MINH LY DAO – TAM TONG MIEU
Minh Ly Dao Tam Tong Mieu is one of the orthodox branches of the Tien Thien Dai Dao (Primordial Great Way), founded in 1924 in Vietnam. Its guiding principles are based on the teachings of the three great religions of East Asia: Taoism, Buddhism, and Confucianism.
The three words “Minh Ly Dao” carry many layers of meaning, encompassing both the theory and the practice of self-cultivation and religious life. In its simplest sense: Minh (verb) means to illuminate or make clear; Ly means the Absolute Truth; Dao means the Way, or Path. Thus, Minh Ly Dao is “the Path that illuminates the Absolute Truth.”
The Kinh Bo Cao (Proclamation Scripture) of Minh Ly Dao explains the meaning of the three words “Minh Ly Dao” as follows:
The Way is the root that must be sought, Illuminated conscience examines all things thoroughly. That Truth is the true nature, without duality, It resolves fortune and misfortune without partiality.
The motto of Minh Ly Dao is EQUALITY – COOPERATION – HARMONY (Binh Dang – Cong Tac – Hoa Ai). Minh Ly Dao was founded upon three core principles:
1. Unification of the Three Teachings (Tam giao hiep nhut): In origin, the three great Eastern religions share the same root, which is the Way (Dao). To stray far from that root is to lose the Truth. In form, the Three Teachings today still have both differences and commonalities; we must now reconcile those differences to establish a new, more complete form (syncretism).
2. Return of the Three Teachings to their Common Origin (Tam giao qui nguyen): We must trace back to the common origin of the three religions and discover that they share but a single root — the One, which is the Way itself. Once we perceive this common root, the three religions will likewise transform and return together to that One — this is “the Three Teachings returning to their origin” (synthesis).
3. Holding to the Middle, Keeping to the One (Chap trung thu nhut): This means holding fast to the great root, the primal source, yet as though not holding it at all — so as to arrive at the natural Way of the Central One or the Perfect One, which is identical with the Supreme Oneness (Identite supreme), possessed of boundless virtue and merit.
Purpose, Guiding Principles, and Position of Minh Ly Dao
Purpose
To teach the practice of cultivation for self-liberation (tu do) and the liberation of others (do tha); for self-awakening (tu giac) and the awakening of others (giac tha). It aims to sanctify humankind and to attain complete liberation and enlightenment, as stated in the Bo Cao: “Establish sanctuaries, seek out scriptures, so that people may know repentance and cultivate the Way.”
Guiding Principles
To harmonize all beliefs and communal tendencies, and to synthesize every path so that only one Way, one Heart, remains. Followers of Minh Ly must open their hearts and draw close to one another, without discrimination of region or creed, faithfully upholding the spirit that “the House of Minh Ly is the common foundation of all religions.”
Position
Purely a path of cultivation, uninfluenced by personal sentiment or self-interest, guarding sacred virtue against becoming worldly or profane.
Architecture and Worship
Minh Ly Dao Tam Tong Mieu uses only memorial tablets inscribed with the sacred names of Buddhas and Immortals for veneration and contemplation; it does not use statues or images, and uses the Vietnamese language for scriptures and recitation.
Besides the Tam Tong Mieu Sanctuary, Minh Ly Dao maintains other places of worship, including Bac Nha Tinh Duong (Long Hai, Ho Chi Minh City), Long An Sacred Shrine (Long An Province), and Bao An Tu (Ho Chi Minh City).