Cortland Dahl Phd The Energizing Force Of Compassion

Cortland Dahl, PhD: The Energizing Force of Compassion

January 21, 2025

Cortland Dahl, PhD: The Energizing Force of Compassion

Cortland Dahl — January 21, 2025

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Imagine how our world would change if all of our actions were rooted in love and compassion. Is that even possible? In this podcast, Tami Simon sits down with Dr. Cortland Dahl, the renowned Buddhist scholar, translator, scientist, researcher, and author of several books including his newest, A Meditator’s Guide to Buddhism, to discuss how compassion can become the energizing force that motivates you and inspires you each and every day.

Listen now for their insights on attuning to the intelligence of your heart; a neuroscientific approach to healing anxiety; the exciting research and new modalities emerging from the study of contemplative practice; how quickly we can begin to enjoy the profound benefits of meditation; the four pillars of a healthy mind: awareness, connection, insight, and purpose; appreciation and noticing the positive; living life in a meditative way; bringing your innate compassion up to the surface of conscious experience; doing the dishes as an act of love—how every action can become a gift; generosity, the inner richness that can never be exhausted; how empathy and compassion activate the brain’s “care network”; compassion in relationships; the universal longing for meaning and purpose; transformative pain, and why physical discomfort does not equal suffering; dealing with uncertainty; unlocking the insights of our emotions and finding the beauty in difficult experiences; a pith instruction: look at your mind; and more.

Note: This episode originally aired on Sounds True One, where these special episodes of Insights at the Edge are available to watch live on video and with exclusive access to Q&As with our guests. Learn more at join.soundstrue.com.

Cortland Dahl, PhD, 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 12 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 PhD 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 PhD 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: The Path of Awareness, Compassion, and Wisdom” 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.

Posted January 21, 2025

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Richard Davidson & Cortland Dahl: “Flourishing ...

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This week, Tami Simon speaks with Richard Davidson—one of the most highly cited scientists in the world and a pioneer in the neuroscience of emotion and meditation—and Cortland Dahl, contemplative scientist, Buddhist translator, and co-founder of Tergar International, about their new book, Born to Flourish: How New Science and Ancient Wisdom Reveal a Simple Path to Thriving. Drawing on decades of research with long-term meditators, guidance from the Dalai Lama, and the world’s wisdom traditions, they offer a science-backed framework for wellbeing that is both profound and surprisingly accessible.

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Listen now and discover what you were born to do. →

This conversation offers genuine transmission—not just concepts about awakening, but the palpable presence of realized teachers exploring the growing edge of spiritual understanding together. Originally aired on Sounds True One.

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Cortland Dahl, PhD: The Energizing Force of Compassion

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This conversation offers genuine transmission, not just concepts about awakening, but the palpable presence of realized teachers exploring the growing edge of spiritual understanding together, and it originally aired on Sounds True One.

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Cortland Dahl, PhD: The Energizing Force of Compassion

Cortland Dahl, PhD: The Energizing Force of Compassion

Cortland Dahl — January 21, 2025

900 Episodes and Counting…

Meet Your Host: Tami Simon

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Richard Davidson & Cortland Dahl: “Flourishing ...

Cortland Dahl, PhD: The Energizing Force of Compassion

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Just One Question | Adyashanti: Is It an Awakening If ...

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