Bardor Rinpoche, the third Bardor Tulku, was born in 1950 in Kham, Tibet, a region noted for producing extraordinary practitioners. Although he was recognized as the Bardor Tulku at a very young age by the Sixteenth Gyalwa Karmapa, he continued to live a nomadic lifestyle herding yaks and dris with his family until the deteriorating political situation in Tibet made that impossible. He then escaped with his family to Assam, India, but the rest of his family was unable to adjust to the climate in Assam and soon died, leaving him alone. After many further trials, he arrived at Darjeeling, where he came to the attention of the Karmapa, who brought him to the Rumtek Monastery in Sikkim to begin his formal training.

After spending many years of study and practice, Bardor Tulku Rinpoche accompanied the Sixteenth Karmapa on several international tours, with such success that the Karmapa asked him to remain in New York to establish Karma Triyana Dharmachakra as the Karmapa's North American seat. This responsibility has involved not only teaching at KTD, the many affiliate centers and abroad, but also overseeing the construction of the facilities and traveling to Nepal to supervise the creation of much of the artwork now at KTD. In his role as spiritual director of the Karma Tegsum Chöling centers, Bardor Rinpoche has visited the Albuquerque KTC many times, and remains actively involved in the center's decisions and in the guidance of his personal students in New Mexico. In addition, in 2000, Bardor Tulku Rinpoche formed the Raktrul Foundation and it's associated dharma center, Kunzang Palchen Ling, in Redhook, NY, to support charitable activities in Tibet and preserve and promote the practices and teachings of the first Bardor Tulku.

The First Bardor Rinpoche, Jikme Chokyi Senge, depicted in the line drawing at the right, was born in 1836, and was the ninth incarnation of Nyupchen Sangye Yeshe, one of the twenty-five great disciples of Guru Padmasambhava. He was a terton, meaning a finder of hidden "treasure teachings," or terma. He discovered a terma known as the "Barway Dorje" (Blazing Vajra), which had been hidden by Guru Padmasambhava so that it might be discovered and used for the benefit of the people of that time and the generations that followed. Later, the First Bardor Rinpoche established Ratrulgon Monastery in Kham, East Tibet. The spiritual biography of the First Barway Dorje has been translated into English by Lama Yeshe Gyamtso and published by KTD Publications under the title The Precious Essence. Lama Yeshe has also translated the realization songs of the first Barway Dorje as Treasury of Eloquence, also for KTD Publications. Both works are available from the Namse Bangdzo Bookstore.

The Second Bardor Rinpoche was also born in Kham, and spent his early years at Situ Rinpoche's Palpung Monastery. He later served as the Sixteenth Karmapa's appointment secretary at Tsurpu Monastery in Tibet. However, he was called away twice to help at the First Bardor Rinpoche's Ratrulgon Monastery, and was unable to return from the second visit to resume his duties before his death.