Emotional States

The main difference between emotional states and Essence is that the former are discharged processes of our nervous systems, whereas the latter is definitely not. Emotional states are primarily physiological processes accompanied by some ideational content… Essence is independent of the nervous system, transcends physiological processes, and can, in fact, exist without the physical organism. (Essence, pg 25)

In terms of the language of some psychological schools, Essence can be confused with affect. This is because Essence has an affect, in the sense that it can feel soft, warm, gentle, smooth, hard, dense and so on. But it is not the affect…The qualities of Essence, then, can be called affects. (Essence, pg 27)

Although emotional states change, essential states are there from the beginning. The child is not aware of them, but as his capacities of perception and cognition develop he becomes capable of awareness of them. It is difficult to communicate how these essential aspects are independent of ego. One has to experience them to see the implication. (The Pearl Beyond Price)

Chronic difficult emotional states may contribute to the development of narcissism because such painful affects, some of which the parents may not be able to remedy at all, might make it difficult for the child to stay deeply in touch with himself. We cannot discuss this factor in any detail because we do not have much experience of it. (The Point of Existence)