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In 1252, Kublai Khan（first emperor of chinese yuan dynasty) granted an audience to Pagba and Garma Pakshi, a highly regarded monk with the Garma Gagyu Sect. Garma Pakshi, however, sought the patronage of Monge Khan who bestowed him a gold-rimmed black hat and a golden seal of authority.

Before his death in 1283, Garma Paksli wrote a will to protect the established interests of his sect by advising his disciples to locate a boy to inherit the black hat. His instruction was based on the premise that Buddhist ideology is eternal, and a Buddha would be reincarnated to complete the missions he had initiated. Garma Pakshi's disciples acted in accordance with the will and located the reincarnated boy of their master. The event marked the introduction of the Living Buddha reincarnation system for the Black-Hat Line of Tibetan Buddhism and during the Ming Dynasty, Emperor Yongle(the third emperor of chinese ming dynasty) bestowed the title Great Treasure Prince of Dharma, the first of the three Princes of Dharma upon the Black-Hat living Buddha Karmapa. Various sects of Tibetan Buddhism responded to the introduction of the Living Buddha reincarnation system by creating similar lineages. The most influential reincarnation system has since been the Dalai Lama lineage.