Empress Wu Zetian (武则天) of the Tang Dynasty was attracted to Buddhism very much and often invited Ch’an Masters to the palace to explain Buddhist Sutras to her. It was under the promotion of Wu Zetian that Huayan (华严) Sect became a major Buddhist school during the Tang Dynasty.
At that time, there was still no consensus on the pronunciation of “卍” within Buddhism. Some people insisted that it should be pronounced as “万” (Wan4) or “The Ten Thousand Thing” – but others opposed this interpretation – and believed it should be pronounced as “万”(mo2) or “Scorpion” – referring to an Oracle Bone Inscription which refers to a non-Chinese primitive tribe (during the Shang Dynasty) that worshipped the “Scorpion” whilst mimicking its movements in a ritualistic dance (perhaps implying the “foreignness” of India).
