According to tradition, the Tai Situpas are regarded as emanations of the bodhisattva Maitreya, who will become the next Buddha in this fortunate eon of a thousand Buddhas. Maitreya currently resides in the Tushita-heaven and is said to incarnate himself on earth at the appropriate time.

The Situpas before being so named is said to have first manifested as Lotsawa Marpa of Lodrak, the disciple of Naropa and master of Milarepa. Marpa is regarded as both an emanation of Maitreya and of Hevajra. The emanation then became Drogön Rechen (1088-1158) as one of the heart sons of Düsum Khyenpa, the first Gyalwa Karmapa. Naljor Yeshe Wangpo (1220-1281) and Rigowa Ratnabhadra (1281-1343) continued as the next two emanations before the Tai Situpas were established.

The Situpas are closely associated with Guru Rinpoche, and is referred to in his predictions. The present Tai Situpa XII and the previous incarnation are as follows;

The history of the Tai Situpas before the title of Tai Situpa was bestowed goes back to the time of the Indian mahasiddhas or "great accomplishers" who gained renown for their sanctity and often accompanied by miracles. The emanation has taken form as numerous Indian and Tibetan yogins since the time of the historical Buddha. The mahasiddhas mentioned in the biographies apperaed as Dombipa, king of Magadha, disciple of Virupa. He was a saintly man who practised tantra secretly for twelve years before he abdicated in favour of a contemplative life in the wilderness. Another incarnation was Denma Tsemang, one of the twenty-five main disciples of Padmasambhava, who was noted for his phenomenal memory.

One of the first Tibetan incarnations of significance was Marpa (1012-97) who studied in India and returning with the lineage transmission from Naropa and others together with texts for translation. He made three trips to India in all, and his biography is of great interest to modern practitioners of Buddhism. He was a family man and a farmer, cantankerous by all accounts and experienced such vicissitudes of life such as the untimely death of a beloved son. He managed to include scholastic achievements and fruitful practice into his layman's routine, with the assistance of his exceptional wife, Dagmema.

The next incarnation as Drogon Rechen (II48 - I2I8) established the line which eventually became the Tai Situpas. Drogon Rechen was one of the principal students of the first Karmapa, Dusum Khyenpa, and since that time the Tai Situpas and the Karmapas have maintained a continuous guru-disciple relationship that establishes the unbroken lineage of the Karma Kagyu to this day. It has become a custom for the Karmapa to recognize the Tai Situpa and become his main teacher, and for the Tai Situpa to recognize the Karmapa and transmit the teachings back to him.

Two other incarnations as yogins of considerable attainment were that of Yeshe Nyingpo and Ringowa which followed the incarnation as Marpa. Yeshe Nyingpo was a disciple of the extraordinary second Karmapa, Karma Pakshi. Another incarnation was a Chinese emperor with unusual spiritual power whose name was Tai Tsu and a disciple of the fifth Karmapa, Dezhin Shekpa. He was clairvoyant and was able to perceive an ornament on the head of his teacher that could not be seen with ordinary sight.

With great devotion, he had a crown made that resembled his vision. He presented the crown to the Karmapa to wear so that more people would benefit from seeing an outer representation of the divine crown that symbolizes great realization. This offering was the beginning of the traditional Black Crown Ceremony of the Kamapas, which benefitted many beings and performed up to the present times.