Sam: What is the difference between and attribute and the nature of something?
Sundari: The nature of something is different from the attributes of something. People often confuse the two. The nature is the essential essence, something that is intrinsic to or inherent in something and cannot be removed, without which a thing could not be a thing. An attribute is a property, which may or may not be essential to the nature of a thing. The nature of something is the non-negotiable or unchanging variable, whereas a property is usually a changing variable, like the nature of sugar is sweetness. If you take sweetness away, sugar is no longer sugar. Or the nature fire is heat. If you take heat away, fire is no longer fire. Thus the nature of the self, awareness, or consciousness, is parama prema svarupa. Parama means “limitless”; svarupa means “nature” and prema is“ the love the makes love possible.”
