Karma Chime Wongmo has been studying, practicing and teaching Buddha Dharma for many years, even before she knew that was what it was. In 1960 she graduated with a B.F.A degree from the U of Manitoba in Winnipeg and, a year later, became a head social worker at the YWCA. In 1968, a few years after moving to Toronto with her young son, she met and began studying with her root teacher, Venerable Namgyal Rinpoche—then known as Bhikkhu Ananda Bodhi. Two years later she became a school teacher for the Toronto District School Board and taught there for five years. 

During this time and in the following years, Karma Chime attended meditation retreats and courses under Namgyal Rinpoche’s direction, including group therapy in Toronto in 1969 and psychodrama and mandala therapy in Morocco in 1972. Shortly after she was part of the large group of students that joined Namgyal Rinpoche in India where they received the major Mahayana and Vajrayana empowerments from H.H. Sakya Trizen and Venerable Chokye Rinpoche. At its conclusion, she (and her then partner) received the Lama Couple ordination from Namgyal Rinpoche. She attended the forty-day Star-Group Meditation retreat led by him in Peru in 1974. That year, on behalf of the Dharma Centre of Canada, she hosted H.H. Sakya Trizen and his entourage at her residence in Toronto where, on his first visit to North America, he gave teaching, blessings and empowerment. 

Karma Chime attended the three-year Teacher Training during 1975-1977 under Namgyal Rinpoche’s instruction. As a result of the first year, in 1975 she co-founded The Open Path, A Centre for Eastern and Western Studies, in Boise, Idaho, and began teaching Buddha Dharma there. In 1976 she received the novice nun’s ordination from Namgyal Rinpoche. Then followed a period of courses with him, including an Abhidhamma retreat in Tunisia, a 3-month retreat on a freighter to South America and back, and a 5-month retreat on a freighter from Europe that circumnavigated the African continent.

At Rinpoche’s urging, Karma Chime began to publish his discourses—the first of four books she published there came out in 1979. In 1980, she was ordained in the Karma Kagyu Lineage by H.H. 16th Gyalwa Karmapa. After an intensive retreat in Costa Rica in 1983-85 and, upon returning to Canada in 1986, at Rinpoche’s request she attended and taught at the Dharma Centre's Second Seminary and Academy. During this time, Namgyal Rinpoche instructed Karma Chime to gather all his books in print and make them available for purchase, as well as take care of further publishing. To accomplish this she established Bodhi Publishing. Since then she has published several more publications of Namgyal Rinpoche’s discourses and continues to be engaged in this endeavour. Throughout these years she received teachings and empowerments from him and other masters, including Venerable(s) H.H. 16th Gyalwa Karmapa, H.H. Dalai Lama, H.H. Dilgo Khyentse, Kalu Rinpoche, Karma Thingley Rinpoche, Tara Tulku Rinpoche, Ayang Rinpoche, Wangdor Rinpoche, Khenpo Sonam Rinpoche, H.H. Phakchok Rinpoche, Mingyur Rinpoche, Bardo Tulku, Lama Lena and Lho Ontul Rinpoche.

Along with studying and travelling with Namgyal Rinpoche and attending him in numerous ways until his passing, Karma Chime taught and led retreats at the Dharma Centre of Canada for several decades, as well as at other centres founded by his students in North America and abroad. She has continuously served the DCC in various capacities for over fifty years: as a member of the Dharma Centre’s Board of Directors, as Dharma Teacher and Resident Teacher, as Advisory teacher, and as one of the DCC four Spiritual Directors. For the past several years she has and continues to serve on its Program Committee. In 2021, Karma Chime Wongmo was appointed an Emerita DCC Core Teacher.