The Pure Water Patriarch, whose original name was Ch'eng P'u-tsu, began life as a Buddhist monk before various twists of fate led to his being venerated as a patriarch in folk belief.
所以稱祖師就像佛教人士稱的「師父」，只是一種尊稱，民間信仰中「祖師」的稱呼十分普遍，如香山祖師、慚愧祖師等，並不像佛教中那樣慎重。