ID23778 - Chương : Cầu cơ (Ðàn cơ)
dictionaryEN : ENCYCLOPEDIA of CAODAISM - C
Tác Giả : Lê Kim Liên - Từ Chơn
Cầu cơ (Ðàn cơ)
| 求機 (壇機) |
| A Caodai seance. |
In a seance, Caodaist psychics use Cây Cơ (a psychic pen) to receive divine messages. It is a bamboo basket covered with yellow cloth.
A rattan pen, shaped like a bird's beak, is attached to the basket to write on some surface. This is called Ngọc Cơ (Ngọc is jewel). The bigger one is Ðại Ngọc cơ and the smaller is Tiểu Ngọc cơ.
A seance includes a Chief, two psychics, a speaker and a secretary. After the Chief's prayer, the two psychics raise Cơ and wait. When Cơ writes some word on some surface like a table, the speaker dictates it to the secretary.
Before Caodai's inauguration, the participants had to chant the poem "Trời còn" and waited for Cơ to write.
Heaven still exists, so rivers and oceans do the same,
Everywhere in the world, mountains are beautiful.
In Thanh Minh, in the spring garden,
All the birds dance and sing.
All routes in the mountains or through the passes,
Up and down, rough and hard.
As a good child, I never give up,
But try hard to go to Heaven to see Buddha.
Search everything from the past to the present,
The pure perfect world.
I try to purify myself,
And learn from Buddha.
Angels and immortals are not far away,
They will come if admired.
Between 1924 and 1927, God used seances to preach the new doctrine and admit followers through six main seances:
| Seance name | Location | Chief | Psychics |
| 1. Seance in Cầu Kho : | Mr Ðoàn Văn Bản's home, | Mr Vương Quan Kỳ, | Nguyễn Trung Hậu Trương Hữu Ðức. |
| 2. Seance in Chợ Lớn : | Mr Lê Văn Trung's home, | Mr Lê Bá Trang, | Cao Hoài Sang Cao Quỳnh Diêu. |
| 3. Seance in Tân Ðịnh : | Mr Nguyễn Ngọc Thơ's home, | Mr Thơ, | Phạm Công Tắc Cao Quỳnh Cư. |
| 4. Seance in Thủ Ðức : | Mr Ngô Văn Ðiều's home, | Mr Điều, | Huỳnh Văn Mai Võ Văn Nguyên. |
| 5. Seance in Tân Kim : | Mr Nguyễn Văn Lai's home, | Nguyễn Ngọc Tương Lê Văn Lịch, |
Ca Minh Chương Phạm V. Tươi. |
| 6. Seance in Lộc Giang : | in Phước Long Pagoda, | Mạc Văn Nghĩa, | Trần Duy Nghĩa Trương Văn Tràng. |
Nevertheless, a lot of seances, whose Chiefs and psychics were not verified by God, also operated besides those six above. Unfortunately, many evil spirits impersonated Immortals, Buddhas, even God to trick people into believing false doctrines.
Consequently, God ordered that the six seances stop working since June 1st 1927.
"In late June, I (God) have to put an end to all public seances. You disciples should finish with the establishment of the new religion.
Remember this is my decisive words!
Those who did the wrong things will deserve punishment. Just take the straight way to return to Heaven and see Me (God). That is the best choice." The Collection of Divine Messages.
From then on, seances have been held only by Hiệp Thiên Đài (The Communion Tower) in compliance with Caodai's Constitution. Unfortunately, seances have been banned since 1975.
