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BigDeal by Codie Sanchez

Secret Monk Practice To Stop Anxiety & Overthinking! | Dandapani

My new book, Own Or Be Owned, is all about building a business so good it doesn't need you. It's out September 18, grab your ticket to the launch event here: - cs

DandapaniguestCodie Sanchezhost

Sep 18, 20251h 9mWatch on YouTube

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CHAPTERS

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Chapter summaries

Three ash stripes: ego, karma, and delusion as a daily compass
Dandapani explains the meaning of the three ash lines he wears and uses them to introduce core ideas: cultivating a positive ego, understanding karma as cause/effect plus reactions, and noticing delusion as distraction from priorities. Codie asks about standing out visually as a spiritual person, and Dandapani frames the clothing as cultural and devotional rather than performative.
- •The first stripe represents ego, which Dandapani says should be made positive rather than eliminated
- •The second stripe represents karma, described as both actions and reactions shaping outcomes
- •The third stripe represents delusion—getting distracted by misaligned people and things
- •He says he wears the marks and attire out of love for culture, tradition, and faith
- •Codie explores whether external symbols ever create self-consciousness or discomfort
Former monk to working priest: bringing monastery tools into entrepreneurial life
Codie highlights why Dandapani’s teaching feels practical in high-stakes, modern situations. Dandapani clarifies he is no longer a monk—his vows ended after 10 years—and he now lives as a Hindu priest who can run a business and have a family, while still dealing with everyday chaos.
- •Dandapani says he left the monastery after his 10-year vows expired and now identifies as a priest
- •He describes priests as householders who can marry, work, and build businesses
- •Codie emphasizes the contrast between spiritual ideals and real-world business stressors
- •Dandapani rejects the idea that he has a permanently “zen” life and says he still faces normal highs and lows
- •He frames the difference as having tools and the daily choice to apply them
Awareness as a moving orb: choosing where your mind lives moment to moment
Dandapani shares a central analogy from his guru: the mind as a vast space (or a mansion of rooms) and awareness as a glowing orb that lights up whatever it touches. He argues that progress comes from recognizing you can move awareness deliberately instead of letting environments and people drag it into anger, frustration, or distraction.
- •Awareness is described as a glowing orb moving through different “areas” of the mind
- •He suggests reframing emotions as locations in the mind you can enter and exit
- •The “mansion with 100 rooms” analogy illustrates states like anger, jealousy, and happiness
- •He emphasizes practicing awareness control during everyday challenges (employees, travel delays, etc.)
- •Codie reacts to how this changes responsibility for reactions and responses
Willpower as mental muscle: three ways to build it through small rituals
Willpower is defined as the strength to grab wandering awareness and place it where you choose. Dandapani gives three methods to build willpower and argues that the most sustainable way is to embed practice into non-negotiable daily routines rather than adding complicated morning rituals.
- •Willpower is framed as a “mental muscle” used to move awareness intentionally
- •He describes ‘mental arguments’ as a common symptom of low willpower
- •He lists three ways to develop willpower: finish what you begin, do a little more, do it a little better
- •He uses making the bed as a daily training ritual for consistency and excellence
- •Codie connects the dishes example to culture-building: finishing tasks well and cleaning up your own mess
Make the whole day the practice: consistency beats ‘spiritual moments’
Both speakers critique the pattern of doing a spiritual ritual and then returning to chaos the rest of the day. Dandapani argues the entire day should be structured as training—like an athlete preparing all day for a short performance—so the morning practice is supported by lived discipline and focus.
- •Dandapani recommends inserting practices into recurring daily events instead of adding new routines
- •He contrasts “meditate then chaos” with sustained practice embedded throughout the day
- •Codie shares an example of people speaking spiritually but reacting harshly in a small moment
- •Dandapani tells a story of a yoga teacher who was chaotic until class began
- •He uses an athlete analogy: the day prepares you for the key moment, not the other way around
Defining focus: where awareness goes, energy flows
Dandapani defines focus as the ability to keep awareness unwaveringly on a single object—like the person you’re speaking with. He explains how distraction creates “physically present, mentally absent” interactions and introduces the idea that energy follows awareness, shaping the quality of relationships and results.
- •Focus is defined as keeping awareness on one thing without wavering
- •He says many people are physically present but mentally absent in conversations
- •He introduces the saying: where awareness goes, energy flows
- •He explains how others can feel when your energy leaves because awareness drifts away
- •Codie connects definition-building in business to definition-building in spiritual practice
The three-story mind: conscious, subconscious, superconscious—and what focus unlocks
Dandapani describes the mind as a three-story building and argues that only sustained focus can move awareness into the superconscious, where intuition and deeper creativity arise. He explains superconscious experience as layered, noting early signs like observation and “good timing,” and emphasizes repetition rather than one-off experiences.
- •He outlines three levels: conscious (senses), subconscious (memory/habits), superconscious (intuition/creativity)
- •He says focus and willpower are required to reach and remain in superconscious states
- •A book analogy illustrates why brief glimpses aren’t enough without sustained attention
- •He describes early signs of superconscious activation as becoming more observant and having good timing
- •He says deeper layers bring experiences of peace, love, compassion, and repeated access becomes a default state
Clarity and desire: what Dandapani sees in top performers (and his own monastic commitment)
Asked about highly successful people, Dandapani points to clarity about goals and intense desire to achieve them. He links this to his own decision to pursue enlightenment through monastic life, describing what appealed to him about his guru’s practicality, measurement, and tools.
