Co-exploring Emptiness and Peace: A Relational Path to Bridging Divides

from Voices of Love · host Greg Morris, Tenzin Chogkyi, Ørjan Bergan

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 [email protected]

What this episode covers

I first met Ørjan when he contacted me to see if I might be open to being interviewed for his Master’s thesis. He was specifically looking for Buddhist teachers who had some experience with conflict resolution or mediation, as his thesis explored the application of the Buddhist concept of emptiness to peace and conflict transformation. I was intrigued, as I had never thought of this application of the idea of emptiness, and Ørjan and I had several long and fascinating discussions about this topic. After he had submitted his thesis, I asked him if he would be willing to reverse roles and be a guest on the “Voices of Love” podcast, as his academic and scholarly approach offered a unique lens on the topic of peacemaking and bridging divides.

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This episode was published on June 30, 2026.

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