The Flame of "I"

One’s selfish flame of desire can become a destructive inferno if it’s not known what causes it to ignite. This is the fuel of “I” and it will have to be removed to prevent the selfish flame from igniting.

It can be said that “the world is in flames” and all one needs to do is look around to see how true this is. The cause of why there’s a flame needs to be examined if one isn’t to succumb to their selfish desires, but it’s not the world that needs to be examined, it’s what’s behind one’s own driving energy that needs to be examined. If one’s energy is focused on the flame of greed, hate, self satisfaction, envy, lust, and so on, the energy of a restless mind will be in place and this is what causes a selfish flame. Some flames are raging and some are barely lit, having awareness the flame is there is the key in not only extinguishing it, but removing the conditions that allows the flame to ignite in the first place.

This flame is mostly because of the restless mind (selfish desires) and since this is the fuel of “I” there’s nothing in place to prevent the flame from igniting. Any flame needs certain conditions to ignite and it’s the same way with a mind that’s restless. If these certain conditions aren’t met, the flame can’t ignite. A flame needs fuel (energy) so it’s important to be aware of when the flame ignites to see if it’s going to be given more fuel to grow, or if one has the necessary awareness to remove the conditions that ignite it. You can just extinguish it, but this may not prevent it from reigniting. It’s only when the fuel of “I” (selfish desires) are removed that it will be impossible for one’s flame to ignite.