In 519 A.D.,Emperor Wu of the Liang dynasty (464 -- 549) received the Bodhisattva precepts from Dharma-master Hui-yueeh, thereby also providing a formidable impetus for the country-wide Bodhisattva ordination of monks and the laity. His activities involving the acceptance of the Bodhisattva precepts led to the position of "Imperial Bodhisattva" acquiring a foundation in both theory and reality. After 527 A.D.,Emperor Wu of Liang performed bodily sacrifice at the T'ung-t'ai Temple four times. In the process of performing bodily sacrifice,he expounded the sutras to transmit the Buddha-Truth. The grand regulations of the ceremonial activities for his receiving the title of "Imperial Bodhisattva" led to the image of the "Imperial Bodhisattva" becoming even more divine and authoritative.
The significance of these two activities involving Emperor Wu of Liang is that it is a combination of the Chinese political ideals of the "Sage King" as the "True Son of the Mandate of Heaven" who governs by means of the "The Way of Filial Piety",and the Indian political ideals of the "King of the Law" (Dharmaraja, the Buddha) as the "Sage King the Wheels of whose Chariot Rolls [Everywhere without Hindrance]" (chuan-lun sheng-wang,Cakravarti) who governs by means of the "Correct Doctrine [of the Buddha]." This is a sign that the "Imperial Bodhisattva" had reached an even higher level in the new rationality involve with the combination of politics and religion. The establishment of the position of the "Imperial Bodhisattva",after the decline of the old Ch'in (255-206 B.C.) and Han (206 B.C. -- 220 A.D.) period political and religious institutions, paved the way for the appearance in the Sui (589 -- 618) and T'ang (618 -- 907) period of the imperial political and religious institutions involving the "Unification of Politics and Religion","Unification of Confucianism and Buddhism",and "Unification of the North and South".