Adherents of folk religion do not generally seek theological or philosophical truths; their belief is grounded in a god's effectiveness as a miracle-worker. Originally a Buddhist monk, although one who was not elevated to the status of a Buddha or Bodhisattva, the Pure Water Patriarch is widely venerated by the people of Taiwan for his extraordinary spiritual powers.
原來，對廣大的民間信徒而言，宗教學說與哲理不是追求重點；神是否靈驗、顯現過什麼「神跡」，才是篤信膜拜的要件。出身佛門，未修行成佛成菩薩，卻被福建、台灣等地居民視為神祇而廣為崇拜的清水祖師，就是以靈驗神異著稱。