Our Teachers

Athens KTC operates under the guidance of Khenpo Karthar Rinpoche of Karma Triyana Dharmachakra monastery, the North American Seat of His Holiness the Gyalwa Karmapa.

 Khenpo Karthar Rinpoche is renowned and celebrated for his immeasurable  devotion that knows no bounds, his unwavering steadfastness in fulfilling the commands of the Karmapa despite horrendous difficulties and obstacles, his attainment in mahamudra, his accomplishments in all monastic arts, his pure ethics and flawless morality, his demonstration as a brilliant  scholar, and as a skilled and inspiring teacher. Born in eastern Tibet  in 1924, Khenpo Karthar Rinpoche is one of the great living masters of  the Karma Kagyu tradition. Rinpoche, who received most of his training  and education in Tibet before the Chinese invasion, is highly  accomplished in meditation, philosophy, and monastic arts. Abbot of KTD  and retreat master of Karme Ling Three-Year Retreat Center, Rinpoche has  innumerable devoted students whom he continues to teach and guide with  infinite generosity, compassion, and wisdom. After almost fifty years of  spreading the Dharma outside Tibet, Rinpoche has a prolific body of  work published in English, Spanish, and Chinese.     More...

 Lama Kathy serves at the Columbus Karma Thegsum Chöling Meditation Center as its practice coordinator, and travels to other Buddhist centers throughout the country to teach.  Lama Kathy offers regular guidance, direction and visits to the Athens KTC.
Lama Kathy has been a student of Khenpo Karthar Rinpoche since 1977. She participated in the first three-year retreat led by  Khenpo Rinpoche at Karme Ling Retreat Center in upstate New York, and  thus earned the title of “retreat lama.” She is a graduate of Ohio State  University with a bachelor's degree in journalism and lives in Newark,  Ohio with her husband, Michael.  More information about Lama Kathy can be found at www.lamakathy.net

Lama Karma Drodul is Khenpo Karthar  Rinpoche’s principal attendant and assistant. As a youth, Lama Karma  excelled in all aspects of dharma study and Thrangu Rinpoche sent him to  the U. S. to deepen his understanding of the dharma under the tutelage  of Khenpo Karthar Rinpoche. In March 2004, Lama Karma completed his  first, and in February 2008 his second, traditional three-year,  three-month retreat under Khenpo Karthar Rinpoche at Karme Ling Retreat  Center. He now is one of the Drubpons (retreat masters) at Karme Ling  and travels to centers throughout North America to teach.  He is the  author of Amrita of Eloquence: A Biography of Khenpo Karthar Rinpoche.