Dingguang Gufo (Ancient Buddha of Steady Light)

Introduction

In Tamsui there is a temple with a half-moon pond dug before its gate, and for two centuries it has been both a temple and a hometown guild hall: Yinshan Temple, dedicated to Dingguang Gufo — also called Dingguang Fo or Master Dingguang — guardian of the Hakka people from Tingzhou. Dingguang Gufo was born Zheng Ziyan, a monk of the early Northern Song from Tong'an in Quanzhou. He went to Wuping in Tingzhou to teach the dharma, treat the sick and help people out of trouble, and after his death he was deified as a local guardian. When Tingzhou Hakka crossed to Taiwan in the Ming and Qing dynasties, facing malaria, epidemics and conflict, this "god from home" was their greatest spiritual support. Tamsui's Yinshan Temple, built in 1822, is the only fully preserved Qing-dynasty Tingzhou guild hall in Taiwan and a national historic site — a single building holding up both faith and homesickness, and the most tangible record of Hakka migration to Taiwan.

Legend & Origin

Legend says Zheng Ziyan was born in Fujian at the end of the Five Dynasties period and became a monk at eleven. After traveling to famous mountains, he settled at Nan'an Rock in Wuping, Tingzhou, where he taught and healed for the rest of his life.

His most famous legend is the taming of a snake demon. In those days, it's said, a great serpent plagued Tingzhou — tens of zhang long, breathing poisonous mist and ruining crops. Zheng Ziyan walked to its lair himself and, without any force, subdued it through compassion alone; the serpent took refuge in the Buddha's teaching and never harmed anyone again.

Another tale is of rain. One year a great drought struck Tingzhou, the crops withered and the people were desperate. Zheng Ziyan set up an altar and prayed for rain for seven days and seven nights — and on the eighth day, the rain came. From then on he was revered as a "living Buddha whose prayers for rain are answered."

Zheng Ziyan finally passed away seated in meditation at Nan'an Rock, at the age of 82. The local people made his body into a gilded image and enshrined it, and later generations honored him as Dingguang Gufo.

Centuries later, Tingzhou Hakka crossed the sea to Taiwan and carried his incense to Tamsui, Changhua and Hsinchu. The people left home, but the god never left the people — that is the story of Dingguang Gufo in Taiwan.

Worship Guide

Offerings to Dingguang Gufo are vegetarian: flowers, fruit, tea and cakes, and Hakka devotees often add rice treats such as mugwort rice cakes, sticky rice cake and red turtle cakes — the altar alone tells you who worships here. Chanting usually means the Heart Sutra, the Great Compassion Mantra, or the god's holy name, "Namo Dingguang Gufo."

His worship is closely tied to the Hakka calendar: "seeking blessings" for peace at the start of the year, "returning blessings" in thanks at year's end, and the celebrations and processions of his birthday (the 6th day of the 1st lunar month) — three key moments each year.

At the two historic temples, Tamsui's Yinshan Temple and Changhua's Dingguang Buddha Temple, you can still see the "ancestral trust," a Hakka form of collectively managing temple property. The temple is not just a place to pray; it is the mutual-aid network the Tingzhou Hakka have kept for two hundred years.

Festivals

Dingguang Gufo's Holy Birthday: the 6th day of the 1st lunar month. Dingguang Gufo temples hold grand celebrations, including sutra chanting, processions and banquets.

Hakka Worship Traditions: during "returning blessings" (year's end) and "seeking blessings" (start of the year), Dingguang Gufo temples are a central place of worship for the Hakka community, combining religion with Hakka culture — an important time to see how Taiwan's Hakka traditions are passed on.

Processions: some temples hold a procession on the god's birthday, and the areas the god passes through are considered blessed.

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⛩️ Tamsui Yinshan Temple Details →

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Yinshan Temple was begun in 1822 (the 2nd year of the Daoguang reign) with money pooled by Hakka immigrants from Tingzhou and completed in 1824 (the 4th year of Daoguang). It is the only fully preserved Qing-dynasty Tingzhou guild hall in Taiwan and a national historic site. Its architecture follows the Tingzhou tradition, unlike typical Hoklo temples, and a half-moon pond lies in front. Yinshan Temple was not only a place of worship but also the Tingzhou Hakka's guild hall of the time, serving as a place for fellow natives to gather and help one another.