A spiritual message has said:

Out of Love and Mercy, out of respect for life, I have founded the Great Way's Third Revelation to save the earthly human, to help the virtuous attain a world of peace and avoid reincarnation to the earthly world of suffering.

The ultimate goal of CaoDaists is to be reunified with The All That Is, to return home.

To fit the varying spiritual needs of human beings, CaoDai offers two ways of practice:

1. Exoterism or cultivation according to humanism:
a CaoDai disciple, while conducting a normal family life is:
a. to complete duties toward self, family, society, country, living beings, and nature.
b. to practice good and avoid evil.
c. to show kindness to nature, plants, animals, human beings, and to avoid unnecessary destruction of any creature, recognizing that they all have the Supreme Being's spirit and are part of nature's cycle.
d. to observe five Precepts: do not kill, do not steal, do not commit adultery, do not get drunk, do not sin by word.
e. to practice vegetarianism at least ten days per month. This is a way to purify one's body and spirit and to promote love by avoiding killing living beings.
f. to participate in ritual acts of devotion and worship to the Supreme Being. There are four daily ceremonies, at 6:00 a.m., noon, 6:00 p.m., and midnight. At least one ceremony per day at home is performed.

2. Esoterism:

While a disciple performs his duties toward humanity and is practicing vegetarianism for at least ten days per month, he may be guided in the practice of esoterism with meditation as a major exercise. The goal is to progressively eradicate the inferior self and develop the divine element within the self, reaching toward oneness with the Supreme Being.