The Official Website of Michael Corthell

The ensō symbolizes absolute enlightenment, strength,  elegance, the universe, and mu (the void) "To be fully present in the Eternal Now is to dance in the arms of Suchness, where the magic of life unfolds." Michael Corthell While Buddha was on Earth he referred to himself as the Tathagata , which can mean either "One who has thus come" or "One who has thus gone", and interpreted correctly can be read as "One who has arrived at suchness ". So, just what is this 'suchness' exactly and how does it align with Christ and Christian practice today? 'Suchness' is of itself the highest wisdom. And it shows the highest wisdom which shines throughout the world and the Universe, it has true knowledge with a mind resting simply in its own being. It is eternal, it is joyful and blissful. It is its own self-being and it is the purest simplicity. It is energizing, immutable and it is free. Because it has all these attributes and i

by Michael Corthell A recent study looked at several kinds of advice that people get and give to understand how likely people are to use it. Four types of advice were studied: Advice for. A recommendation to pick a particular option. Advice against.    A recommendation to avoid a particular option. Information only.   Advisor supplies a piece of information that the decision maker might not know about. Decision support.  Advisor suggests how to go about making the choice, but does not make a specific recommendation. In general, the study found, all of these types of advice were useful to some degree, however information only was the most useful kind of advice. That is, people found it most helpful when people told them about aspects of the options that they might not have known about already. ''If you propose to speak, always ask yourself, is it true, is it necessary, is it kind.'' Best Advice Always get permission. If yo

“It is a great mistake to say ”Conquer it,” for we can never conquer nature;  we can only harmonize with it.” ― Gyomay M. Kubose, Everyday Suchness: Buddhist Essays on Everyday Living 'Suchness' is the reality of what is without my opinion of what reality is in truth. My perceptions do not influence anything. Things are as the are. God is not someone or something separate but is the suchness in each moment, the underlying reality  ― Stephen Levine

December 17, 2020 Michael Corthell  As the Trump presidency fades, let’s look at his chief propaganda tactic — gaslighting. Why do we need to do that? Because another wannabe dictator will use the same methods to confuse and manipulate the people. Gaslighting is a tactic in which a person or entity makes a victim question their own reasoning and reality. Anyone is susceptible to gaslighting. It is a common technique of abusers, dictators, narcissists and cult leaders. It is done slowly (like dimming a light), so the victim doesn’t realize how much they’ve been brainwashed. In the movie Gaslight (1944), a man manipulates his wife to the point where she thinks she is losing her mind, hence the name. The number one tactic in gaslighting? The perpetrator tells blatant lies, (see The Big Lie) and makes the victim less able to use reason and critical thinking. The gaslighter then, in effect, creates a very strong delusion, making himself appear to be a victim who requires unquestioned loyal