Dudeism

Dudeism's stated primary objective is to promote a modern form of Chinese Taoism, outlined in Tao Te Ching by Laozi (6th century BCE), blended with concepts from the Ancient Greek philosopher Epicurus (341–270 BCE), and presented in a style as personified by the character of Jeffrey "The Dude" Lebowski, a fictional character portrayed by Jeff Bridges in the film.

[12] 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.

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.

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.

[17] In August 2011, The Abide Guide—a "Dudeist self-help book" employing life lessons from The Big Lebowski and other sources, was published by Ulysses Press.

[21] 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.