AT A GLANCE
Why go?
Tucked along Wanshou Road in Guishan District's Lingding Village, Jifo Temple (濟佛寺) is a small, active place of worship dedicated to the veneration of Ji Gong — the beloved folk-Buddhist figure known as the Living Buddha, a legendary monk celebrated for his compassion toward the downtrodden and his irreverent miracles.↗↗
Though modest in scale compared to the nearby Shoushanyan Guanyin Temple just up the same road, Jifo Temple plays a real role in the interlocking web of local religious life. It is known in community records as Lingding Jifo Temple (嶺頂濟佛寺) and regularly hosts deity-birthday celebrations, receives invitations from neighboring temples for festival processions, and acts as a co-organizer for district-wide cultural events.↗↗↗
Who Is Ji Gong?
Ji Gong (濟公, 1130–1209) was a Song Dynasty Chan Buddhist monk from Zhejiang who became one of Chinese folk religion's most endearing figures. Famous for his torn robes, refusal to follow rigid monastic rules, and delight in wine and meat, he was nonetheless renowned for miracles performed in service of the poor and oppressed. His cult spread to Taiwan generations ago, and small temples like Jifo keep his spirit alive at the neighborhood level — a place where ordinary people come to light incense, pray for healing, or ask for protection during difficult times.