Cortland Dahl, PhD, is a scientist, author, and meditation teacher who has practiced meditation for 30 years. With Yongey Mingyur Rinpoche, his longtime meditation teacher, he cofounded the Tergar Meditation Community. He serves as executive director of Tergar International and senior instructor for the Tergar community.
Cortland has practiced meditation for 30 years and has spent time on retreat in monasteries and retreat centers throughout Asia, including eight years in Tibetan refugee settlements near Kathmandu. During his travels, he became fluent in Tibetan and became a translator and a scholar, receiving a master's degree in Buddhist studies and publishing 12 volumes of translations. He went on to study at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, where he was mentored by renowned neuroscientist Dr. Richard Davidson and received a doctoral degree in in Mind, Brain, and Contemplative Science.
He currently serves as research scientist and chief contemplative officer at University of Wisconsin-Madison’s Center for Healthy Minds and the Center’s affiliated nonprofit, Healthy Minds Innovations. He is actively involved in scientific research and has published numerous articles on the impact of meditation practices on the body, mind, and brain.
Cortland is creator of the Healthy Minds Program, a free mobile app that has been featured by the New York Times, Vogue, and Sports Illustrated. He also authored A Meditator’s Guide to Buddhism.
