About Mudita

My birth name is Julia. I was born and raised in South London. I met Paul at the age of 13 when he was performing in a band. We married at 19 and have a son and daughter from that relationship and another daughter who we adopted age 13. I am a qualified Chef and spent the majority of my working life in the catering industry, including my own catering company. I formalised my commitment to the Dharma path in 2001 at a Triratna Buddhist Centre in Croydon UK where Paul was working. Although I had for years considered myself aligned to Buddhism, much of that was in relation to supporting Paul’s journey throughout the Buddhist traditions whilst my priority was focused on the home and the children. Making that commitment meant I was now in a position to develop my own practice. I began working in a wholefood shop alongside other female Buddhists on a ‘needs met’ basis which provided a real challenge both to my practice of the Dharma and to the concept of just ‘giving what you can and taking what you need’. This type of work is known as Team Based Right Livelihood and operates in accordance with Buddhist ethical principles. In 2006 I moved with Paul to Western Australia and began to support his Dharma work here. Leaving my friends and family, especially my 7 grandchildren was difficult, but thankfully one daughter and two grandchildren have moved here also and now live on our doorstep. I am currently the treasurer of the registered charity Dharmadatu Sangha Inc and also the catering co-ordinator for retreats that we run.

---