BigDeal Podcast #93: Former Monk: Master Your Focus In 3 Simple Steps
Host: Codie Sanchez
Guest: Dandapani (Hindu priest, entrepreneur, and former monk)
Date: September 18, 2025
Episode Overview
This episode features a candid, deeply practical conversation between Codie Sanchez and Dandapani, a former Hindu monk turned entrepreneur and teacher to global leaders and elite athletes. Together, they unpack the secrets of mastering focus, cultivating willpower, and managing energy—with frameworks that bridge ancient spiritual discipline and modern daily chaos. Dandapani shares actionable steps for integrating self-mastery into every aspect of life and work, challenging the West's buffet-style approach to spirituality while providing concrete tactics for growth.
Key Themes & Insights
1. The "Three Stripes" Philosophy: Monastic Wisdom for Modern Life
[01:17–02:46]
- The three stripes represent key Hindu concepts:
- Ego: Not about eradication, but cultivating a positive ego (kindness, industriousness, empathy).
- Karma: Both action and reaction are within our control.
- Delusion: Recognize distractions and bring focus back to true priorities.
- Quote:
"It's not get rid of ego, but cultivate a positive ego... And if you can control your thoughts, your words, your actions, you can control a lot of the outcomes."
— Dandapani [01:35]
2. Being Spiritual in an Unconventional World
[02:47–05:10]
- Dandapani discusses wearing spiritual attire outside the monastery and blending faith with entrepreneurship.
- Monastic training doesn’t shield from chaos but equips with tools to handle it.
- Quote:
"I have the same chaos that every entrepreneur has... The only difference is I was given a set of tools in the monastery."
— Dandapani [05:10]
3. Awareness & The Mind: The Glowing Orb Analogy
[06:05–09:11]
- The mind is a vast mansion, each room a different experience (anger, joy, jealousy, etc.).
- Awareness is a glowing orb that can be moved—by us or by others.
- Regular life becomes a gym to train where we place our awareness.
- Quote:
"Once you realize you’re not the mind, rather your awareness moving within the mind, you have a choice every day to choose where you want to go."
— Dandapani [07:35] - Example: Using willpower to keep awareness out of negative states, e.g., staying calm during flight delays.
4. Willpower: Training Your Mind’s "Muscle"
[09:11–13:48]
- Willpower is the “mental biceps” that drags awareness back to where it belongs.
- Three strategies to develop willpower:
- Finish what you begin
- Do a little bit more than you think you can
- Do it a little bit better than you think you can
- Integrate these into daily, recurring rituals (making your bed, doing dishes, organizing shoes).
- Quote:
"That is not about making the bed. It's about developing willpower so that I can control where my ball of light goes in my mind."
— Dandapani [11:19] - Ritualizing small acts develops real-world discipline and mental fortitude.
5. Meditation, Ritual, and Daily Life
[13:48–16:33]
- Real spirituality isn’t in fleeting “peak” moments (like Burning Man or yoga classes)—it’s about continual practice.
- Your whole life should be your practice, not just meditation sessions.
- Quote:
"Your whole day is the practice that prepares you for the morning meditation."
— Dandapani [16:33]
6. Defining Focus & Its Transformative Power
[16:42–21:11]
- Focus: The ability to keep your awareness unwaveringly on something or someone.
- "Where awareness goes, energy flows."
- True focus allows access to the “superconscious” mind—intuition and deep creativity.
- Quote:
"The greatest experience of focus is the ability to take awareness, go to that superconscious area of the mind, stay there for an extended period, and truly experience your highest state of mind."
— Dandapani [20:48]
7. Signs of Higher Awareness: Observation, Timing, and the Nature of Success
[21:11–26:00]
- Early signs of superconsciousness: increased observation and “good timing.”
- Highly successful people (top athletes, entrepreneurs) all exhibit:
- Clear purpose
- Intense desire
- Quote:
"They have a lot of clarity of what they want and a tremendous amount of desire to get it."
— Dandapani [24:30]
8. 10 Years as a Monk: The Real Practice
[26:01–30:21]
- Dandapani’s journey: Left an engineering career, family, and modern comforts to live 10 years in a cloistered Hawaiian monastery.
- Daily routine: Early rises, meditation, working on practical tasks, no snacking, strong discipline, and a unique approach to money as a tool for growth.
- Quote:
"Money is a beautiful thing that we could spread around like fertilizer and make things grow."
— Dandapani [29:39]
9. Resolving Problems Quickly: Clearing the "Clouds"
[31:27–36:56]
- Unresolved issues clutter the subconscious (“second floor”), blocking intuition.
- Problems should be resolved swiftly (esp. before sleep); unresolved, they block inner clarity and relationships.
