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