 thumb|cao ÄÃ i's left eye.  caodaism (: ) is a monotheistic religion officially established in the city of tÃ¢y ninh in southern vietnam in 1926.hoskins, 2012. p. 3 the full name of the religion is Äáº¡i Äáº¡o tam ká»³ phá» Äá» ("the great faith [for the] third universal redemption"). cao ÄÃ i (, literally the "highest lord" or "highest power") is the utmost deity, originating the universe, worshipped by the caodaists.oliver, 1997. p. 7 caodaists often use the term Äá»©c cao ÄÃ i (venerable high lord) as the abbreviated name for the creator of the universe, whose full title is "cao ÄÃ i tiÃªn Ãng Äáº¡i bá» tÃ¡t ma ha tÃ¡t" ("the highest power [the] ancient immortal [and] great bodhisattva"). the symbol of the faith is the left eye of god, representing the yang (masculine, ordaining, positive and expansive) activity of the lord.hoskins, 2012. pp. 3-4 adherents engage in ethical practices such as prayer, veneration of ancestors, nonviolence, and vegetarianism with the goal of union with god and freedom from saá¹sÄra . estimates of the number of caodaists in vietnam vary; current government figures give 3.2 million for caodaists affiliated to the tÃ¢y ninh church, with numbers rising up to 4 to 6 million if other branches are added.hoskins, 2012. p. 4, note 1janet alison hoskins. what are vietnam's indigenous religions?. center for southeast asian studies kyoto university, 2012. an additional number of adherents in the tens of thousands, primarily ethnic vietnamese, live in the united states, europe, and australia. the design of caodaist temples, shape and coloring, is quite standard around the world and includes the incorporation of sacred images, symbols, and colors.june/ july2013 afar page 45 right|thumb|caodaist temple in dallas, texas, serving a local large vietnamese community. ==history==  from 1921, ngÃ´ vÄn chiÃªu, a district head of the french administration in cochinchina, was the first disciple to worship and receive messages from cao ÄÃ i. he received a vision of the divine eye which is now the symbol for cao ÄÃ i as well as the focus for worship on all cao ÄÃ i altars. on christmas eve 1925 god identified himself to the first group of cao ÄÃ i mediums, which included pháº¡m cÃ´ng táº¯c, cao quá»³nh cÆ°, and cao hoÃ i sang. these great soul
East_Asian_religions Esoteric_schools_of_thought Monotheistic_religions Religion_in_Vietnam Religions_that_require_vegetarianism Religious_organizations_established_in_1926