The Kadam school, which emerged from the teachings of the Indian master Atisha and his principal student, Dromtonpa, is revered for its practical application of the bodhisattva's altruistic ideal in daily life. This book presents the Book of Kadam's core texts, including the 23-chapter Jewel Garland of Dialogues between Atisha and Dromtonpa, Dromtonpa's Self-Exhortation, four chapters from Dromtonpa's birth stories, two brief verse summaries of the Book of Kadam, sayings of the Kadam masters, and other essential writings.

Thupten Jinpa Langri was educated in the classical Tibetan monastic academia and received the highest academic degree of Geshe Lharam (equivalent to a doctorate in divinity). Jinpa also holds a BA in philosophy and a PhD in religious studies, both from the University of Cambridge, England. Since 1985, he has been the principal translator to the Dalai Lama, accompanying him to the United States, Canada, and Europe. He has translated and edited many books by the Dalai Lama, including The World of Tibetan Buddhism, Essence of the Heart Sutra, and the New York Times bestseller Ethics for the New Millennium.

Jinpa has published scholarly articles on various aspects of Tibetan culture, Buddhism, and philosophy, and books such as Songs of Spiritual Experience: Tibetan Poems of Awakening and Insight (co-authored) and Self, Reality and Reason in Tibetan Thought. He serves on the advisory board of numerous educational and cultural organizations in North America, Europe, and India. He is currently the president and the editor-in-chief of the Institute of Tibetan Classics, a nonprofit educational organization dedicated to translating key Tibetan classics into contemporary languages. He also currently chairs the Mind and Life Institute.