Karuna Cayton acquired a Masters in Clinical Psychology in 1992.  He is a licensed Psychotherapist having trained at the Children’s Health Council in Palo Alto, California.

From 1975 to 1988 he lived at Kopan Monastery studying Buddhist psychology and philosophy under the guidance of Lama Thubten Yeshe and Lama Zopa Rinpoche. There, he established a western studies program for the monks. 

He is the principal at The Karuna Group, a project engaged in interpreting Buddhist psychological theory and interventions for modern people.

He is the author of The Misleading Mind: How We Create Our Own Problems and How Buddhist Psychology Can Help Us Solve Them (2012).