Sometimes a bunny quote is enough. Sometimes it is not.
A number of Buddhist meditation practices have influenced Bunny Buddhism over the years. Today, I would like to share with you an article I recently wrote for elephant journal called “Tonglen: 4 Steps to Finding Compassion for Strangers.”
Why read the article? Because, as every bunny knows, it’s hard to find compassion in confined spaces.
People often ask me how I come up with the Bunny Buddhism quotes, so I thought I would take a moment to answer. Quite simply, the majority of bunny quotes are inspired by whatever book I am reading at the time. Right now, for example, I’m reading Thich Nhat Hanh’s Teachings on Love, which is why a number of recent bunny quotes have focused on the topic of love.
All bunnies are born knowing how to love.
— Bunny Buddhism (@bunnybuddhism) May 2, 2014
//platform.twitter.com/widgets.js
The books I read, of course, often reflect my emotional state. I’m thinking a lot about love these days because my husband is having some serious health issues that have required hospital visits every few days for the past two months. This has resulted in a great deal of stress and a tremendous interruption to the usual way of things for both of us.
While I haven’t quite given in to my old depression and anxiety, I will admit that it has been incredibly difficult to come up with an uplifting thought each day. But that’s precisely the point. It is when it is hardest for me to come up with a positive thought that I most need to think of one.
So, I continue to think happy bunny thoughts each day because my life is better when I plan some levity to offset the stress. I’ve been the person who’s neglected herself for years on end in favor of a job or relationship or just about anything else, but that neglect ended when I made the conscious choice to bring more light into my own life. And I will continue to take responsibility for my own happiness because no one else is going to do it for me.
No bunny can find bunniness for another; we each must find our own.
— Bunny Buddhism (@bunnybuddhism) December 2, 2011
When I learned that some of my humble Bunny Buddhism tweets were going to become a book, I was overjoyed. It was a strange feeling and one I didn’t know how to handle. I had struggled with crippling depression and anxiety for most of my life, and yet here I was, wanting to sing and dance and shout from mountaintops that something wonderful had happened to – of all people – ME. But then, as it often does, the unexpected occurred.
I had a crisis of conscience.
In the ensuing months, my meditation practice turned to unrelenting thoughts and feelings of unworthiness. Who am I to be sharing wisdom with the world? I don’t deserve this book. I’m no Buddhist guru. I’m not any kind of an authority. I’m just a person who decided to take a few minutes out of each day to bring a little light into my life.
Now, here we are a few weeks away from the book release date, and it occurs to me that I don’t have to be a guru. As the bunny says, “I am not the only bunny who suffers.” And that’s just it. That’s what I have to offer. I am in it with you. I struggle. I hurt. I panic. I cry. I fall and get back up again, even when I would rather remain in a heap on the floor. It’s hard but I do it, and I don’t do it alone. So, I hope you will hop with me through this next stage of the Bunny Buddhism journey. Let me offer you some words of bunny wisdom because we all need a little bit of light in each day.
Order your copy of Bunny Buddhism: Hopping Along the Path to Enlightenment now:
Amazon
Barnes & Noble
IndieBound
To donate a portion of your order to the House Rabbit Society or another charity of your choice, please consider ordering through Amazon Smile.
With gratitude, love and bunniness.
