The Third Karmapa, Rangjung Dorje, was one of the great scholars and meditation masters of the early Karma Kagyü tradition. Recognised as the successor to Karma Pakshi, he received an exceptionally broad education, studying Buddhist philosophy alongside Mahāmudrā, Kālacakra, Chöd, and Dzogchen.

Rangjung Dorje travelled widely throughout Tibet and China, teaching, practising in retreat, establishing hermitages, and becoming an influential figure at the Yuan imperial court. His students included the First Shamarpa, Drakpa Sengge, and the renowned Nyingma master Longchenpa.

A prolific writer and accomplished yogin, he composed works on Mahāmudrā, tantra, philosophy, astrology, Chöd, biography, and songs of realisation. Among his best-known writings are the Prayer to the Definitive Meaning of Mahāmudrā and the Profound Inner Meaning, both of which remain important works within the Tibetan Buddhist tradition.