4th Karmapa, Rolpe Dorje

Samding Dorje Phagmo The 4th Karmapa, Rolpe Dorje (Standard Tibetan: རོལ་པའི་རྡོ་རྗེ་ེ་) (1340–1383) was the 4th Gyalwa Karmapa, the head of the Karma Kagyu subschool of the Kagyu School of Tibetan Buddhism.

At the age of nineteen, he accepted Toghon Temür's invitation to return to China where he gave teachings for three years and established many temples and monasteries.

This was Je Tsongkhapa, the future founder of the Gelugpa school, famous for its Dalai Lamas.

Rolpi Dorje composed mystic songs throughout his life and was an accomplished poet, and fond of Indian poetics.

He is also remembered for creating a huge painted thangka, following a vision of one of his students who had imagined a Buddha image over 100 metres tall.

The 4th Karmapa, Rolpe Dorje
The monastery of Shadzong Ritro near Taktser village, where the 14th Dalai Lama was born, was founded at the 14th century by the 4th Karmapa.