Pam Cayton lived in Nepal from 1978-88 where she studied Buddhism, taught English and helped organize courses in Buddhist philosophy and meditation. In 1981, she founded The Himalayan Yogic Institute, now the Himalayan Buddhist Meditation Center in Kathmandu.

After moving to the United States in 1988 with her husband and children, and inspired by her teacher Lama Thubten Yeshe’s concept of Universal Education, she founded Tara Preschool in 1989. Tara Preschool expanded into Tara Redwood School in 1998. In 2008 the curriculum developed at Tara Redwood School developed into an international program: Creating Compassionate Cultures.

Pam has taught and offered workshops in more than 10 countries around the world and she has spoken at notable conferences such as the Happiness Conference in San Francisco, the Mind and Its Potential in Sydney, Australia, and Empathy and Compassion in Society in London, England.