châu Thiên Đài is the formless (vô vi), invisible seat worshipping the Supreme God, with an altar directly below its center dedicated to Đức Chưởng Án (Thái Công Thượng Phụ), and is associated with the Thập Ngũ Linh Đăng clerical order.
The stand of fifteen lamps placed before the sacred emblem, also called Thập Ngũ Linh Đăng, corresponding to the fifteen precepts of Thập Ngũ Quy Điều. Lighting all fifteen lamps opens each ritual service.
Seen from outside, the building still follows the pattern of a southern Cao Đài temple, with a long hall along a single axis, a tall projecting facade, multi-tiered roofs with molded reliefs, and a wide brick courtyard in front. According to the branch's records, the plan of the Holy See takes the form of a human figure lying with its face turned toward the south, echoing the classical saying "The sage faces south and listens to all under heaven", with the Later Heaven Eight Trigrams (Bát Quái Hậu Thiên) before the Hiệp Thiên Đài and the central doorway leading straight onto the Huỳnh Đạo path. What sets Chơn Lý apart is not displayed on the roof tiles but inside the hall, in the sacred emblem and the lamp stand. That is worth noting about religious architecture in general, where major doctrinal differences may leave no trace on the facade and only appear once you step up to the altar.
Định Tường Holy See stands very close to Vĩnh Tràng Pagoda, less than a kilometer away, so the two sites are often visited on the same trip and sometimes confused. They should be clearly distinguished, as Vĩnh Tràng Pagoda is a Northern Buddhist (Mahayana) pagoda worshipping the Buddha, with triple gates and Buddhist statues. Định Tường Holy See is a Cao Đài temple worshipping Đức Chí Tôn under the Tâm Hòa Nhãn emblem, without a statue of the Buddha on the main altar. The two sit a short walk apart but belong to two distinct religions.
IVThe lie of the land and orientation
This section presents the library's reading through the lens of traditional geomancy, not content written in the branch's charter or scriptures. The library states this clearly so readers can distinguish documentary record from interpretation. Those who built this temple followed the doctrine of their faith, not manuals of geomancy.
The first feature worth reading is the contiguous three-mẫu plot. On the outskirts of a riverine city along the Tiền River, keeping a single unbroken three-mẫu parcel for a place of worship is rare, and in traditional site reading that is the primary condition, because ample land allows a proper bright hall (minh đường) and room for courtyards, gardens and auxiliary wings without crowding the sanctuary. Classical texts call this broad earth where qi gathers (địa khoát khí tụ), meaning that where the ground is spacious, qi has room to collect.
The second feature is the water landscape. Mỹ Phong lies in the delta of the Tiền River, surrounded by canals, ditches and orchards. With water encircling the wider area on all four sides, a traditional reading views the entire surrounding plain as the bright hall (minh đường), with no need to look farther afield. In exchange, the low-lying ground has soft foundations, which explains why the structure has required repeated rounds of restoration rather than standing unchanged from a single build.
The third feature, unique to this site, is number. The sacred emblem has seventy-two rays of light, and the lamp stand holds fifteen lamps. Within the branch's system, both numbers carry specific doctrinal meanings rather than mere decoration. Read through traditional Eastern learning, seventy-two is a classic number tied to circular divisions and solar terms, while fifteen belongs to the full moon night at the middle of the lunar month. A sanctuary where every prominent number is round and points to fullness is what geomancers call completed number (số mãn). Again, the branch chose these two numbers according to its own doctrine, not geomantic manuals.
Finally, there is the four-hall longitudinal axis. The four-hall structure lengthens the path from outside to inside by one threshold compared with the familiar three-hall plan. In traditional reading, each threshold filters and elevates the flow of qi, so adding a hall adds another step of advancing qi rising by grades (tiến khí thăng cấp). Notably, that added layer, Châu Thiên Đài, is defined in the Holy See's charter as the formless (vô vi) seat worshipping the Supreme God and corresponding to the Thập Ngũ Linh Đăng clerical order. Here, the extra spatial step on the ground coincides with the extra formless layer before the throne of Đức Chí Tôn, meeting not by calculation but by following the same line of thought.
VFestivals and religious practice
Daily practice here centers on the four daily services (cúng tứ thời) across day and night in the common manner of Caodaism, and every service begins by lighting all fifteen lamps of the Thái Cực Đăng. Initiates observe the Three Refuges and Five Precepts (Tam Quy Ngũ Giới) and practice self-cultivation (công phu), ritual duty (công trình) and merit service (công quả). According to reference accounts of the branch, the Cao Đài Chơn Lý Holy See does not practice esoteric sitting meditation (tịnh luyện), but instead practices sitting in the unseen realm (ngồi u minh) to pray for the deliverance of the departed and the salvation of the living.
