Subscribe to our FREE Newsletter, or Telegram and WhatsApp channels for the latest stories and updates.
Transport Minister Loke Siew Fook said respect for one another’s beliefs strengthens trust in Malaysia’s diverse society at the 50th anniversary golden jubilee of Chin Swee Caves Temple.
Loke congratulated the temple’s leadership, organising committee and volunteers.
He said the milestone belongs to the founders, the devotees who supported the temple and the volunteers who give their time to serve others.
He paid tribute to the late Tan Sri Lim Goh Tong, whose vision helped make the temple a reality. Loke said the current generation should preserve what earlier generations built and pass it on.
When we take the time to understand and respect one another’s beliefs, we strengthen the trust that holds our diverse society together.
Loke said the spirit of the celebration can carry into daily life through kindness to neighbours, service to those in need and the values taught to children.
He welcomed guests from the Anxi Ancestral Temple in Fujian, China, and described the friendship between the two countries as enduring.
Loke, who is also DAP secretary-general and Seremban MP, wished Resorts World Genting and the wider community peace, good fortune, and prosperity.
The Monk Who Became the Rain-Summoning Deity
The Chin Swee deity, known as Qingshui Zushi (清水祖師), or the Patriarch of Clear Water, was a real figure.
He was a Northern Song Dynasty monk, Chen Zhaoying (1047–1101), born in Quanzhou, Fujian, who meditated at the Qingshui Cliff and later became one of the most revered deities in Chinese folk religion and Mahayana Buddhism.
His best-known miracle is summoning rain during famines, which earned him the title “Deity of Rain,” and he was also venerated for subduing evil spirits, protecting communities and healing the sick.
If you look closely at his statue, you will notice the face is completely black. Folklore offers two explanations:
- The cave ordeal: Mountain demons sealed him in a cave and tormented him with fire and smoke for seven days. He emerged unharmed, but his face was permanently blackened by soot.
- The herb story: His skin darkened from absorbing toxic mountain herbs while he searched for cures for sick villagers.
His legacy also reaches into tea culture; legend links the origin of Anxi Tieguanyin (Iron Goddess of Mercy) oolong to the temple grounds where he lived, which is why tea farmers and merchants regard him as a patron of their trade.
For Hokkien communities, he became a guardian deity of the Anxi region.
As migrants carried his incense and statues to Taiwan, Singapore and Malaysia during the Ming and Qing dynasties, shrines followed.
The late Tan Sri Lim Goh Tong prayed to Master Qingshui for safety and success while developing Genting Highlands.
In gratitude, he donated land and funded the construction of Chin Swee Caves Temple around the cave where the deity’s presence was felt.
Prayers Run Non-Stop, Entry Stays Free
The temple’s “Dharma 50” programme, running from 23 to 30 October, marks five decades of Chin Swee Caves Temple with a week of prayers and celebrations.
The headline event is a seven-day Water and Land Grand Dharma Assembly, a long prayer ritual for healing, peace and protection from misfortune, led by Venerable Miaojiang, Vice-President of the Buddhist Association of China, with about 80 monks and nuns from around the world.
The 900-year-old Chin Swee Deity statue, which the temple says has left its home at the Anxi Ancestral Temple in Fujian for the first time, arrived on Thursday (22 October), giving devotees a rare chance to pay their respects.
Prayer areas require registration or sponsorship, but the temple grounds remain open to the public free of charge.
READ MORE: 900-Year-Old Guest, 50-Year-Old Host: Fujian Deity Statue Arrives At Genting Temple
Share your thoughts with us via TRP’s Facebook, X, Instagram, or Threads.
Golden Jubilee Spotlights Harmony At Chin Swee Caves Temple
Entertainment Flash Report
Comments
Post a Comment