The3rd Karmapa, Rangjung Dorje (Tibetan: རང་འབྱུང་རྡོ་རྗེ་,Wylie:rang 'byung rdo rje) (1284–1339) was the 3rd Gyalwa Karmapa and head of theKarma Kagyu school, the largest school within theKagyu tradition. He was an important figure in the history ofTibetan Buddhism, who helped to spreadBuddha-nature teachings in Tibet.

Rangjung Dorjé was officially recognized as the firsttulku, the reincarnation ofKarma Pakshi, in 1282. The 3rd Karmapa was raised at theTsurphu Monastery, where he received teachings from both the Kagyu and Nyingma traditions from eminent masters such as Trophu Künden Sherab and Nyenre Gendün Bum. He became renowned as one of the greatest masters of his time and had a large number of disciples. He undertook a spiritual retreat on the slopes ofEverest, received full ordination, and completed his studies at a significantKadampa teaching center.

Rangjung Dorje visitedChina, where the emperorToghon Temur became his disciple. Upon his death, Rangjung Dorje's face is said to have appeared in the moon there. As a tulku lineage, the Karmapas were among the earliest recognized Tulkus, reincarnated as deities. The first Karmapas were influential in the MongolianYuan and ChineseMing courts as well as theTangutWestern Xia Kingdom.^{[note 1]}

Through visions, he is believed to have received teachings on the "Wheel of Time" , theKalachakra. In 1284 he authored an astrological compendium entitledThe Compendium of Astrology (Tib.rtsis kun bsdus pa), from which aTibetan calendar was developed by the lineage of the Gyalwang Karmapas. Called the Tsurphu tradition calendar or the Tsurluk calendar, his astrological compendium was the basis from which many treatises authored by the subsequentKarmapas and byJamgon Kongtrul the Great evolved. The Tsurluk calendar is still used by theKarma Kagyu and overseen by Tsipa Gelek Dhargay, at the17th Karmapa, Ogyen Trinley Dorje's seat inRumtek, Sikkim, India.^[3]

Rangjung Dorje was also known as a great practitioner ofTraditional Tibetan medicine.

Born to aNyingma family, Rangjung Dorje was a lineage-holder in both theKarma Kagyu and theNyingma tradition ofDzogchen.

He was a disciple of the Nyingma masterRigdzin Kumaradza Shönnu Gyelpo (Tibetan: rig 'dzin ku ma ra dza gzhon nu rgyal po; 1266–1343) who passed on to him the "heart-essence" (nying-thig) teachings transmitted byPadmasambhava^{[note 2]} andVimalamitra (the Khandro Nyingtik andVima Nyingtik respectively).^[4]

He also encountered the Nyingma masterLongchenpa, who transmitted to him certain Dzogchen teachings. In exchange, Rangjung Dorje imparted important "New Translation" Tantras to Longchenpa. Rangjung Dorje was also a "Treasure revealer" oftermas. The Karma Kagyu Dzogchen transmission that arose from his lineage is known as the "Karma-Nyingthig" (Tibetan: kar ma snying thig; Essence of the Heart of the Karma School).

In 1321 the famous scholarDolpopa (1292–1361) visitedTsurphu Monastery for the first time and had extensive discussions with Rangjung Dorje about doctrinal issues. It appears that Rangjung Dorje almost certainly influenced the development of some of Dolpopa's theories, possibly including hisZhentong (gzhan stong) method.^[5]

According to Karma phrin las,Dri lan yid, 91-92, his teacher,Chödrak Gyatso, the Seventh Karmapa, interpreted the nature ofZhentong (gzhan stong) accepted by Rangjung Dorje.^[6]

Schaeffer (1995: p.15) conveys that the Third Karmapa was a systematizer of theChöd developed byMachig Labdrön and lists a number of his works on Chod consisting of redactions, outlines and commentaries.^{[note 3]}

Yungtön Dorjepel (1284–1365), (the previous incarnation of the FirstPanchen Lama,Khedrup Je), studied theGreat Perfection due to the great inspiration of Rangjung Dorje.^[8]

Rangjung Dorje was a noted scholar who composed many significant texts, the most famous of which is theProfound Inner Meaning (Wylie:zab mo nang don^[9]), which concern theVajrayana inner yoga practices. Other important texts of his include:

• TheAspiration Prayer ofMahamudra^[10] (Wylie: nge don phyag rgya chen po'i smon lam gyi 'grel pa grub pa mchog gi zhal lung),
• ThePrayer to the Lineage ofChö,^[11]
• The thirty-six versedoha song:Distinguishing Consciousness from Wisdom (Wylie: rnam shes ye shes ‘byed pa),^[12]
• Instructions onSahaja yoga Mahamudra^[13],
• A Treatise onBuddha Nature (Wylie: de bzhin gshegs pa'i snying po gtan la dbab pa; or, de bzhin gshegs pa'i snying po bstan pa).^[14]

• Schaeffer, Kurtis R. (1995),The Englightened Heart of Buddhahood: A Study and Translation of the Third Karma pa Rang byung rdo rje's Work on Tathagatagarbha. (Wylie: de bzhin pa'i snying po gtan la dbab pa). University of Washington.
• Brunnhölzl, Karl (2009),Luminous Heart: The Third Karmapa on Consciousness, Wisdom, and Buddha Nature, Snow Lion Publications

Biography

• Gardner, Alexander (June 2011)."The Third Karmapa, Rangjung Dorje".The Treasury of Lives: Biographies of Himalayan Religious Masters. Retrieved2013-08-09.

Texts

• Rangjung Dorje (root text); Venerable Khenchen Thrangu Rinpoche (commentary); Peter Roberts (translator) (2001),Transcending Ego - Distinguishing Consciousness from Wisdom (Wylie: rnam shes ye shes ‘byed pa).
• Rangjung Dorje (root text); Venerable Khenchen Thrangu Rinpoche (commentary); John Rockwell (translator),An Aspirational Prayer for Mahamudra^{[permanent dead link]}
• Rangjung Dorje (root text); Venerable Khenchen Thrangu Rinpoche (commentary); Peter Roberts (translator) (1990),A Treatise entitled: “A Teaching on the Essence of the Tathagatas (The Tathagatagarbha)"

• 1284 births
• 1339 deaths
• Nyingma lamas
• Karmapas
• Tibetan Buddhists from Tibet
• 13th-century Tibetan people
• 14th-century Tibetan people
• 14th-century lamas

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