Khenpo Karthar Rinpoche came to the United States in 1976 at the request of His Holiness the Sixteenth Karmapa to establish the North American seat of the Karma Kagyu lineage. Under Rinpoche's guidance over twenty-five affiliated centers have formed, and the magnificent Karma Triyana Dharmachakra Monastery in Woodstock, New York was constructed.
In his first book, Dharma Paths (Snow Lion, 1992), Rinpoche demonstrated his lucid teaching style, which delivers profound insights in language that is direct and inspiring.
Gampopa (1070-1153), the father of the Kagyu tradition of Tibetan Buddhism, was the foremost student of the great yogi Milarepa. Among his many writings the two most influential are The Jewel Ornament of Liberation and A Precious Garland of the Supreme Path. As Khenpo Karthar Rinpoche points out in this commentary to the Precious Garland, for those with faith in Gampopa, studying this text can be "exactly the same as receiving teachings directly from him."