Growing up in Pacific Palisades, California, Karuna eventually attended Evergreen State College in Olympia, Washington.  Being a child of the ‘60’s in the U.S. he experimented with drugs until he discovered a spiritual alternative in the study of Hinduism and yoga. 

 

After encountering the profound teachings of Lama Thubten Yeshe and Lama Zopa Rinpoche at Kopan Monastery in Nepal during a “year abroad” program, he decided to move to Kopan to deepen his connection with his spiritual guides. He studied Buddhist psychology and philosophy under his Lamas until 1988. During this time, Karuna established a Western Studies program for the monks and met his wife, Pamela.

 

In 1988 Karuna and Pamela relocated to the Santa Cruz area of California, where they established their family. At the request of his Lamas, Karuna founded The Karuna Group, a project aimed at interpreting Buddhist psychological theory and interventions for modern individuals. He earned a Masters in Clinical Psychology in 1992, training at the Children’s Health Council in Palo Alto, California, and practiced as a licensed therapist until 2023.

 

Karuna Cayton is the author of 6 Myths We Live By: And How to Overcome Them (Wisdom Publications, November 2025) and The Misleading Mind: How we Create Our Own Problems and How Buddhist Psychology Helps us Solve Them (New World Library, 2012).

He serves on the Board of Directors for the Foundation for the Preservation of the Mahayana Tradition.  You can also find him as a guest instructor at various Buddhist centers and organizations, or follow his work on YouTube, Instagram and Facebook.