Qingshui (; 1047-1101), also known as Chó͘-su-kong (), born Chen Zhaoying () was a Chan Buddhist monk during the Northern Song from Anxi County,

Quanzhou Quanzhou, alternatively known as Chinchew, is a prefecture-level port city on the north bank of the Jin River, beside the Taiwan Strait in southern Fujian, China. It is Fujian's largest metropolitan region, with an area of and a popul ...

. He was said to have gained supernatural powers through his skill in learning and preaching the

Dharma Dharma (; sa, धर्म, dharma, ; pi, dhamma, italic=yes) is a key concept with multiple meanings in Indian religions, such as Hinduism, Buddhism, Jainism, Sikhism and others. Although there is no direct single-word translation for '' ...

and meditation. Through this, he is said to have saved the town of Anxi during a period of drought, bringing rain as he went from place to place. In reverence, the villagers built shrines to him and hence became a

Deity A deity or god is a supernatural being who is considered divine or sacred. The ''Oxford Dictionary of English'' defines deity as a god or goddess, or anything revered as divine. C. Scott Littleton defines a deity as "a being with powers greate ...

Chinese folk religion Chinese folk religion, also known as Chinese popular religion comprehends a range of traditional religious practices of Han Chinese, including the Chinese diaspora. Vivienne Wee described it as "an empty bowl, which can variously be filled ...

. Qingshui is also known by the following nicknames: *Dropping Nose Ancestor (), known for the prominent nose featured in Qingshui's effigies *Black Faced Ancestor () Worship of Qingshui Zushi (清水祖师) is especially popular in

Taiwan Taiwan, officially the Republic of China (ROC), is a country in East Asia, at the junction of the East and South China Seas in the northwestern Pacific Ocean, with the People's Republic of China (PRC) to the northwest, Japan to the no ...

, where he is worshiped by local villagers for protection and in overseas

Hokkien The Hokkien () variety of Chinese is a Southern Min language native to and originating from the Minnan region, where it is widely spoken in the south-eastern part of Fujian in southeastern mainland China. It is one of the national languages ...

-speaking communities. His birthday is celebrated on the sixth day of the first lunar month.

Life

Qingshui Zushi was born in 1047. He became a monk when he was young, and his early potential was recognized by the chief monk at the temple. When the chief monk passed away, Qingshui Zushi became the next chief monk at the temple. He is credited with many famous quotes made during his lifetime.

Achievements

Below listed his achievements: *building bridges- He helped build more than 10 different bridges around the towns. *herb medicine creation- In china, there is a saying "When you save the life of one, it will even help you more than reaching heaven when you die." And he has learned about many different medical herbs. And his achievements in medicine are even on-par to those of professionals in that era. *praying for rain- Normal people believe that there is no man that can control the weather, only a man of great spiritual cultivation will be able to achieve this. And when Qingshui Zushi was alive, he performed numerous miracles in praying for rain during times of drought.

Worship

It is stated that all the devotees would worship Qingshui Zushi by using fruit, cakes and other vegetarian food as offering items on the Deity's birthday (on the sixth day of first lunar month) every year to express their devotion and gratitude. And up till now, many worshippers will frequently visit His temples throughout the years to pray for His divine blessings and protections. Some also believe they will gain good blessings for the rest of the year after faithfully worshipped in His temples. God pigs are also a popular sacrifice at certain Qingshui Zushi temples among the Hakka community in Taiwan.

Some of the temples dedicated to Qingshui

*Qingshui Yan Temple: (), Anxi County, Quan Zhou, China * Qingshui Temple: (), Wanhua, Taipei, Taiwan * Zushi Temple: (), New Taipei, Taiwan * Qing Shui Temple: (), Zuoying, Kaohsiung, Taiwan * Chin Swee Caves Temple: (), Genting Highlands, Malaysia * Snake Temple: Penang, Malaysia *

Fushan Temple Fushan Temple (; my, ကုက္ကိုင်းဘုရားကျောင်း; also called Fu Shan Si or Fu Sun Si), located on Kaba Aye Pagoda Road in Bahan Township, Yangon, is a Chinese temple founded in January 1875 by overseas Ch ...

: (), Yangon, Myanmar * Saw Si Gone Temple: Mawlamyine, Myanmar * Hock Guan Kong Temple: Phuket, Thailand * Shun Heng Keng: Bangkok, Thailand *Chaweng d Jo Su Jui Kong Shrine: Krabi, Thailand *Hong Lai Sze: (), Hougang, Singapore *Peng Lai Dian: (), Admiralty Street, Singapore *Long Xu Yan Temple: (), Ang Mo Kio, Singapore *Ching Chwee Temple: (), Woodlands, Singapore

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Qingshui 1047 births 1101 deaths Chinese gods Song dynasty Buddhists Hokkien Taoism Deities in Chinese folk religion Deified Chinese people