Moment of Bunniness: Fritzi

This is Fritzi, a wise bun who knows every moment of patience is worth it when she finally gets to see her human, Carly S.

Thanks, Carly and Fritzi, for the reminder that patience may be difficult but that it can also help us become stronger, wiser, and happier bunnies.

Fritzi the bunny, Photo courtesy of Carly S.
Fritzi the bunny, Photo courtesy of Carly S.

Bunny Buddhism Book Signing March 28

Nomad
I am very pleased to announce an upcoming Bunny Buddhism book signing to be held at NOMAD in Cambridge, MA this Saturday, March 28, 2015 from 2:00 to 4:00pm.

Please join us for some tea, carrot cake, and bunniness!

NOMAD
1741 Massachusetts Avenue
Cambridge, MA 02140
(617) 497-6677

Hop to see you there!

Der kleine Buddha-Hase by Krista Lester

With special thanks to translator Karin Weingart and the good bunnies at Lotos (Random House Germany), I am very pleased to announce that the German translation of the Bunny Buddhism book is now available for pre-order. The German edition has a release date of March 16, 2015—just in time for Easter gifting!

If you’re in the US and looking for a German version on Kindle, you can find it on Amazon.

If you’re in Europe or interested only in the hardcover version, please click on the cover below to check out buying options for both the hardcover and electronic versions.

Wishing very happy reading to all our German-speaking friends!

Der-kleine-Buddha-Hase buying options
Click on the cover for buying options!

Holiday Book Offer 2015

Click on the cover for US buying options.
Click on the cover for US buying options.
Need an inspirational gift for someone on your holiday gift list?

Give the gift of bunniness with Bunny Buddhism: Hopping Along the Path to Enlightenment and get a free Bunny Buddhism quote keychain!

Here are the important details:

The Offer

Anyone who buys a new (not used) copy of Bunny Buddhism: Hopping Along the Path to Enlightenment online or in any store between November 27, 2015 and December 15, 2015 is eligible to receive a free Bunny Buddhism keychain (a $4.50 value).

Holiday ImageHow It Works

Buy the book through any bookseller between November 27, 2015 and December 15, 2015, then email a copy of your receipt and your mailing address to krista@bunnybuddhism.com.

Where to Buy

To donate a portion of your order to the House Rabbit Society or another charity of your choice, please consider ordering through Amazon Smile.

To see buying options in the US and worldwide, click here.

If you would like to buy a signed copy of the book or a limited edition Bunny Buddhism T-shirt, please email krista@bunnybuddhism.com. You will receive your free keychain and an additional Bunny Buddhism surprise! Sorry, at this time, T-shirts and signed books are US-only. (Keychains will ship worldwide.)

Happy Holidays!

Moment of Bunniness: Bungie

Check out the special Bunny Buddhism Holiday Book Offer, available this weekend for four days only!

With thanks to Ashley L. for this playful pic, here is Bungie to share with us his secret to bunniness.

Bungie the bunny, Photo courtesy of Ashley L.
Bungie the bunny, Photo courtesy of Ashley L.

Ashley tells me Bungie’s life motto is: “Just chill. And when in doubt, pretend to be part of the stuffed toys.”

Well, Bungie, that sure sounds like some Zen-like bunniness to me. Thanks so much for sharing your bunny wisdom with us!

Bunny Buddhism Book Signing Oct. 2

For those of you in the Boston area, I am very pleased to announce an upcoming Bunny Buddhism event to be held at Barnes & Noble @ Boston University this Thursday, October 2, 2014 at 6:00pm.

Barnes & Noble @ Boston University
660 Beacon Street
Boston, MA 02215-2066

Please join me at my alma mater for an evening of bunny wisdom!

Reviews of Bunny Buddhism: Hopping Along the Path to Enlightenment

Bunny Buddhism
Reviews are such an important part of the book-buying process that I wanted to be sure everyone had access to the latest word about Bunny Buddhism from reviewers on Amazon and Goodreads.

If you do decide to purchase Bunny Buddhism, I hope you will consider writing your own online review to assist other potential buyers like yourself.

Reviews are crucial to the success of any book, and I am deeply grateful to each and every person who takes the time to offer their thoughts.

Thank you, and happy reading!
[scrapeazon asin=”0399167870″ width=”575″ height=”400″]

#goodreads-widget {
font-family: georgia, serif;
padding: 18px 0;
width:575px;
}
#goodreads-widget h1 {
font-weight:normal;
font-size: 16px;
border-bottom: 1px solid #BBB596;
margin-bottom: 0;
}
#goodreads-widget a {
text-decoration: none;
color:#660;
}
iframe{
background-color: #ffffff;
}
#goodreads-widget a:hover { text-decoration: underline; }
#goodreads-widget a:active {
color:#660;
}
#gr_footer {
width: 100%;
border-top: 1px solid #BBB596;
text-align: right;
}
#goodreads-widget .gr_branding{
color: #382110;
font-size: 11px;
text-decoration: none;
font-family: verdana, arial, helvetica, sans-serif;
}

Why Bunnies?

Did you ever have a security blanket? Or maybe a favorite childhood toy you could turn to for comfort no matter how lousy you felt? Was there somewhere you could go to feel completely safe?

As a child, I always had something soft to hold or hug and feel comforted. For a while, it was a favorite blanket. After that, it was stuffed animals. And then, whenever I could, I turned to bunnies.

When I held or watched a bunny, even the most miserable day would fade away until all that existed in the world was that bunny. I imagine the feeling I got was akin to what many people experience when taking in the grandeur of nature – a beautiful, sweeping calm. For some reason, nature and I don’t always get along. So, for me – it’s bunnies.

