Editing Wu Zetian (section)

=== The Great Cloud Sutra ===
Wu Zetian used her political powers to harness from Buddhist practices a strategy to build sovereignty and legitimacy to her throne while  establishing the [[Zhou dynasty (690–705)|Zhou dynasty]] in a society under Confucian and patriarchal ideals. One of the first steps she took to legitimize her ascension to the throne was to proclaim herself as the reincarnation of the Devi of Pure Radiance (''Jingguang tiannü'') through a series of prophecies.<ref name=":1">{{Cite book|last=Rothschild, N|first=Harry|title=Emperor Wu Zhao and Her Pantheon of Devis, Divinities, and Dynastic Mothers|publisher=Columbia UP|year=2015|location=New York, NY|page=209}}</ref> In 690, Wu sought out the support of the monk [[Xue Huaiyi]], her reputed lover, and other nine orthodox Buddhist monks, to compose the apocryphal ''Commentary on the Meanings of the Prophecies About the Divine Sovereign in the Great Cloud Sutra'' (''Dayunjing Shenhuang Shouji Yishu'').<ref name=":1" />
[[File:Maitreya-Tang_Dynasty-side.JPG|left|thumb|[[Maitreya]] statue from the reign of Wu Zetian|211x211px]]
Translated from a late fourth-century version in [[Sanskrit]] to Chinese, the original ''Great Cloud Sutra'' (''Dayunjing'') accentuated in Wu's ''Commentary'' had [[Serial (literature)|fascicles]] describing a conversation between the Buddha and the Devi of Pure Radiance.<ref>{{Cite book|last=Rothschild, N|first=Harry|title=Emperor Wu Zhao and Her Pantheon of Devis, Divinities, and Dynastic Mothers|publisher=Columbia UP|year=2015|location=New York, NY|page=210}}</ref> In the sutra, the Buddha foretells to ''Jingguang'' that he would be a bodhisattva reincarnated in a woman's body in order to convert beings and rule over the territory of a country.<ref name=":2">{{Cite book|last=Rothschild, N|first=Harry|title=Emperor Wu Zhao and Her Pantheon of Devis, Divinities, and Dynastic Mothers|publisher=Columbia UP|year=2015|location=New York, NY|page=213}}</ref> Wu's Buddhist supporters meticulously propagated the ''Commentary'' "on the eve of her accession to the dragon throne" while seeking to justify the various events that led Wu to occupy the position of ''Huangdi'' as a female ruler and [[bodhisattva]].<ref name=":2" /> Since gender in the Buddhist Devi worlds have no standard form, Wu later took a further step to transcend her gender limitations by identifying herself as the incarnation of two important male Buddhist divinities, [[Maitreya]] and [[Vairocana]].<ref>{{Cite book|last=Rothschild, N|first=Harry|title=Emperor Wu Zhao and Her Pantheon of Devis, Divinities, and Dynastic Mothers|publisher=Columbia UP|year=2015|page=221}}</ref> Her narrative was intentionally crafted to persuade the Confucian establishment, circumvent the Five Impediments that restricted women from holding political and religious power, and gain public support.