Dandapani: Tips from a Hindu Monk

Dave welcomes Dandapani to the podcast. Dandapani is Sri Lankan and he grew up in Australia. He has a degree in electrical engineering but left everything behind to become a Hindu monk for 10 years. He now lives in Manhattan with his wife and is currently a speaker. Listen as Dandapani teaches us how to learn and practice meditation as entrepreneurs, why awareness is key in concentration, and discusses some of the common misconceptions people have towards monks. 

Time Stamped Show Notes: 

00:33 – Introducing Dandapani  01:04 – Check out Dandapani.org to learn more about him  02:34 – 8 years ago, Dandapani’s vows as a Hindu Monk expired—he decided not to renew them and moved to USA  02:51 – He is now a Hindu priest  03:35 – Dandapani and his wife are creating a retreat center in Costa Rica  03:52 – Dandapani met his wife while he was still a monk  04:47 – Dave went to one of Dandapani’s talks about “unwavering focus”  06:52 – A few misconceptions towards monks  07:03 – Monks meditate as a group for only an hour a day  07:11 – Monks work the whole day to develop qualities such as concentration and willpower  07:48 – People think monks meditate the whole day  07:55 – People think Dandapani teaches meditation  08:11 – Before practicing meditation, one must learn how the mind works and concentrates  09:19 – Dandapani got frustrated a year ago with what he was doing  09:36 – He worked at how he presents his ideas  10:02 – He has finally found fulfillment  10:15 – Dave and Dandapani met in Boston  10:53 – Dandapani’s talk on “unwavering focus” has been an “Ah-Ha” moment for Dave  11:05 – Most entrepreneurs are considered to have ADD  11:33 – Dave has completely believed he had ADD until he went to Dandapani’s talk  11:50 – Dandapani says most of entrepreneurs are not clinically ADD but are just out of practice  12:03 – The key point even before practicing is to learn concentration  12:35 – “How can you expect to be good at something if you don’t learn it and you don’t practice it?”  13:49 – The problem comes when you need to use concentration and you can’t  14:29 – Consciously switching into one thing to another vs. consciously doing it  14:58 – “The act of consciously switching is not ADD but an act of concentration”  15:08 – “The state of distraction is when something or someone outside of you is dictating without you having any control over it”  15:35 – How Dandapani trains people to understand the mind  16:34 – Your mind doesn’t move  17:33 – Dave describes the exercises they had in Dandapani’s talk  18:59 – Dandapani’s powerful point is in the awareness of your mind  19:18 – Dave asks about avoiding being moody  20:30 – Your energy level is low at the end of the day  20:34 – It’s harder to control the awareness of your mind when your energy level is low  21:00 – One way to approach the situation  21:04 – Realize your energy level is low  21:10 – Every time you find your awareness being low, use your willpower  21:23 – It takes practice to bring your awareness back  21:54 – Define concentration first  21:55 – Dandapani’s definition of concentration or focus is the ability to keep awareness on one thing for an extended period of time  22:18 – Develop concentration by practicing to focus on one thing at a time  23:01 – Use your willpower to bring your awareness back  24:13 – Dave challenges the listeners to think about things in your day-to-day life that require you to focus your attention and apply willpower to make those things happen  25:45 – Keep your awareness and be present in the moment  26:34 – Focus on something impactful in your life  28:10 – Dandapani wanted to be a monk since he was 4 or 5 years old  28:36 – He was born in Malaysia  28:47 – His mom invited a monk over to their house  29:02 – At that time, Dandapani said to himself, “That’s me!”  29:33 – Dandapani’s purpose in life  30:00 – Being a monk was the most effective way for him to find the answers to his questions  30:36 – Dandapani’s mom is a housewife and his dad was a biochemist  31:05 – He was looking for a teacher that could train him  32:44 – His intention was to live as a monk for the rest of his life  32:49 – It was a huge life decision to leave the monastery  33:46 – Dandapani shares a story about our purpose in life  35:02 – How can we not know our purpose in life?  35:56 – Nobody teaches you how to live life  36:30 – In the monastery, they are taught how to live  36:54 – People either don’t know how to find their purpose or they just don’t know why they need to have one  37:58 – The more time you spend with someone, the more you get to know them  38:27 – People have the struggle to find their purpose because they don’t have any time to spend with themselves  38:48 – “We make time for everyone in our life, but we can’t give that time to ourselves”  39:57 – Reflection is sitting down with eyes closed, looking inside yourself, and having that dialogue or conversation  40:33 – “The more you get to know yourself, the better you understand what you want”  40:56 – Meditation is a concentrated state – a state of focusing on one thing  42:37 – Your purpose in life helps you to create your guiding principles  42:44 – The goal defines the path and the path defines the surrounding  44:15 – Have a mission, vision, and core values in life  45:31 – Get clear on what your life is about  45:51 – The concept of legacy  46:36 – Dandapani’s guru’s teaching on legacy—what does the world need and how can I best serve that need?  46:55 – Dandapani’s legacy is to help people understand their minds, develop focus and willpower, and to become clear  47:51 – Legacy cannot be about you  48:23 – Dandapani’s plans for Costa Rica  49:06 – A 50-year and a 300-year plan for the retreat center  49:56 – Learn.Dandapani.Org/EOPodcast – Get a special discount on Dandapani’s 12-week online course on the mind and meditation  52:09 – Offer expires on April 30th, 2017  52:33 – Dave closes the podcast 

3 Key Points: 

You cannot be great at something you’ve never learned or practiced.  Concentration is having awareness at that particular moment for that particular task.   Reflection and meditation are two different things, but are two things that are essential in helping you define your purpose in life. 

