Essence (Skt. स्वरूप Svarupa or तत्व Tatva) is the fundamental, unchanging nature of an entity that without which it would cease to exist. On the path of knowledge, finding the essence is the key to breaking through the illusion of changing forms.

The Definition of Essence

• That Which Remains: The essence is that which remains when all non-essential, superfluous, and unnecessary attributes are completely removed.

• The Non-Essential: Anything that can be changed, substituted, or degraded is non-essential. All that changes is temporary and non-essential.

Illustrative Metaphors

To understand this concept, the great masters used simple everyday examples:

• The Clay Pot: You can shape clay into a pot, paint it, or break it, but the essence remains clay. You cannot remove the clay without destroying the pot entirely.

• The Wave: A wave rises, changes, and falls on the surface of the ocean. The wave has no independent existence; its essence is water.

• The Ornament: Gold can be forged into a necklace, a ring, or a pendant. The shapes (forms) and names are temporary, but the essence is gold.

The Essence of Yourself

By applying the process of negation (Neti Neti), the seeker discards the body, sensations, emotions, thoughts, and memories as changing and non-essential. The ultimate essence of the individual is recognized as the experiencer (the Self) the changeless witness of all change.

See also

Nature, experiencer, form, negation, self, dependent existence.