The Intercontemplative Retreat Bridging Traditions

From 28 July to 3 August, the Most Rev’d Malkhaz Songulashvili of the Peace Cathedral participated in a groundbreaking intercontemplative retreat hosted at the Tibetan Buddhist Study and Meditation Centre.

Though not yet a standard dictionary term, intercontemplative is gaining recognition in interfaith and spiritual circles. It refers to a shared contemplative space in which spiritual practitioners—monks, mystics, and seekers from a variety of traditions come together for practice, reflection, and dialogue. Importantly, participants do not necessarily represent their religious institutions but engage as individuals committed to inner transformation and mutual understanding.

Before the first session. From left to right– Professor Donata Schoeller, Rabbi Marianne van Praag, Venerable Gendun Losang, and Bishop Malkhaz Songulashvili.

This unique retreat was conceived and led by Venerable Gendun Losang, a senior Dutch Bhikshu with nearly four decades of committed Buddhist practice. He has spent over 18 years as a monastic in the Tibetan tradition, including a decade studying Buddhist philosophy at Nalanda Monastery and in India. In addition, he has undertaken more than four years of intensive retreat, with training in both Tibetan sutra and tantra, as well as the Burmese Theravada Forest Tradition. Venerable Gendun Losang also serves as Interfaith Canon of the Peace Cathedral in Tbilisi, Georgia. He invited three spiritual teachers to join him in leading the retreat:

• Rabbi Marianne van Praag, leader of the Liberal Jewish Congregation in The Hague, and one of the first women to be ordained as a rabbi in the Netherlands. Renowned for her disarming humour and tireless work for social justice, she is deeply engaged in interfaith outreach and pastoral care, and continues to be a powerful advocate for marginalised communities.
• Professor Donata Schoeller, a philosopher devoted to making deep thinking accessible and grounded in embodied experience. Working in the tradition of Socratic inquiry, she leads participants—students and scholars alike—into deeper layers of understanding through the innovative methods of Focusing and Thinking at the Edge (TAE). A follower of Meister Eckhart, she sees divine love as a latent force within every person, waiting to be realised through an inner process of spiritual awakening. Professor Schoeller is a Research Professor at the University of Iceland, a prolific writer, and director of several international initiatives, including the Erasmus+ projectEmbodied Critical Thinking and Understanding.
• The Most Rev’d Dr Malkhaz Songulashvili, Bishop of Tbilisi and Professor of Comparative Religious Studies at Ilia State University. As the spiritual leader of the Peace Cathedral and the Evangelical Baptist Church in Georgia, Dr Songulashvili is internationally recognised for his pioneering interfaith leadership. He has translated numerous sacred texts, including the Modern Georgian Bible, and founded the Beteli Centre for Refugees. His visionary Peace Project—uniting a Peace Mosque, Peace Synagogue, and the BuddhistŚānti Vihāra under the roof of the Peace Cathedral—has inspired countless people around the world.

The retreat took place in a serene monastic setting: a stately 18th-century château in the French countryside, once owned by the Toulouse-Lautrec family. Fully booked well in advance, it welcomed 85 participants from across Western Europe and the United States. This tranquil venue provided an ideal environment for meditation, spiritual inquiry, and deep inter-contemplative engagement, drawing from Jewish, Christian, and Buddhist sources. It was the first retreat of its kind ever held anywhere in the world.

Contemplative session in the temple, held in one of the château’s buildings known in French as the “Bergerie.”

Each day began with shared meditation on sacred texts from the three represented traditions and concluded with guided meditation and chanting from a variety of spiritual lineages. The four teachers led sessions on topics such as equanimity, compassion, spiritual friendship, appreciative joy, and radical love—offering participants a rich and transformative encounter with contemplative wisdom and interfaith unity.

The temple where the retreat was held was located in a building known in French as la bergerie (the Shepherd’s House). At the close of the retreat, participants were so moved by the story of the Peace Cathedral in Tbilisi that it was proposed the temple be renamed La Bergerie de Paix—the Shepherd’s House of Peace—in honour of the inspiration drawn from that sacred space and the profound sense of peace cultivated throughout the gathering.

Contemplative session in the temple.

In the words of Professor Donata Schoeller, the retreat was “a unique opportunity for growth through the shared experience of teaching and learning alongside fellow spiritual teachers.” “The four of us formed a bond of fellowship almost the moment we met in person, having only seen each other previously on Zoom. There was a great deal of laughter and shared joy, which created an atmosphere of warmth and ease among the participants. Rabbi Marianne has a truly fascinating sense of humour—and the rest of us, I dare say, were not lacking in that department either!”

For the Bishop, one of the most moving moments of the retreat came at its very conclusion. During a final session of dedications, Aymee Smolec, a French participant, offered these simple yet profoundly touching words: “My dedication goes to the flowers—and to those who are not able to see them.”

The quiet beauty of this statement deeply resonated with the Bishop, encapsulating the essence of the retreat: the longing to bring light, beauty, and presence into the lives of those burdened by hardship, sorrow, or spiritual blindness. It was, for him, a poignant reminder of the retreat’s deeper purpose—compassionate awareness in a world so often deprived of it.

Venerable Gendun Losang, and Bishop Malkhaz Songulashvili in conversation.

The retreat booklet and program.

A card from the Buddhist Institute: “To Bishop Malkhaz, Prof. Donata, Rabbi Marianne, and Ven. Gendun. We are deeply grateful for the witness of your profound friendship, the sharing of your brotherhood, and the meaningful exchanges we’ve shared through your rich and diverse experiences. Thank you for embodying the loving-kindness and faith that guide your spiritual commitments. Your presence and witness are a true source of inspiration and hope for the wellbeing of all beings. With heartfelt gratitude– see you soon.