Resources Mentioned: 

Entrepreneur's Organization – The EO Network  Dandapani.org – Dandapani’s website 

Dave welcomes Dandapani to the podcast. Dandapani is Sri Lankan and he grew up in Australia. He has a degree in electrical engineering but left everything behind to become a Hindu monk for 10 years. He now lives in Manhattan with his wife and is currently a speaker. Listen as Dandapani teaches us how to learn and practice meditation as entrepreneurs, why awareness is key in concentration, and discusses some of the common misconceptions people have towards monks. 

Time Stamped Show Notes: 

00:33 – Introducing Dandapani  01:04 – Check out Dandapani.org to learn more about him  02:34 – 8 years ago, Dandapani’s vows as a Hindu Monk expired—he decided not to renew them and moved to USA  02:51 – He is now a Hindu priest  03:35 – Dandapani and his wife are creating a retreat center in Costa Rica  03:52 – Dandapani met his wife while he was still a monk  04:47 – Dave went to one of Dandapani’s talks about “unwavering focus”  06:52 – A few misconceptions towards monks  07:03 – Monks meditate as a group for only an hour a day  07:11 – Monks work the whole day to develop qualities such as concentration and willpower  07:48 – People think monks meditate the whole day  07:55 – People think Dandapani teaches meditation  08:11 – Before practicing meditation, one must learn how the mind works and concentrates  09:19 – Dandapani got frustrated a year ago with what he was doing  09:36 – He worked at how he presents his ideas  10:02 – He has finally found fulfillment  10:15 – Dave and Dandapani met in Boston  10:53 – Dandapani’s talk on “unwavering focus” has been an “Ah-Ha” moment for Dave  11:05 – Most entrepreneurs are considered to have ADD  11:33 – Dave has completely believed he had ADD until he went to Dandapani’s talk  11:50 – Dandapani says most of entrepreneurs are not clinically ADD but are just out of practice  12:03 – The key point even before practicing is to learn concentration  12:35 – “How can you expect to be good at something if you don’t learn it and you don’t practice it?”  13:49 – The problem comes when you need to use concentration and you can’t  14:29 – Consciously switching into one thing to another vs. consciously doing it  14:58 – “The act of consciously switching is not ADD but an act of concentration”  15:08 – “The state of distraction is when something or someone outside of you is dictating without you having any control over it”  15:35 – How Dandapani trains people to understand the mind  16:34 – Your mind doesn’t move  17:33 – Dave describes the exercises they had in Dandapani’s talk  18:59 – Dandapani’s powerful point is in the awareness of your mind  19:18 – Dave asks about avoiding being moody  20:30 – Your energy level is low at the end of the day  20:34 – It’s harder to control the awareness of your mind when your energy level is low  21:00 – One way to approach the situation  21:04 – Realize your energy level is low  21:10 – Every time you find your awareness being low, use your willpower  21:23 – It takes practice to bring your awareness back  21:54 – Define concentration first  21:55 – Dandapani’s definition of concentration or focus is the ability to keep awareness on one thing for an extended period of time  22:18 – Develop concentration by practicing to focus on one thing at a time  23:01 – Use your willpower to bring your awareness back  24:13 – Dave challenges the listeners to think about things in your day-to-day life that require you to focus your attention and apply willpower to make those things happen  25:45 – Keep your awareness and be present in the moment  26:34 – Focus on something impactful in your life  28:10 – Dandapani wanted to be a monk since he was 4 or 5 years old  28:36 – He was born in Malaysia  28:47 – His mom invited a monk over to their house  29:02 – At that time, Dandapani said to himself, “That’s me!”  29:33 – Dandapani’s purpose in life  30:00 – Being a monk was the most effective way for him to find the answers to his questions  30:36 – Dandapani’s mom is a housewife and his dad was a biochemist  31:05 – He was looking for a teacher that could train him  32:44 – His intention was to live as a monk for the rest of his life  32:49 – It was a huge life decision to leave the monastery  33:46 – Dandapani shares a story about our purpose in life  35:02 – How can we not know our purpose in life?  35:56 – Nobody teaches you how to live life  36:30 – In the monastery, they are taught how to live  36:54 – People either don’t know how to find their purpose or they just don’t know why they need to have one  37:58 – The more time you spend with someone, the more you get to know them  38:27 – People have the struggle to find their purpose because they don’t have any time to spend with themselves  38:48 – “We make time for everyone in our life, but we can’t give that time to ourselves”  39:57 – Reflection is sitting down with eyes closed, looking inside yourself, and having that dialogue or conversation  40:33 – “The more you get to know yourself, the better you understand what you want”  40:56 – Meditation is a concentrated state – a state of focusing on one thing  42:37 – Your purpose in life helps you to create your guiding principles  42:44 – The goal defines the path and the path defines the surrounding  44:15 – Have a mission, vision, and core values in life  45:31 – Get clear on what your life is about  45:51 – The concept of legacy  46:36 – Dandapani’s guru’s teaching on legacy—what does the world need and how can I best serve that need?  46:55 – Dandapani’s legacy is to help people understand their minds, develop focus and willpower, and to become clear  47:51 – Legacy cannot be about you  48:23 – Dandapani’s plans for Costa Rica  49:06 – A 50-year and a 300-year plan for the retreat center  49:56 – Learn.Dandapani.Org/EOPodcast – Get a special discount on Dandapani’s 12-week online course on the mind and meditation  52:09 – Offer expires on April 30th, 2017  52:33 – Dave closes the podcast 

3 Key Points: 

You cannot be great at something you’ve never learned or practiced.  Concentration is having awareness at that particular moment for that particular task.   Reflection and meditation are two different things, but are two things that are essential in helping you define your purpose in life. 

Resources Mentioned: 

Entrepreneur's Organization – The EO Network  Dandapani.org – Dandapani’s website