- First practice: Develop focus to calmly examine and accept your inner “under construction” self.
- Quote:
"The more cluttered the second floor is with unresolved things from our past... it's harder for intuition to come through."
— Dandapani [31:51]
10. Working on Yourself Uplifts Others
[36:56–37:56, 60:33–62:43]
- Personal development isn’t selfish—it energetically lifts your family, friends, and organization.
- The Napkin Story:
"As you uplift yourself, you uplift everyone that you’re energetically connected to."
— Dandapani [60:36] - Leaders should model self-mastery, as it has a ripple effect on teams.
11. Measuring Spiritual Progress—Not Just Floating
[63:05–64:24]
- True spiritual practice requires measurement and discipline—just like business.
- Quote:
"If you're meditating for two years and you're still a jerk, well, obviously it's not helping. I want to try something else."
— Dandapani [64:02]
12. Managing Energy Like Money: Audits, Budgets, and Plugging Leaks
[40:16–50:02]
- Treat energy as you would finances—allocate, audit, and avoid "hemorrhaging" it to people and habits that sap you.
- “Leaky buckets” analogy: Plug leaks first before you try to add more energy through positive habits.
- Awareness = watering can: Where you put it, energy (water) flows.
- Quote:
"First step: plug the holes. Where are you hemorrhaging energy? Who's taking your energy away?"
— Dandapani [45:23]
13. Energy, Boundaries, and the Value of Discernment
[44:07–50:59]
- To “break up” with energy vampires: stop giving them your awareness and energy, without necessarily confronting them.
- Protect your boundaries by placing responsibility with others (e.g., assign tasks, see if they follow up).
- “Where awareness goes, energy flows.”
14. Desire, Clarity, and the Power of Commitment
[24:15, 51:48–54:34, 66:48–69:08]
- True transformation requires burning desire and clarity—not dabbling or expecting hacks.
- Western culture’s pick-and-mix approach to spirituality dilutes its power; real growth requires commitment, structure, and a clear path.
- Quote:
"All the most successful people in the world commit. The best tennis players commit to playing tennis... It comes to spirituality, you just feel like, you know, I can be this free soul. They mistake spirituality with this freedom of, I can do whatever I want and not be bound by anything."
— Dandapani [67:19]
Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments
- "Reason shouldn't end where spirituality begins."
— Dandapani [00:30], [65:09] - "Where awareness goes, energy flows."
— Dandapani [17:48], [43:03], [49:51] - "I am the biggest obstacle in my life."
— Dandapani [36:57] - On Enlightenment:
"It's not a binary experience... As your awareness goes deeper, you experience deeper and deeper states of yourself."
— Dandapani [54:43] - On Spiritual Buffets and Commitment:
"People don't want to be committed to any path... You don't approach business that way, do you?"
— Dandapani [66:48] - The Napkin Story: Uplifting yourself energetically uplifts everyone you're connected to.
— [60:33]
Timestamps for Important Segments
- Three Stripes/Philosophy – [01:17]
- Awareness & Mind Analogy – [06:05]
- Building Willpower – [09:32]
- Small Rituals = Big Discipline – [11:27]
- Integrating Spirituality Into Life – [13:48]
- Focus Defined & Practiced – [16:42], [17:48], [20:48]
- Signs of Superconsciousness – [21:20]
- Clarity & Desire in Success – [24:15]
- Monastic Life Details – [28:54]
- Resolving Problems & Clearing Subconscious – [31:27], [36:56]
- Measuring Spiritual Progress – [63:05]
- Managing Energy like Money – [40:16], [45:23]
- Setting Energy Boundaries – [44:07], [48:02], [50:02]
- Western Spirituality’s Pitfalls – [66:48], [67:19]
Practical Takeaways
- Use daily routines—no matter how small—to practice willpower and focus.
- Routinely audit not just your finances but your relationships and commitments for energetic alignment.
- Bring discipline and measurement into spiritual growth, just as in business.
- Protect your awareness and energy as sacred resources, allocating them based on clear purpose and goals.
- Cultivate a burning desire and clear vision for your priorities—dabbling leads nowhere.
- Remember: Working on yourself positively impacts everyone around you, whether you know it or not.
Further Resources
- Book: The Power of Unwavering Focus by Dandapani
- App: Dandapani (for daily teachings and guided practices)
- Website: dandapani.org/cody (newsletter and free tools)
- Instagram: @dandapaniworld
Final Words
This episode is a masterclass in practical spirituality for entrepreneurs, leaders, and anyone aspiring to self-mastery. Dandapani’s blend of ancient wisdom and actionable habits provides a clear, attainable path—one disciplined, focused step at a time.