A must-have collection! A namtar (Tibetan: namthar, Wylie: rNam.thar) is a spiritual biography or hagiography in Tibetan Buddhism.  For more about this precious collection read the individual descriptions below & visit:  http://www.namsebangdzo.com/Books_by_KTD_Publications_s/2467.htm

In all the religions of this world there have appeared extraordinary individuals who have embodied the wisdom and goodness of their tradition while transcending the status quo of its institutions. These holy men and women capture our hearts in a special way because their lives challenge us to think 'out of the box' of our often sleepy and lackluster faith. Their every deed and word awakens what is best within each of us. -Lama Yeshe Gyamtso

Vajra Garland and The Lotus Garden: Treasure Biographies of Padmakara and Vairochana
Author: Jamgon Kongtrul, Guru Rinpoche, Yeshe Tsogyal
Translator: Lama Yeshe Gyamtso

The two biographies translated here are treasures revealed by Jamgon Kongtrul Lodro Taye, who was an emanation of the translator Vairochana, the subject of the second of the two biographies. Vairochana was a disciple of Guru Padmasambhava, the subject of the first biography. The purpose of these biographies is to inspire the reader. We are encouraged to vividly imagine the deeds of Guru Rinpoche and Vairochana, both so that we appreciate those deeds and so that we understand something of what such beings are. These stories are of people utterly unlike us in one sense and identical to us in another. Nevertheless, all of the qualities demonstrated by Guru Rinpoche and Vairochana are said by them to exist within us right now. We are in no way inferior to them in nature and are therefore potentially capable of doing everything they have done. However, because we have as yet not freed our potential from the limitations imposed on it by ignorance, our present state is very different from their present state. If we were incapable of achieving what these beings have achieved, there would be little point in studying their deeds. At the same time, seeing how extraordinary that achievement is can remind us that we have not yet realized our full potential. Therefore these stories are both uplifting and humbling.

Nyima Tashi: The Songs and Instructions of the First Traleg Kyabgon Rinpoche
By: Lama Yeshe Gyamtso; Includes Tibetan text.

This book is a translation of a short collection of the songs and teachings of the first Traleg Kyabgon Rinpoche, Nyima Tashi. It is not a biography in the usual sense of the word, and in fact little is known about Nyima Tashi's life. He is said to have lived at the time of Chodrak Gyamtso, the seventh Gyalwang Karmapa (1454-1505), who is said to have been his guru.

From the foreword by the Ninth Kyabgon Traleg Rinpoche: Gampopa, the peerless physician from Dakpo, who was repeatedly predicted and praised by the Buddha, caused the teachings of the lineage of accomplishment to become widespread in the Himalayan land of Tibet. All his disciples gave rise to the sudden realization of Mahamudra. Among them were five hundred great meditators, of whom the greatest and most famous were the three Khampas. One of these three was the Khampa Saltong Shogom, who achieved the greatest mastery of the channels and winds through the practice of chandali. His rebirth was Nyima Tashi the Birth- Recollector, who devoted his life to silent practice in sealed retreat. He saw the faces of yidams, realized Mahamudra,and thereafter recounted his previous births and prophesied his future ones. He sang vajra songs that are still warm with his blessing.This brief account of his recollections, prophecies of future births, and songs has now been translated into English and published. It is certain that disciples who study it will plant the seed of liberation in their continuums. I therefore rejoice in and am grateful for its publication.

Chariot of the Fortunate: The Life of the First Yongey Mingyur
By: Je Tukyi Dorje, Surmang Tendzin Rinpoche & Jamgon Kongtrul Lodro Taye, translated by Yeshe Gyamtso

This fantastic, outrageous, and beautiful biography of the First Yongey Mingyur Dorje, written down by Je Tukyi Dorje & Surmang Tendzin Rinpoche, describes the visionary inner life of this great treasure revealer showing us wisdom, kindness, and ability.

From the Translator's Introduction:  In all the religions of this world there have appeared extraordinary individuals who have embodied the wisdom and goodness of their tradition while transcending the status quo of its institutions. These holy men and women capture our hearts in a special way because their lives challenge us to think 'out of the box' of our often sleepy and lackluster faith. Their every deed and word awakens what is best within each of us.  Yongey Mingyur Dorje Drakpo Nuden Tsal, who was born in 1628, was such a person. This account of his deeds and words is both touching and humorous, both inspiring and shocking. As we read about his life, we are pushed beyond the reach of understanding and into the undiscovered country of awakened being. Although we cannot become like Mingyur Dorje just by reading about his life, our understanding of awakening could be forever changed by his blessing.
 
This book includes a brief biography of Mingyur Dorje by Jamgon Kongtrul the Great, extracted from his Lives of the Hundred Treasure-Revealers, and the biography of Mingyur Dorje called Chariot of the Fortunate. The latter was begun by Dzigar Tukyi Dorje, and completed by Surmang Tendzin Rinpoche.

Amrita of Eloquence: A Biography of Khenpo Karthar Rinpoche
By: Lama Karma Drodul, translated by Yeshe Gyamtso

A luminous portrait of the life of Khenpo Karthar Rinpoche, one of the Kagyu lineage's most beloved and revered teachers. Beautifully written by Lama Karma Drodul (Rinpoche's nephew and disciple) and elegantly translated by Yeshe Gyamtso, Amrita of Eloquence describes Khenpo Rinpoche and his life with humor, lyrical beauty, and boundless affection. The book composed in the traditional style of Tibetan spiritual biographies, but is nonetheless completely accessible to modern readers. The importance of such biographies cannot be overestimated: studying the life of one's guru brings devotion, and devotion brings awakening.

Born in eastern Tibet in 1924, Khenpo Karthar Rinpoche is one of the great masters of the Karma Kagyu tradition. Rinpoche, who received most of his training and education in Tibet before the Chinese invasion, is highly accomplished in meditation, philosophy, and monastic arts. As abbot of Karma Triyana Dharmachakra Monastery (KTD) in Woodstock, New York; spiritual guide of thirty-five Karma Thegsum Choling (KTC) affiliate centers; and retreat master at the Karme Ling Retreat Center in Delhi, New York, Rinpoche has touched the lives of thousands of students. He is also known for numerous books, including The Quintessence of the Union of Mahamudra and Dzokchen; Dharma Paths; Instructions of Gampopa; Bardo: Interval of Possibility, The Wish-Fulfilling Wheel: The Practice of White Tara; and the five-volume masterwork Karma Chakme's Mountain Dharma.

Precious Essence, The Inner Autobiography of Terchen Barway Dorje By: Lama Yeshe Gyamtso, tr.

The first Barway Dorje was a precious revealer of treasure and the rebirth of Nupchen Sangye Yeshe, one of Guru Padma's twenty-five disciples. Barway Dorje appeared in Tibet during the nineteenth century, and was praised and respected by the many holy beings of his time as an authentic treasure revealer. His many treasures include The Sadhanas of the Vidyadhara Guru, The Vajrakila Cycle, and The Dakini Cycle, all of which contain profound instructions pertaining to ripening and liberation. The previous Gyalwang Karmapa, Rikpe Dorje, displayed great interest in The Vajrakila Cycle in particular.  In addition to his treasures, Terchen Barway Dorje composed many works of his own that have been of great service to the essence teachings, such as his Barom Kagyu Mahamudra and Six Doctrines.