- •Dandapani says top performers have clarity about what they want and strong desire to get it
- •He shares working with a top soccer player and emphasizes goal clarity and intensity
- •He recounts telling his guru he wanted enlightenment and was willing to give up his life for it
- •He explains he joined the monastery in his early 20s and had limited family contact
- •He says his guru made spirituality practical with tools, progress markers, and accountability
Inside the cloistered monastery: strict structure, skills, and a healthy relationship with money
Dandapani describes the reality of cloistered monastic life, contrasting it with casual “weekend monk” claims. He outlines the daily schedule, the no-snacking rule, the work divisions among monks, and his guru’s framing of money as something that can help growth when used well.
- •He defines cloistered as closed off with limited visiting hours and strict residency under vows
- •He shares a typical day: early wake-up, meditation and rituals, exercise, and early bedtime
- •He notes the monastery structure included different working groups (publishing/media, finances, etc.)
- •He describes learning practical skills like design tools and editing alongside spiritual discipline
- •He highlights his guru’s positive view of money as something that can be spread to make things grow
Resolve problems fast to clear the subconscious ‘clouds’ and protect intuition
Dandapani argues that unresolved problems clutter the subconscious and block intuition from reaching the conscious mind. He explains a monastery rule to resolve conflicts before sleep and details how focus and self-compassion are prerequisites for seeing and clearing what’s stored within.
- •Unresolved conflict moves from conscious awareness into the subconscious as stored clutter
- •He says intuition from the superconscious must pass through the subconscious, so clutter blocks it
- •A sun/sky/ground analogy illustrates how ‘clouds’ prevent intuition’s ‘rays’ from reaching awareness
- •He describes a monastery rule: arguments are allowed, but must be resolved before bed
- •He says the first step to uncluttering is focus; the second is self-empathy and acceptance while identifying what to resolve
The uncomfortable truth of meditation: you have to face the subconscious first
Dandapani explains why meditation often feels uncomfortable rather than blissful: it quiets the conscious mind and makes subconscious content more visible. He compares this to how alcohol lowers the conscious filter, revealing what someone has been holding inside, and suggests discomfort is part of the process of seeing what needs work.
- •He says meditation can reveal subconscious material, which many people find unpleasant
- •He recalls early monastery experiences where a ‘good’ meditation made the rest of the day feel difficult
- •He states that reaching the ‘bliss’ of higher mind requires passing through the subconscious
- •He compares meditation’s effect to alcohol: the conscious mind dulls and the subconscious becomes dominant
- •Codie links this to business mentorship practices like observing people in informal settings
Energy as a finite resource: budgeting, auditing relationships, and managing awareness
Dandapani proposes managing energy the way people manage money—through budgeting, evaluation, and reallocation. He emphasizes that focusing attention is how energy is allocated, and he contrasts time management with energy management by pointing out that presence without attention gives very little to what matters.
- •He recommends applying financial principles (budgets, reviews, reallocation) to energy management
- •He describes doing an annual review of relationships and reallocating energy intentionally
- •Codie notes people usually decide based on calendar time, not whether they want to spend energy
- •He contrasts time management with energy management using a family dinner example
- •He reiterates: where awareness goes, energy flows—and focus determines who receives your energy
Energy vampires and ‘leaky buckets’: pulling awareness back and placing responsibility on others
Dandapani explains that the first step isn’t getting more energy—it’s identifying where energy is hemorrhaging and plugging the leaks. He describes how to reduce unwanted connections by stopping attention ‘watering,’ and offers a practical boundary method: assign a task and only continue engagement if the person follows through.
- •He says the first question is not ‘how do I get more energy?’ but ‘where am I leaking energy?’
- •A bucket analogy illustrates plugging holes before trying to fill up with more energy practices
- •He describes stopping an energy connection by no longer letting awareness repeatedly go to someone
- •Codie asks about handling energy vampires; Dandapani emphasizes gradual pullback and less time
- •He suggests placing responsibility on people by giving them a task (like sending an email or reading a book) and not meeting if they don’t follow through
Commitment, measurement, and the ‘napkin’ lesson: uplift yourself to uplift others
The conversation turns to commitment and structure in spirituality, with Dandapani critiquing the ‘spiritual buffet’ mindset and arguing that progress requires frameworks similar to business. He shares a story from his monastery: his guru lifting a tissue from the center to show that self-upliftment lifts everyone you’re connected to, and he reiterates that spiritual practice should be measured by real changes in behavior and outcomes.
- •Dandapani says Western spirituality often avoids commitment, preferring a mix-and-match approach
- •He argues the most successful people commit to one path and follow structure, discipline, and rules
- •He tells the tissue/napkin story: uplifting yourself energetically uplifts connected people
- •He emphasizes measurement: if meditation isn’t changing how you act and react, something is off
- •He warns that abandoning reason in spirituality can enable unreasonable leaders and harmful group dynamics
Where to follow Dandapani and closing reflections
Codie closes by recommending Dandapani’s book and app and asks where listeners can find his work. Dandapani points to Instagram and a dedicated link with a newsletter and simple practices listeners can implement, and both end with appreciation for the conversation.
- •Codie mentions using Dandapani’s app daily and praises his book
- •Dandapani directs listeners to Instagram and a dedicated webpage for the podcast audience
- •He describes a free weekly newsletter with insights and an audio piece with simple practices
- •Codie thanks him and notes the episode was personally impactful for her
- •Dandapani expresses gratitude and wraps the discussion

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