ABSTRACT
… According to Tang Dynasty [618–907] records, there were in the court of Wu Zetian Buddhist monks such as Fa Lang 法朗 [dates unknown] and others who re-translated the Dayun jing 大雲經 [literally, Great Cloud Sutra, hereafter Dayun Sutra] 317 and gave an exposition on matters of predestination. The sutra maintained that [Wu] Zetian 武則天 was a reincarnation of Maitreya 彌勒菩薩，the Buddha of the Future, destined to rule over the land, and that the decline of the Tang clan was inevitable. Later, Wu Zetian started a revolution and replaced the Tang Dynasty with her reign as the Zhou Dynasty. Later [Xue] Huaiyi 薛懷義 [d. 695 CE], Fa Lang and others were appointed lords of various counties and given different rewards. Moreover, each was granted a purple ceremonial robe and a tortoise-shaped purse in silver. The Dayun Sutra was made available throughout the realm. Each monastery was to keep a copy, and orders were given that monks should give formal lectures on the text. This was the first time purple ceremonial robes had been given as an imperial gift.
