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PARTICIPATION OF CAO DAI DELEGATION AT WEIXIN SHENGJIAO CEREMONY UNVEILING GUIGUZI STATUE AND AT CESNUR 2018 CONFERENCE IN TAIWAN

PARTICIPATION OF CAO DAI DELEGATION AT WEIXIN SHENGJIAO CEREMONY UNVEILING GUIGUZI STATUE AND AT CESNUR 2018 CONFERENCE IN TAIWAN

Updated 2018-07-26 05:32:33

(Taiwan, June 18-24, 2018 - Photos by Tri Luc, Summarised and Translated into English by Nguyen Tuan Em)

Having accepted the invitation of Grand Master Hunyuan Chanshi, Founder of Taiwanese Weixin Shengjiao and Professor Massimo Introvigne and Dr. Fiona Hsin-Fang Chang, Co-chair of the CESNUR 2018 (Center for Studies on New Religions) Conference, His Eminence Cardinal Thuong Tam Thanh, Chairman of the Sacerdotal Council of Cao Đai Tay Ninh Holy See, led a delegation of distinguished dignitaries to come to Taiwan from June 18th to June 24th, 2018 to attend the Unveiling Ceremony of The Golden Mega-Statue of Guiguzi Wang Chan Laozu and the CESNUR 2018 Conference held at the I Ching University Weixin College Taiwan.

According to Weixin Shengjiao history, in 1982, when Grand Master Hunyuan Chanshi attained enlightment, his flesh body became united with Immortal Ancestor Wang Chan Laozu’s dharma body through the process of “heaven and man joining as one”. Then, in 2012, Grand Master Hunyuan Chanshi officially established Weixin Shengjiao honoring Guiguzi as the originator of the teaching. Weixin Shengjiao used the combined studies of “feng shui” and “I Ching” tradition of Chinese culture, the Hundreds of Thought in the Confucian, Buddhist, and Taoist traditions to cultivate great talents, to educate the global citizenry in virtue, and to spread the peaceful seeds all over the hearts of sentient beings.

The construction project of Wang Chan Laozu’s Golden Mega-statue relied on the Naga Guardians and talented craftsmen to collaboratively turn the dharma wheel and to overcome numerous tests. The Golden Mega-statue of Guiguzi Wang Chan Laozu was made of bronze, 22 meters in height and weighed 75 tons. The Statue was located on a base which is 3 meters high and was made of granite. The total height of the structure is 25 meters.

The unveiling ceremony was held on June 18th during the Dragon Boat Festival in 2018, attracting more than 3,000 participants including distinguished international guests from around 18 countries.

Then, from June 19th to June 21, the CESNUR 2018 Conference took place at I Ching University Weixin College, centering on the theme “Tradition and Innovation in Religious Movements: East Asia, The West, and Beyond”. This conference is the largest of its kind attracting distinguished scholars, researchers and those who are interested from all over the world to get together and share their research findings in the areas of new world religions.

The CESNUR 2018 attracted approximately 70 papers from scholars from more than 18 countries. In this conference, there were five papers on Caodaism by high-profile presenters from America, Austria, South Korea and Bangladesh.

Also, during the visit to Taiwan, His Eminence Cardinal Thuong Tam Thanh signed two important Memorandums of Understanding (MOUs) with Weixin Shengjiao and Daesoon Jinrihoe as a foundation for the Association of East Asian New Religions and with the Chang Chung Christian University in Tainan, Taiwan for educational exchanges.

In the fieldtrips after the Unveiling Ceremony and CESNUR 2018 conference, all the participants had a good chance to visit many traditional, cultural and historical tourist destinations in Taipei, Taichung and Tainan, Taiwan.

To view the CESNUR 2018 Program, please click this link “CESNUR 2018 Conference Program Final June 2018”

Please see herewith some photos of the above events.