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How did Empress Wuhou support Zen teachers in China?
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Zen
Soto monk meditating while begging, Kyoto, Japan.
Empress Wuhou supported Zen teachers by patronizing them as her court priests during her reign over the Zhou dynasty (690â705). This patronage helped bring Zen Buddhism to prominence in China during the early 8th century.1
Following her death and the restoration of the Tang dynasty, these teachers faced challenges as rival sects emerged, claiming greater legitimacy and orthodoxy than those who had been associated with the empress.1