Dudeism

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Dudeism is a philosophy and lifestyle inspired by the modern-day fictional character Jeffrey "The Dude" Lebowski, as portrayed by Jeff Bridges in the Coen Brothers' 1998 film The Big Lebowski. Dudeism's stated primary objective is to promote a modern form of Chinese Taoism, outlined in Tao Te Ching and Laozi (6th century BC), blended with concepts by the Ancient Greek philosopher Epicurus (341-270 BC), and presented in a style as personified by the character of "The Dude".[1] Dudeism has sometimes been regarded as a mock religion,[2][3] though its founder and many adherents regard it seriously.[4][5][6][7]

Formation

Founded in 2005 by Oliver Benjamin, a journalist based in Chiang Mai, Thailand,[8] Dudeism's official organizational name is The Church of the Latter-Day Dude. At least 160,000 "Dudeist Priests" have been ordained as of August 2012.[9]

Although Dudeism primarily makes use of iconography and narrative from The Big Lebowski, adherents believe that the Dudeist worldview has existed since the beginnings of civilization, primarily to correct societal tendencies towards aggression and excess. They list individuals such as Laozi, Epicurus, Heraclitus, Buddha, and the pre-ecclesiastical Jesus Christ as examples of ancient Dudeist prophets.[10] More recent antecedents include pillars of American Transcendentalism such as Ralph Waldo Emerson and Walt Whitman and humanists such as Kurt Vonnegut and Mark Twain.[11][12]

Philosophy

The Dudeist belief system is essentially a modernized form of Taoism purged of all of its metaphysical and medical doctrines. Dudeism advocates and encourages the practice of "going with the flow", "being cool headed", and "taking it easy" in the face of life's difficulties, believing that this is the only way to live in harmony with our inner nature and the challenges of interacting with other people. It also aims to assuage feelings of inadequacy that arise in societies which place a heavy emphasis on achievement and personal fortune. Consequently, simple everyday pleasures like bathing, bowling, and hanging out with friends are seen as far preferable to the accumulation of wealth and the spending of money as a means to achieve happiness and spiritual fulfillment.[13]

The Church of the Latter-Day Dude launched its official publication, The Dudespaper, in the fall of 2008. A Dudeist holy book, The Tao Dude Ching went online in July 2009. It was renamed The Dude De Ching in December 2009 to avoid being confused with an upcoming book by Oliver Benjamin called The Tao of the Dude. The Dude De Ching is a reinterpretation of Peter Merel's translation of the Tao Te Ching using dialogue and story elements from The Big Lebowski.[14]

In August 2011, a "Dudeist self-help book" employing life lessons from The Big Lebowski and other sources, entitled The Abide Guide was published by Ulysses Press.[15] Written by Oliver Benjamin and the Arch Dudeship Dwayne Eutsey, it also contains material by other members of The Church of the Latter-Day Dude. An Italian translation was released in November 2013 under the title Il vangelo secondo Lebowski[16]

In November 2013 a compilation of mostly-scholarly essays edited by Benjamin which dissected and celebrated The Big Lebowski titled Lebowski 101 was published by the Church. Over 80 writers and illustrators contributed to the book.[17]

"The Dude and the Zen Master", a 2013 book by Jeff Bridges and Buddhist teacher Bernie Glassman, uses the character as a starting point for philosophical discussion. Asked at a promotional event what The Dude would think of Dudeism, Bridges replied that "He’d be flabbergasted. And he would dig it."[18]

References

  1. ↑ Ehrlich, Richard. "The man who founded a religion based on 'The Big Lebowski'". CNN. Turner Broadcasting Systems Inc. Retrieved 22 March 2012. 
  2. ↑ Cult Cinema by Ernest Mathlijs, Jamie Sexton p. 78
  3. ↑ Fishbowl LA: Behold the Big Lebowski Bungalow, Bible - 27 July 2011
  4. ↑ Big Lebowski Spawns Religion - Don't Panic.com - 11 April 2011]
  5. ↑ INTERVIEW: Oliver Benjamin, Founder of Dudeism & Author of "The Abide Guide: Living Like Lebowski" - Otis Ryan Productions Blog, By Ryan Mifflin - 16 February 2012
  6. ↑ The Dudely Lama Discusses Dudeism - We Love Cult, retrieved 19 September 2012
  7. ↑ "Cathleen Falsani Interview". Religion and Ethics Newsweekly. PBS. Retrieved 19 September 2012. 
  8. ↑ Green, Bill; Peskoe, Ben; Russell, Will, Shuffit, Scott: I'm a Lebowski, You're a Lebowski, page 17. Bloomsbury, 2007.
  9. ↑ "The Way of the Dude". Nightline. ABC. Retrieved 20 September 2012. 
  10. ↑ "Great Dudes in History". Dudeism.com. Retrieved 2009-09-23. 
  11. ↑ Eutsey, Dwayne. "Great Dudes in History: Mark Twain". The Dudespaper. Retrieved 2009-09-23. 
  12. ↑ Killoran, Ellen. "'The Big Lebowski' Religion Founder Talks 'The High Holiday' Of Dudeism". International Business Times. Retrieved 19 September 2012. 
  13. ↑ Walters, Ben. "Dudeism, the faith that abides in The Big Lebowski". The Guardian. Retrieved 19 September 2012. 
  14. ↑ Benjamin, Oliver; Merel, Peter. "The Tao Dude Ching!". The Dudespaper. Retrieved 2009-09-23. 
  15. ↑ "The Abide Guide: Living Like Lebowski". Amazon.com. Retrieved 2011-05-28. 
  16. ↑ "Il vangelo secondo Lebowski". Fazi Editoriale. Retrieved 2014-01-14. 
  17. ↑ "Lebowski 101". Amazon.com. Retrieved 2014-01-14. 
  18. ↑ Tobar, Hector. "Lebowski lovers: The Dude and the Zen Master riff in L.A.". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved January 14, 2013. 

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