Hi @IndyJ ,
Why is dukkha a property of all things? Like a cloud, an orange, even of the body, or a tree? It makes no sense, i find. Does an orange have pain when you eat it? Then you must not eat it ofcourse. Is a cloud unsatisfied with its existence as a cloud that only exist for a while and changes all the time? How do you know? Is it reasonable?
For me, anicca, dukkha, anatta and asubha are perceptions who function (arise, exist a while and cease) in the mind like nicca, sukha, atta and subha. Buddha saw that ordinaire beings have the perception of nicca, sukha, atta, and subha which the mind projects as it were on the sense-objects.
When you develop the perception of anicca, dukkha and anatta and asubha you will not develop passion for what you perceive. It cures the perception of nicca, sukha, atta and subha which are connected to passion.
Regarding essence… i do not really doubt anymore your essence and my essence is the purified heart, Nibbana. It is the essence of a Christian, Buddhist, Hindu, Moslim…even me!
In dirty water, the water is the essence. If we remove the non-essential things, the dirt, the essence of water becomes more and more visible. It is clean, purified, transparant. Your and mine essence is Nibbana in the same way. Non-essential things (anusaya, kilesa, asava, tanha’s) can disappear while it does not really has any effect on our essence, on us, besides that the usual burden disappears.
You can also see it this way: we have all kind of non-essential bagage with us from former lives. That bagage is not really our essence. Loosing more and more bagage we come more and more to our essence. I strongly belief the Dhamma is the Path to ourselves.