Khenpo Karthar Rinpoche, a preeminent master of the Karma Kagyu tradition, was a pivotal figure in the planting of Tibetan Buddhism in North and South America in the late 20th and early 21st centuries.

From his dramatic escape from occupied Tibet in the 1950s, to his emigration to the United States in the 1970s, and his passing at the age of 96 on October 6, 2019, Rinpoche fully dedicated himself to making the teachings of Tibetan Buddhism available in a land where they had not spread before.

Along the way, he built a monastery and a three-year retreat center, founded 33 branch meditation centers and published numerous books. Even today, Rinpoche is well known in Tibetan communities across the world, and has inspired countless followers to embrace the Kagyu dharma.