About Cortland Dahl

Cortland Dahl is a scientist, translator, author, and meditation teacher with a lifelong interest in meditation and the science of flourishing. His journey began in the early 1990s when he first learned to meditate. His passion led him on a journey around the world, from monasteries in Burma to zendos in Japan, as well as eight years living in Tibetan refugee settlements in Nepal and India.

During his travels, Cort became fluent in Tibetan and became a translator and scholar, receiving a master’s degree in Buddhist studies and publishing twelve volumes of translations. He went on to study at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, where he was mentored by the renowned neuroscientist Dr. Richard Davidson and received a Ph.D. in Mind, Brain, and Contemplative Science, the first ever degree of its kind awarded by the university. He has since published numerous scientific articles, including a new scientific framework for the cultivation of well-being, published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (PNAS). 

As part of his Ph.D. dissertation, Cort created the Healthy Minds Program, now a free mobile app that has been featured by the New York Times, Vogue, Sports Illustrated, and many other publications. More recently, he authored A Meditator’s Guide to Buddhism and the forthcoming Born to Flourish: How to Thrive in a Challenging World, with Dr. Richard Davidson. 

Cort currently serves as Executive Director and board member for Tergar International, the organization that oversees the Tergar community in the West, as well as a senior instructor for the Tergar community. He is also a scientist at the Center for Healthy Minds and Chief Contemplative Officer for its affiliated nonprofit, Healthy Minds Innovations.  

Cort currently lives with his wife and son in Madison, Wisconsin.

This year, Cortland is releasing his new book A Meditator's Guide to Buddhism: The Path of Awareness, Compassion, and Wisdom, which you can pre-order here.