3rd Shamarpa Chöpal Yeshe

The 3rd Shamarpa Chöpal Yeshe (1406-1452) as a child already recognized many of his monks, who were close to him during his former incarnation. When Shamarpa was eight years old, he met his teacher, the 5th Karmapa, staying with him for a long period of time, receiving all the Kagyü teachings. Dezhin Shegpa gave him full authorization to instruct the teachings.

It is said that Chöpal Yeshe had an extraordinary power of clairvoyance and so the fame of the 3rd Shamarpa spread rapidly into the depth of China. In addition, the Chinese Emperor was most impressed that anyone could see into their own past lives in vivid detail as the Shamarpa could. For this reason, for a time, he even thought that the Shamarpa had been the teacher to the 5th Karmapa and was longing for an even closer relationship. When he sent a minister to distant Tibet to make precious gifts in form of statues of Buddha and Dorje Chang to show Shamarpa his sincerest devotion, Shamarpa reminded him of the basic principle in Buddhism, which is benevolence, that he might be ever mindful of the well-being of his people. Shamarpa himself strictly adhered to this
basic principle for a ruler when he later was representative for the Karmapa in Kongpo and
other southern provinces in Tibet.