The Flame of Passion

We often hear the advice, “Follow your passion.” It sounds simple and inspiring, yet few of us pause to ask what it truly means. Is this passion a genuine love for something — or merely another pursuit that may resemble true passion in some ways, yet is false, driven by emptiness, greed, and the desire for power?

We may feel an intense excitement toward a career, a goal, or a cause — and call that intensity passion. But unless there is freedom from the self — the conditioned mind shaped by society and personal experiences — this passion has little meaning. When the self is active, it clings to something and gives it exaggerated importance. That attachment may appear as passion, but it is not. One person may become attached to wealth or fame, another to a belief or an ideal. The mind gives importance to what it identifies with — and from that identification arises a passion that carries within it the seeds of conflict, fear, and dependence.

Passion or Attachment?

It isn’t always easy to tell the difference. Both attachment and passion have intensity. But their quality is different. Attachment emanates from inner emptiness — it has a restless energy that seeks its goal at any cost, even through cruelty or deceit, and further worships recognition and success. True passion has a sacred energy; its nature is care. It stays alive even when no one is watching — when there is no promise of reward or admiration.

Suppose one loves the work of art. When there is genuine passion, there is joy in learning, exploring, and creating. But when attachment enters, the same passion becomes self-centered — the artist now wants to be at the top, to prove his worth, to surpass others. Jealousy, recognition, and comparison begin to extinguish what was once love. The goal of reaching the top becomes more important than the act of creation itself. Then real passion fades, and competition or success — even if it means using unfair means — takes its place.

When Occupation Hides Emptiness

Even those who have reached the highest levels of success have spoken about the deep emptiness that surfaced once the pursuit ended. While the mind is occupied with ambition, its inner emptiness remains hidden; but when the noise of achievement fades, that same emptiness reveals itself on the surface and becomes a serious issue. There may also come a time when one can no longer stay active in a certain field — due to age, limitation, or circumstance — and then too, the emptiness reveals itself. In seeking new pursuits to escape it, one often deepens the very emptiness one hopes to avoid. What we often call passion may then be seen as an escape — a way of filling the inner void — rather than the flowering of true love for what we do.

This shows how attachment, even to something noble or creative, isolates us. There is loneliness unless we are occupied with our object of attachment, and even while we are occupied, the feeling of isolation quietly persists. Such passion is conditional — it depends on success, recognition, or continuous activity to survive.

Freedom: The Ground of True Passion

True passion flowers only in freedom — not in rebellion, but in psychological freedom from fear, ideals, and conditioning. Most people live according to what society admires: power, wealth, and fame. Even career choices are often guided by what seems respectable or secure, rather than by genuine interest. But when the mind sees how conditioning shapes its desires — and how desire leads to endless pain — that very seeing awakens clarity and brings freedom from conditioning itself.

When there is such clarity, passion becomes ‘without a cause’— a movement not dominated by reward or the fear of failure. One may still have goals — to play a good game, to build something meaningful, to bring harmony into the world — but the goal never becomes so consuming that one is ready to destroy anything that one feels is in the way of that goal. The doing has its own joy; there is an appreciation and respect for other things without being unnecessarily influenced.

Being a Light to Oneself

Real passion demands that we be a light to ourselves — that we observe, question, and learn directly from life. It calls for sincerity, awareness, and freedom from the net of pride and social status.

If we depend on others to tell us what to do or who to become, we live in darkness. The moment we begin to follow someone’s light, our own flame begins to fade. Freedom from authority does not mean we won’t make mistakes — we may, and we will. But once we see them, we do what is necessary and move on. In that movement, there is learning and joy. There is a certain joy in doing what we truly love, and any mistakes bring their own lessons and understanding.

A Quiet Reflection

Perhaps the question is not “How do I find my passion?” but “Can I see what stands in the way of it?” When the self, with its fears and motives, no longer dominates, passion naturally expresses itself — not as obsession, but as love in action.

To look within and ask quietly:

• If there were no recognition or reward, would I still want to do this?
• Is this love for the thing itself, or have I been brainwashed by the society into believing something is good and eventually I have started to depend on that thing?

Such questioning may reveal the whole psychological process — how the mind becomes trapped in something so subtle yet so deeply vicious. That very seeing can free it from the trap, and one may then discover true flame of passion — a passion that is alive and free.

For a deeper exploration, the chapter on Correct Action may give a better understanding of this topic. The chapter on Relationship may give a better understanding of the root of loneliness, dependence, attachment, and possessiveness, including how the “Self” influences these patterns. To understand the terminology of the “Self,” the chapter on Self-Knowledge may also be important. The full book is available to read for free on this website and may be best understood if read in its natural order.