The Deep Heart as a Portal to Presence
Summary: This conversation explores the heart as a portal to presence, along with the subtle body-based intelligence that can guide spiritual practice. It also looks at fear, suffering, dharma, inner listening, and the way awakening matures into empathy and service.
Questions This Interview Explores
- How can the heart function as a direct doorway into presence rather than just an emotion center?
- What does it mean to listen to subtle inner guidance from the body, especially when the mind feels uncertain?
- How do fear, shadow work, and self-inquiry relate without one becoming a form of bypassing the other?
- What supports spiritual maturity, integrity, and a clearer sense of dharma in everyday life?
- How can awakening deepen empathy and the capacity to bear suffering without becoming overwhelmed?
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.
Transcript, summary, and key takeaways from 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
Apple Podcasts
Spotify
YouTube
