Boat of Wisdom: From a Buddhist Concept and Daoist Legend to the Bát Nhã Boat in Cao Đài Religion

Abstract

Drawing from the Buddhist concept of a vessel of wisdom and the Daoist legend of the Eternal Mother who sent the original numina to the earthly world, Cao Đài followers in Vietnam cleverly created the Bát Nhã Boat (Boat of Wisdom). This boat is used in Cao Đài funerals to transport the coffin of the deceased to the graveyard, symbolically ferrying enlightened souls to the other shore of Nirvana or the Pure Land. The image of the Bát Nhã Boat provides deep insights into Cao Đài traditional funeral ceremonies, their concept of death as a return journey to one's true home, and their unique societal service, offering the Vietnamese public a sense of salvation throughout its approximately 100-year history.