Lighting the Path
Taiwan’s Spiritual Ritual of the Eternal Light

By Lin Hsien-Yun / Tainan

AUG 2025

If you’ve ever stepped into a Taiwanese temple at the start of the lunar year, you might notice rows of glowing lights gently illuminating the faces of worshippers. These are Guang Ming Deng—“Lights of Wisdom” or “Eternal Lights”—small yet powerful beacons in Taiwan’s spiritual landscape. Beyond their visual warmth, these lights carry centuries of meaning, merging ancient tradition with modern hope.

More Than Just a Flicker: What Is a Guang Ming Deng?

In Taiwan, lighting a Guang Ming Deng (Blessing Lamp) is not just a ritual—it’s a statement of faith and intention. It’s a symbolic act of inviting clarity into one’s life, warding off misfortune, and aligning oneself with positive cosmic forces. It is usually done once a year, typically during Lunar New Year or early spring, when temples buzz with devotees making offerings and resetting their spiritual compass.

Here’s what these lights mean:

For Peace and Safety

Most locals light a Guang Ming Deng to seek protection and harmony. It’s a quiet prayer to deities for a year free of accidents, illnesses, or unexpected troubles—for oneself and for family members.

To Illuminate the Mind and Future

The lamp also symbolizes wisdom. Lighting one is a way of asking for guidance, especially when life feels uncertain or unclear. It’s about seeing the road ahead when it seems cloaked in fog.

To Burn Away Karma

In Buddhist tradition, offering light is an act of merit-making. Lighting a lamp helps reduce past karmic burdens and invites positive spiritual energy. It’s a tangible act of offering—like a donation to the gods—believed to generate blessings.

To Support Temples and Good Works

The donation that accompanies the lighting helps fund the temple’s religious and community outreach efforts. Whether it’s feeding the hungry, repairing temple roofs, or organizing cultural events, your light helps keep the fire of tradition burning.

To Shine Up Your Luck

There’s also a deeply personalized meaning: each lamp represents the worshipper’s own yuan chen (life star), a spiritual reflection of your fate in the coming year. Lighting your light is, in essence, giving your fortune a boost.

The Cultural Link: A Light for Glory

There’s a clever linguistic connection at play here. In Taiwanese Hokkien, “guang ming” sounds like “gong ming”—a term tied to “fame” or “achievement.” In ancient times, aspiring scholars lit lamps in hopes of passing the imperial exams. Today, students light them before tests, office workers before a promotion, newlyweds for a bright future together.

So whether it’s for academic glory, real estate success, or simply smoother traffic, lighting a Guang Ming Deng is your spiritual headlight for the year.

Some Friendly Notes If You Want to Try

For the living, not the dead – These lights are lit for those who are alive and seeking blessings.

Once a year is enough – Most people light their Guang Ming Deng at the start of the year.

Be sincere – It's not just a transaction. The act of lighting the lamp is meant to be done with intention and heart.

So the next time you wander through a temple in Tainan and see a glowing wall of lamps, know that each flicker holds someone’s wish for health, love, clarity—or maybe just a better commute.

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