John J. Prendergast, Ph.D., is the author of
The Deep Heart: Our Portal to Presence and
In Touch: How to Tune in to the Inner Guidance of Your Body and Trust Yourself.
He is a retired adjunct professor of psychology at the California Institute of Integral Studies and a licensed psychotherapist.
He studied for many years with the European Advaita master, Jean Klein, as well as with Adyashanti. He was invited to share the dharma by Dorothy Hunt.
He offers retreats in the U.S. and Europe, as well as online.
Website: ListeningFromSilence.com
Discussion of this interview in the BatGap Community Facebook Group.
Summary and transcript of this interview
First BatGap Interview with John
Interview recorded November 23, 2019
YouTube Video Chapters:
00:00:00 - Introduction and Background
00:03:49 - Following the Subtle Impulses
00:07:19 - Mysterious Encounters with Wise Teachers
00:11:02 - The Wisdom of Not Knowing
00:14:24 - Crossing the Barrier of Fear
00:18:08 - The Head, Heart, Gut Structure
00:21:46 - The complexity of human nature and awakening
00:25:45 - The Polarity of Change and Fixing
00:29:35 - Balancing Act and Spiritual Maturity
00:33:24 - Trusting the Process of Balance
00:37:29 - The Seeker and the Sought, a Paradoxical Teaching
00:40:40 - Finding Your Dharma
00:44:11 - The Shift and the Capacity for Empathy
00:47:52 - The Capacity of the Heart to Bear Collective Suffering
00:51:44 - Moving with Love and Being of Service
00:55:19 - Living in Deep Integrity with our Heart
00:59:04 - The Influence of Teachers
01:02:07 - The Importance of Teachers in Spiritual Awakening
01:05:03 - Discovering Inner Resonance
01:09:09 - Opening Communication with the Body
01:12:46 - Non-phenomenal completion and the refinement of the instrument
01:16:29 - Leaning into Deep Sadness
01:20:28 - The Heart's Upwelling and Sharing the Love
01:24:15 - The Wisdom of the Body
01:27:52 - The Power of Beliefs in Creating Noise
01:31:29 - Identifying Core Subconscious Beliefs
01:34:49 - The Tendency for Darkness in Human Nature
01:38:28 - Acting without being married to the principle of fairness
01:42:04 - The Power of Self-Acceptance and Transformation
01:49:20 - Interviews with Regular Joes