| Date | Festival | Details |
|---|---|---|
| 1st to 4th of the 1st lunar month | New Spring Opening Festival (Lễ Tân Xuân - Khai niên) | The major New Year festival opening the religious year under Article 20 of the Holy See's Charter. Followers from local congregations gather at the Holy See. |
| 14th to 15th of the 1st, 7th and 10th lunar months | Three Nguơn Festivals (Thượng, Trung, Hạ Ngươn) | The three seasonal festivals of Upper Nguơn (1st month), Middle Nguơn (7th month) and Lower Nguơn (10th month) in the annual liturgical cycle. |
| 4th, 5th, 6th and 9th lunar months | Long Hoa, Tam Tôn, An Thiên and Liên Hoa Festivals | Four distinctive major festivals in the branch's calendar, comprising Long Hoa (14th to 15th of the 4th month), Tam Tôn (14th to 15th of the 5th month), An Thiên (17th to 18th of the 6th month, commemorating the 1931 An Thiên Assembly) and Liên Hoa (21st to 22nd of the 9th month). |
| Night of the 14th of the 8th lunar month | Grand Festival of the Divine Mother and Three Fairy Maidens | Grand offering to the Divine Mother (Diêu Trì Kim Mẫu) and commemoration of the Three Fairy Maidens (Tam vị Tiên Nương). In addition, Mother offerings are held monthly on the nights of the 7th, 17th and 27th lunar days. |
| December 24 to 25 (solar calendar) | Anniversary of the Opening of the Way (Lễ Tu My) | Year-end solar festival commemorating the Opening of the Way as stipulated in the Holy See's Charter. |
Regarding vegetarian observance, adherents keep vegetarian days on a graded schedule, starting at six days a month, rising to ten days, and full lifelong vegetarianism for those ordained to clerical rank. Regarding vestments, dignitaries wear ceremonial robes according to rank and division, while lay followers wear white tunic robes (áo dài trắng), standing in rows ordered by rank and gender, men on one side and women on the other, as is customary across Caodaism.
One distinctive custom worth noting is that the Holy See maintains a clerical order named Thập Ngũ Linh Đăng belonging to Châu Thiên Đài, taking the exact name of the fifteen-lamp stand before the sacred emblem. Naming a clerical body after a ritual object shows that the lamp stand is not mere ornament, but one of the pillars of the entire system.
VILocation And How To Get There
- Address
- Số 193 đường Nguyễn Trung Trực, ấp Mỹ An, phường Mỹ Phong (xã Mỹ Phong, thành phố Mỹ Tho, tỉnh Tiền Giang cũ), tỉnh Đồng Tháp
- Getting there
- Located at 193 Nguyễn Trung Trực Street, Mỹ An Hamlet, Mỹ Phong Ward (formerly Mỹ Phong Commune, Mỹ Tho City, Tiền Giang Province), now in Đồng Tháp Province. About a kilometer from Vĩnh Tràng Pagoda along the same route.
- Coordinates
- 10.364, 106.3719
This is an active place of worship rather than a tourist attraction, so visitors should follow the house rules. A few points are regularly noted, including removing shoes before entering the hall, dressing modestly, using the men's or women's side entrances as directed on site, walking quietly and refraining from conversation while a service is in progress. Non-adherents are welcome to observe, but should stand in the visitor area rather than mixing into the worshipping rows. Please ask the attendant at the door before taking photographs inside the hall.
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?Quick Questions
Who is worshipped at Chơn Lý Holy See
It worships Đức Chí Tôn, the Supreme Being in Caodaist teaching, represented by the Tâm Hòa Nhãn sacred emblem (also called Tâm Thần Lẽ Thật in the Charter), an Eye of Heaven set inside a heart with seventy-two rays of light. Below stand four tablets for the Four Great Sages, and in front stands the Thái Cực Đăng with fifteen lamps.
How does Tâm Hòa Nhãn differ from the Divine Eye on the Celestial Globe
At the Tây Ninh Holy See, the Divine Eye is painted on a sphere called the Celestial Globe (quả Càn Khôn). At Định Tường Holy See, the eye is placed inside a heart, called Tâm Hòa Nhãn, signifying that the vision of Heaven and the human heart harmonize as one. This is a difference in symbolic representation, not in the Supreme Being worshipped.
How many halls does Cao Đài Chơn Lý have
Four halls, unlike the familiar three-hall arrangement. They are Bát Quái Đài as the sanctuary of Đức Chí Tôn and the Divine Beings, Hiệp Thiên Đài upholding religious law, Cửu Trùng Đài handling administration and missionary work, and Châu Thiên Đài as the formless seat worshipping the Supreme God and associated with the Thập Ngũ Linh Đăng clerical order. Châu Thiên Đài is unique to this branch.
What are Luật Bình Quân and Thập Ngũ Quy Điều
They are the two canonical law codes of the Cao Đài Chơn Lý Holy See, used in place of the New Canonical Code (Tân Luật) kept by many other Cao Đài branches. The fifteen articles of Thập Ngũ Quy Điều correspond to the fifteen lamps of the Thái Cực Đăng placed before the sacred emblem.
Are Định Tường Holy See and Chơn Lý Holy See two different places
No, they are two names for the same place. Định Tường is the historical name of the Mỹ Tho region, while Chơn Lý is the name of the Holy See. It stands at 193 Nguyễn Trung Trực Street, Mỹ An Hamlet, Mỹ Phong Ward, Đồng Tháp Province, less than a kilometer from Vĩnh Tràng Pagoda.