In a nutshell, Cao Dai is the third link in a chain that started with Confucius, Buddha and Lao Tse. The next age had Jesus and Mohammed. The message from these divine intermediaries was garbled because of human frailty, and hence the need for repeated visits. Cao Dai followers believe that divine messages are revealed through cultural figures, who can be contacted directly through seances held in Vietnamese, French or English. The mural at the entrance to the Cao Dai Temple shows the signature of the "Third Alliance Between God and Man". The signatories are Sun Yat Sen, Nguyen Binh Khiem (a Vietnamese poet) and Victor Hugo. Victor Hugo is a popular figure in CaoDaism, and is contacted frequently.