For many years, my little sister had a bunny named Jazzy (a.k.a. Jazzy Bunny). Often, I would find myself feeling crowded or ignored in a house full of family members who all had similar interests that were worlds away from my own. I knew they loved me and meant well – it’s just that the majority opinion always won, and I was the minority. So, I would turn to Jazzy for like-minded company.

Jazzy Bunny, Photo courtesy of Lori L.
Jazzy Bunny, Photo courtesy of Lori L.

At the time, I thought of it as an escape. I would find a quiet space and hold Jazzy until I felt myself becoming calmer. Spending time with Jazzy was more fulfilling than dealing with crowds of people and listening to conversations that didn’t involve me. Whether I was holding and petting him or just watching him hop and twitch his little nose, something about those moments just felt right.

When I met the man who is now my husband, it didn’t take him long to see how important bunnies were to me. For our first Valentine’s Day, he took me to a local animal shelter and let me pick out my bunny Valentine gift. This, I believe, was the first moment I felt certain this was a man who understood me, cared deeply for me and wanted me to be happy.

For a while, I had a beautiful, fuzzy little blood pressure-reducing companion named Lloyd. I spent hours and hours watching him flop, hop and binky. I delighted in holding him, watching him explore, feeling him nudge my hand to demand more pets and listening to the munching noises he made while he ate.

Years later, I realized something about all those wonderful bunny-watching moments. I felt calm in those moments not because I had escaped from the world but because I had experienced each moment mindfully. I was living in the present, taking in every blink, sniff and ear twitch of the bunny life – satisfied to be exactly where I was.

Most of the time, it is difficult for me to become absorbed in the present moment. But when it comes to bunnies, it’s the most natural thing in the world.

There’s a familiar Zen proverb that says, “When the student is ready, the teacher will appear.” I have found this to be true for me on many occasions and in many ways. And, on at least two of those occasions, my teacher was a bunny.

//platform.twitter.com/widgets.js

Has a bunny touched your life? Has a teacher come into your life in unexpected form? I would love to hear your story!

Bunny Buddhism on Goodreads.com

Update:
Sorry, this giveaway has ended. Visit Goodreads.com to read or write reviews and add Bunny Buddhism: Hopping Along the Path to Enlightenment to your bookshelf. And stay tuned for future contests and giveaways!

#goodreads-widget {
font-family: georgia, serif;
padding: 18px 0;
width:575px;
}
#goodreads-widget h1 {
font-weight:normal;
font-size: 16px;
border-bottom: 1px solid #BBB596;
margin-bottom: 0;
}
#goodreads-widget a {
text-decoration: none;
color:#660;
}
iframe{
background-color: #ffffff;
}
#goodreads-widget a:hover { text-decoration: underline; }
#goodreads-widget a:active {
color:#660;
}
#gr_footer {
width: 100%;
border-top: 1px solid #BBB596;
text-align: right;
}
#goodreads-widget .gr_branding{
color: #382110;
font-size: 11px;
text-decoration: none;
font-family: verdana, arial, helvetica, sans-serif;
}

From now until May 28, 2014, Goodreads.com is giving away 20 free copies of Bunny Buddhism: Hopping Along the Path to Enlightenment. Enter the Good Reads Book Giveaway now for your chance to win. May your good hops return to you in the form of a free Bunny Buddhism book!

2014-04-30 09.01.26

Why Buddhism?

One of the first questions that comes my way whenever someone hears about the Bunny Buddhism book is, “Why Buddhism?” Of the many reasons I could give, one jumps out at me more than the others. Quite simply, Buddhism appeals to me because it acknowledges that suffering exists.

When I first decided to learn about Buddhism, I did what many people do nowadays when they want to learn about something: I googled it and landed on Wikipedia. Before long, I came to the section on the Four Noble Truths. As soon I read that the first of the Four Noble Truths is the truth of suffering, I felt a great sense of relief.

For many, many years, I had been trying to beat depression, anxiety, and chronic myofascial pain into submission with just about every solution I could imagine. When the last wave of depression crashed down on me, I realized my methods had completely failed and I needed to try something new. I was finally ready to give meditation an honest try. And very soon, my entire world changed. At last, I could see how I was contributing to my own despair and I could begin to avoid my more destructive habits.

The other Noble Truths were much more challenging for me to embrace. I did not believe there was a way to end suffering. To be honest, I’m still not sure I do. But I am coming to understand that this “end” of suffering is not so much a promise that I will one day find lasting happiness so much as it is a guide to some practical ways to reduce unnecessary suffering, a way to let go of all those thoughts that do nothing but add to what is already quite painful.

So, why Buddhism? It’s because I suffer. It’s because we all suffer, and we can all make changes in our lives to reduce that suffering. Buddhism may be part of that process. But let’s not forget that religion isn’t for everyone. One of my all-time favorite quotes from His Holiness the Dalai Lama is, “Don’t try to use what you learn from Buddhism to be a Buddhist; use it to be a better whatever-you-already-are.”

In the end, it doesn’t matter whether someone identifies with Buddhism. Everyone can identify with pain and loss. Everyone can understand resistance to change and irrational fear and bad habits we can’t seem to break. And so, in deference to the fact that not everyone wants to embrace an entirely new religion, I chose to share some aspects of Buddhism with others using a bunny as my mouthpiece. The truth of the message is the same, just softer…and a bit more cuddly.

2014-04-02 07.28.11