Tergar Story
Mingyur Rinpoche began teaching beyond Nepal and India in 1998. By 2003, with a goal of supporting his monasteries in Asia, he founded the Yongey Foundation with Tim Olmsted, a long-time student of his father Tulku Urgyen. In 2006, Rinpoche established Tergar Institute, which focused on offering teaching programs in Bodhgaya.That year Rinpoche and Cortland Dahl began discussing how to unite his students from the different corners of the globe into a cohesive community. Initially, the idea was to create a decentralized network of independent meditation centers, but it soon evolved into the formation of two organizations – Tergar International and Tergar Asia.
Tergar International’s primary focus was designated to be on program development. Inspired by the use of recorded teachings, Rinpoche and Cortland developed the Joy of Living curriculum in 2008, leading to the creation of Tergar’s three-level Joy of Living video teachings.
In February 2009, Mingyur Rinpoche met with about thirty of his students at Tergar Monastery in Bodhgaya, India, to outline his vision for a global meditation community. His vision included a secular pathway of teachings, which is now called “Joy of Living,” and a Buddhist path called “Path of Liberation.”
That same year Rinpoche invited Tim Olmsted, Myoshin Kelley, and Edwin Kelley to join Cortland as Tergar instructors. He asked them to take the lead in incorporating Tergar International as a non-profit U.S. organization. Tergar International was officially incorporated by the State of Minnesota on April 30, 2009, with Mingyur Rinpoche, Cortland Dahl, and Edwin Kelley serving as directors. At the same time, Rinpoche announced his intention to go on a “wandering yogi-style” retreat (2011-2015), entrusting the instructors with the organization’s development.
With the success of Rinpoche’s first book The Joy of Living (2007), which appeared on the New York Times bestseller list, followed by Joyful Wisdom (2010) Rinpoche’s reach grew and supported the budding Tergar Meditation Community, even while he was on retreat. A global network of practice groups quickly formed, first in Copenhagen, Minneapolis, Madison, Moscow, New York, Portland, Paris, Puebla and Sao Paulo. Tergar’s emphasis was very much on the development of meditators and encouraging practice.
Growth and Expansion
In 2018, the leadership of Tergar International and Tergar Asia gathered at Rinpoche’s Osel Ling monastery in Kathmandu to further solidify the global network of volunteers.
In 2016, Tergar International launched the Vajrayana Online programming based on the Kagyu and Nyingma lineage of Buddhist teachings. In 2020, with the COVID-19 pandemic, Tergar moved to online delivery and expanded its event offerings with translation into Chinese, French, German, Portuguese, Russian, and Spanish. In 2016, long-time meditator Antonia Sumbundu joined the Tergar Instructors, and the pool of Tergar Facilitators was expanded to support Joy of Living activities in different countries.
The publication of Rinpoche’s book In Love With the World (2019), which shares the account of Rinpoche’s near-death experience while on his wandering retreat, initiated a global book tour organized by Tergar International and Tergar Asia.
Recent Developments
In 2022, Mingyur Rinpoche’s Vancouver TED Talk garnered more than a million views, highlighting his global influence.
In September 2023, Tergar International launched the year-long Meditation Teacher Program, with 89 graduates completing the program. Licensed graduates may teach the Anytime, Anywhere Meditation Program (launched in June 2023 in Edinburgh, Scotland), a secular program introducing the essence of the Joy of Living programming. In the same year Tergar International initiated the My Meditation Journey, a series of interviews with public personas such as Laurie Anderson and Michael Imperioli, sharing their experience of meditation.
In 2024, Tergar International hosted its first programs at the newly re-constructed Osel Ling monastery, heavily damaged in the 2015 Nepal earthquake, and now serves as a central hub for Tergar activities in the region. 2024 Tergar International efforts focused on the development of the Joy of Living app.
Explore the journey
The Tergar Timeline highlights key milestones in the evolution of Tergar International, showcasing its growth and development.