Wu Zetian and Li Zhi, Emperor Gaozong of the Tang Dynasty, were very affectionate. They had four sons and two daughters together in their lives. When Empress Wu was pregnant with her third child, the eminent monk Xuanzang happened to come to the palace to invite him to become a m

Wu Zetian and Tang Gaozong Li Zhi were very affectionate. They had four sons and two daughters together in their lives. When Empress Wu was pregnant with her third child, the eminent monk Xuanzang happened to come to the palace to invite him to become a monk. Li Zhi pointed to Empress Wu and said to Xuanzang, if the empress gives birth to a prince this time, can he be your disciple?

Li Zhi was originally a joke. After all, no emperor really wanted to send his son to the temple to serve the Buddha. However, Master Xuanzang was a monk. He emphasized fate and made no lies. He wrote down Li Zhi's words and promised to accept him as a disciple when the prince was born.

It is said that when Empress Wu gave birth, the whole hall had visions. When the child was born, it turned out to be a prince. People called him the "King of Buddha's Light". This prince was later Tang ZhongzongLi Xian.

Xuanzang naturally received the news. He came to the palace and asked Li Zhi to fulfill his promise, saying that it would be beneficial to the country for the prince to enter Buddhism. Li Zhi was naturally reluctant to part with him, but how could the emperor lose his moral integrity in front of an eminent monk if he kept his promise? So I can only agree.

On the day when Li Xian was full moon, Master Xuanzang entered the palace to prepare a tonsure ceremony for him. But this is just a formality. The prince is still in his infancy and it is impossible to really live in the temple. This move simply meant that he became a Buddhist disciple of the imperial family.

Then why did this prince, who had been associated with Buddhism since childhood, be able to ascend to the throne of the emperor amidst the fierce struggle for imperial power in the future?

In fact, before Li Xian, his two royal brothers were successively established as princes, but one of them died suddenly and the other committed suicide. At this time, power gradually fell into the hands of Wu Zetian. Li Xian had a shallow foundation and was easy to control. After the death of Tang Gaozong, Li Xian was pushed to the pinnacle of power by Wu Zetian. This is his first time as emperor.

As an emperor, he was walking on thin ice. You must know that the two princes in front of him were said to have died at the hands of Empress Wu. He had no achievements in politics, had no chance to display his fists, and had no ability to compete with Empress Wu.

One year after he came to the throne, he "abdicated" to his brother Li Dan to escape from the whirlpool of political struggle. After that, he entered Buddhism as the "Fo Guang King". (Another theory is that Li Xian was deposed by Wu Zetian and imprisoned in Fangzhou.)

He devoted himself to converting to the "Three Treasures" (the Three Treasures of Buddhism refers to the Buddha's treasures, Dharma and Dharma). The "Three Worlds Buddha" and the "Three Body Buddha" are generally enshrined in temples. Li Xian was very devoted to the Eastern "Medicine Master Glazed Light Buddha". He recited the name of Medicine Master Buddha all day long, frequently consulted eminent monks, and presided over the translation of the Medicine Master Sutra.

He spent 21 years in this way. He thought he would spend his whole life worshiping Buddha, but he never thought that he would have a second chance to get close to the throne of the emperor.

In 698 AD, Wu Zetian took Li Xian back to the palace and made him the crown prince. At this time, Wu Zetian had been emperor for eight years, and she gradually came up with the idea of ​​returning the country to Li Tang.

In 705 AD, Li Xian's men launched a coup and successfully supported Li Xian in power.

After Li Xian ascended the throne, he treated monks more courteously and had close contacts with the great monk Wanhui and Sangha . He invited Zen masters into the palace to teach the three refuges and the five precepts to the concubines. In order to promote Buddhism, he pioneered the "examination of Buddhist monks", that is, only those who pass the examination can become a monk. This greatly raised the threshold for monks and combated the proliferation of "fake monks" at that time.

Although Tang Zhongzong Li Xian was considered politically weak and incompetent, under the background of the time, Li Tang few people in the royal family were opponents of Empress Wu. Li Xian's relationship with Buddhism is also a magic weapon for him to be wise and protect his life until his death.

Note: The reference resources of this article come from the book "Chinese Monk", author Li Zheliang.