The Tenth Karmapa (1604–1674) lived through dramatic changes in Tibet, including the rise to political supremacy of the Fifth Dalai Lama and the Gelug sect following a Mongol invasion. Regarded as a remarkable bodhisattva and artist, the Karmapa has largely escaped the close attention of modern scholars.

In this book, Shamar Rinpoche, the Fourteenth Shamarpa, introduces the Tenth Karmapa through his translations of the Karmapa’s autobiographical writings and an eighteenth century biography of him. As a direct lineage-descendant from the Sixth Shamarpa—the Karmapa’s guru—the Shamar Rinpoche shares his unique knowledge and experience through extensive annotations and a historical overview of Tibet from the thirteenth through seventeenth century.

The text of A Golden Swan in Turbulent Waters: The Life and Times of the Tenth Karmapa Choying Dorje is complemented by maps and color illustrations depicting places where the Karmapa lived and his prolific artistic work, with some object images being published for the first time.