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Voices of LoveAuthor: Tenzin Chogkyi
Voices of Love: Bridging Differences Through Compassionate Conversations We are living in a time of deep fragmentation. Communities and nations are increasingly divided along lines of political affiliation and ideology, race, class, religion, immigration status, language, and more. The public conversation often suggests there are only two sides: winners and losers, us and them. Voices of Love begins from a different premise. This series asks whether another way forward is possibleone grounded not in uniformity of belief, but in curiosity, empathy, and a willingness to truly listen to one another. When we perceive others beliefs and opinions as different from our own, it can feel difficultsometimes even unsafeto listen openly or ask why they see the world as they do. Yet, research in conflict and peacebuilding, as well as lived experience, suggest that our collective capacity to bridge divides is essential for any sustainable future. When we slow down enough to hear each other, we begin to recognize a shared humanity beneath our labels and positions. This podcast explores that possibility. Throughout the series, Voices of Love brings together guests who work at the front lines of social, cultural, and interpersonal challenge. Episodes will touch on various forms of othering, including those related to race, class, religion, ethnicity, immigration status, access to housing, dominant language, and more. Alongside these stories, we also explore the science of compassion and emotion, investigating what helps us expand our circle of care even when common ground feels hard to find. Our aim is not to provide easy answers. The conversations may raise as many questions as they resolve. But we believe that across the spectrum of human experience, there is at least one shared space in which we can all meet: we all have needs, we all have dreams, and those dreams can be expansive enough to include concern, curiosity, and love for others. Voices of Love invites readers and listen Language: en Genres: Buddhism, Philosophy, Religion & Spirituality, Society & Culture Contact email: Get it Feed URL: Get it iTunes ID: Get it |
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Co-exploring Emptiness and Peace: A Relational Path to Bridging Divides
Episode 46
Tuesday, 30 June, 2026
Bio: Ørjan Bergan just completed writing his Master’s thesis at the Centre for Peace Studies (CPS) at the Arctic University of Tromsø (Norway). The title of the thesis is “Letting Go and Getting Closer: A Constructive Critical Study of the Experienced Application of Buddhist Understanding and Practice of Emptiness in Peace and Conflict Transformation Work.” Ørjan is a trained Gestalt therapist at the Norwegian Gestalt Institute College (2016-2020), and has a clinical practice. He plans to continue with the themes of his Master’s thesis in a PhD program. During his studies, he worked for the Norwegian Gestalt Institute College (NGI) as a research assistant. Ørjan has practiced meditation within the Rinzai and Soto traditions since 2002, and as a former residential practitioner at the San Francisco Zen Center (2014–2015), and has also participated in numerous longer meditation retreats, as well as having taught and led meditation sessions on several occasions since this stay. He has a bachelor's degree in political science from the University of Tromsø, a master's degree in sociology from the University of Chicago, and now a Master’s in peace and conflict studies from the Arctic University of Tromsø. LinkedIn page https://www.linkedin.com/in/oerjanbergan Email orjan.bergan@gmail.com
