The House of Inner Tranquillity Podcast

We have been telling ourselves and expanding upon the story of our lives since the moment we became conscious and self-reflecting as children. Now, when we meditate, we find these narratives to be an…

What constitutes a good Buddhist? Mindfulness is called ‘choice-less awareness’ which means acknowledging and accepting the parts of our personality we consider negative. This way we can see that all…

People want evidence of rebirth, but what proof is there for a one-life view, of an entity that continues unchanged by conditions? There is, however, overwhelming evidence of the transient processes …

Is it possible to always love the people around you? Paul explains that the realisation of ‘non-separation’ or ‘non-duality’ found at enlightenment is the realisation of love, however it is much more…

Composure is the attitude of being self-possessed, or the absence of wildness. The Buddha encouraged his monks to adapt this mental quality in order to deal successfully with the ever-changing condit…

What can we do when the mind is gripped by resentment? The Buddha encouraged students not to repay mean and hurtful behaviour in kind. Instead he taught loving-kindness as a way to respond positively…

The topic of food is a good way to show us how the Buddha's teaching works. He advocated generosity as a simple way to learn about action and result, and established the tradition of giving alms. The…

To find lasting peace, love and understanding requires us to examine our deeply held assumptions about life and this requires commitment. In the world, we gauge a thing's worth by how difficult it is…

To find the highest happiness, the Buddha said, you have to know how this life works, rather than being preoccupied with the past or trying to make the future as you wish it to be. This talk looks at…

Descriptions of enlightenment are like postcards in that they express what it's like to go 'beyond' but can never produce the experience itself. This talk looks at the value of hearing descriptions, …

A talk on mindful investigation of what in Buddhism is known as the materiality aggregate. Are the fundamental building blocks of our physical universe dependable? What is the relationship between th…

What are some of the qualities of an "unshakeable" mind, the meditative mind that is capable of investigating and comprehending the deeper realities of existence?

Paul Harris is the Spiritual Head …

It could be said that there are as many definitions of love as there are people; from greed and attachment at one end of the spectrum to religious or mystical experience at the other. This talk descr…

Spiritual teachings often portray life as an eternal dance, coming and going, twisting and turning, rolling up, evolving and dissolving, changing and changing again, all the while saying that this ap…

Seeking is craving. If you seek calm, all you get is turmoil. If you seek wisdom, all you get is stupidity. You need to learn how to abandon the search for happiness. When you finally stop seeking, t…

Some people are attracted to the Buddha's teaching because of its exotic eastern cultural heritage. At the House of Inner Tranquillity, we choose not use wind-chimes or prayer flags and neither do we…

An outline of best practice for metta, a Buddhist meditation technique for the development of loving-kindness, friendliness and patience.

Alan James founded the House of Inner Tranquillity, along w…

Myths abound about the goal of the Buddha's teaching. Is enlightenment really absolute goodness and, if so, how do we define goodness? Is it the end of all desires, even the desire to get up in the m…

Following the Buddha's Noble Eightfold Path requires us to generate and encourage the growth of right speech. There is more to speech, however, than simply the words we use. We are in constant commun…

How many of us have felt frustrated and disconnected from life? How many of us have felt that there must be more to life than just going to work everyday to earn money in order to eat just to go back…