Dudeism

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Dudeism is a religion whose primary objective is to promote a philosophy and lifestyle consistent with the original form of Chinese Taoism, outlined in Tao and Laozi (6th century B.C.), blended with Greek concepts by Epicurus (341-270 B.C.), and personified by the modern day character "The Dude" (Jeff Bridges) in the Coen Brothers' 1998 film The Big Lebowski.^[1]

Founded in 2005 by Oliver Benjamin, a journalist based in Chiang Mai, Thailand,^[2] Dudeism's official organizational name is The Church of the Latter-Day Dude. As of February 2011 over 100,000^[3] "Dudeist Priests" had been ordained via the church.

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 Lao Tzu, Epicurus, Heraclitus, The Buddha, and the pre-ecclesiastical Jesus Christ as examples of ancient Dudeist prophets.^[4] 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.^[5]

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" 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.^[6]

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 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.^[7]

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.^[8] 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.

References

1. ^ Benjamin, Oliver 2011 http://www.cnngo.com/bangkok/life/doctrine-chiang-mais-church-latter-day-dude-explained-206793
2. ^ Green, Bill; Peskoe, Ben; Russell, Will, Shuffit, Scott: I'm a Lebowski, You're a Lebowski, page 17. Bloomsbury, 2007.
3. ^ "Dudeism: The Take it Easy Manifesto". Dudeism. http://http://dudeism.com/takeiteasymanifesto. Retrieved 2010-03-08. 
4. ^ "Great Dudes in History". Dudeism.com. http://www.dudeism.com/greatdudes.html. Retrieved 2009-09-23. 
5. ^ Eutsey, Dwayne. "Great Dudes in History: Mark Twain". The Dudespaper. http://dudespaper.com/great-dudes-in-history-mark-twain.html/. Retrieved 2009-09-23. 
6. ^ "The Jeff Farias Show, August 4, 2009,". The Jeff Farias Show. http://jefffarias.podbean.com/2009/08/04/the-jeff-farias-show-8-04-09/. Retrieved 2009-09-23. 
7. ^ Benjamin, Oliver; Merel, Peter. "The Tao Dude Ching!". The Dudespaper. http://dudespaper.com/the-tao-dude-ching.html/. Retrieved 2009-09-23. 
8. ^ "The Abide Guide: Living Like Lebowski". Amazon.com. http://www.amazon.com/Abide-Guide-Living-Like-Lebowski/dp/1569759766/. Retrieved 2011-05-28. 

External links

• The Church of the Latter-Day Dude (Dudeism) - Official website
• The Dudespaper - The official publication of Dudeism
• The Dude De Ching - A Dudeist holy book based on the Tao Te Ching and The Big Lebowski
• The Guardian article about Volkswagen ad campaign featuring Dudeism
• Audio interview with Oliver Benjamin on NPR
• Sunday Herald article featuring Dudeism
• Interview on the Jeff Farias radio show