The Essential Rules of Dude-Jitsu

[SeekWa]

THE DUDE-JITSU ART OF SELF DEFENSE

The Essential Points of Self Defense:
1. Compete with no one except yourself.
2. Be aware of your surroundings.
3. If you are surrounded, relax.
4. Abide. Your surroundings will want to imitate you. That's nature.
5. Self defense? The main thing you have to defend against is your self.

[BrotherShamus]

Very well thought-out list Dude.

Some pocket sand never hurt either.

[MindAbiding]

5. Self defense? The main thing you have to defend against is your self.

Nice!  For a dudeist does the self encompass all forms of uptight thinking?

[SeekWa]

5. Self defense? The main thing you have to defend against is your self.

Nice!  For a dudeist does the self encompass all forms of uptight thinking?

Why, yes. Dude-Jitsu approaches life by accepting things as they are. They train and prepare themselves for an attack of any kind, from anything and (the) everything. Many attacks come from uptight, irrational thinking. One way the Dude-Jitsu practitioner is able to overcome these kinds of attacks is by recognizing those very same things within him/her self. Dude-Jitsu teaches us to look at the truth within ourselves. When we are able to look at the truth within ourselves, we can see ourselves in others. This is what is meant by 'mirror your attacker.'

[Caesar dude]

BOOH!

Didn't see that coming did yah!?

I just used Boojitsu on you. Took you out below your knees and you had no defense!

Too easy dudes...too easy!

[DigitalBuddha]

Rules? Is this, what day is this? This is just like my opinion, man; but I prefer the term "principles."

[Easy McRider]

Rules? Is this, what day is this? This is just like my opinion, man; but I prefer the term "principles."

Rules? oh man... Principles? Yeah that can be someones opinion... I see all those as more of a guide. A guide to abiding. Someone should write a book... oh....

[SeekWa]

"I see all those as more of a guide."

I agree. There are better choices than rules. Principles, guides, guideposts, trail markers, experience, and so on.

[BrotherShamus]

New Idea for a Dudeist book: The Semantics of Dudeism?

[meekon5]

New Idea for a Dudeist book: The Semantics of Dudeism?

Another dive into arguing about rules and not rules and not abiding by rules is a rule in itself.

(is that the toilet I hear flushing?).

dangerous thing putting a list on the forum and using certain terms.

Can one "train" to become totally naturally unaffected by everything?

Would the training not suggest that one was just acting in a learnt way and not going with the flow of the Tao?

[RighteousDude]

Would the training not suggest that one was just acting in a learnt way and not going with the flow of the Tao?

So it would seem, but this dude is of two minds on the topic. If one has been trained to think in an uptight, fucked up manner, then the process of undoing that will likely require some kind of retraining. Something's got to get in the middle between the customary triggering event or thought and the start of a habitual stress response. But it seems that consciously changing the habit in a manner that's truly personal is far superior to following rules, even rules one might otherwise be very enamored of. Splitting hairs, that. Wouldn't "don't go about thinking in an uptight, fucked up manner" also be a rule of sorts?

"The Tao", "Dude-Jitsu"... fuck, man, cultural envy just isn't this old duder's bag. And when it comes to self defense my guiding principles are easy: If it's not a true threat, fuck it. If it is a true threat, fuck it up. Works fer me.

[SeekWa]

I don't necessarily disagree that in a sense certain concepts, e.g. 'rules', can seem counter to the Way of The Tao. On the other hand, it seems we can go a bit too far with this in the opposite direction, when, for example, we say there should be 'no rules'. The answer would seem to lie in the middle, between the two points. This is a concept that we sometimes forget even exists.

If someone says something like, "I can see both points," they are often accused of being wishy-washing, too mushy, not firm or determined enough, unwilling to stake out a position. But is this necessarily accurate? If one person states that the sky is black at night, and another states it is blue during the day - then is the third person being mushy when they start pointing out the beauty of all the reds, pinks, violets and turquoises of sunsets?

The Dudeist is always seeking the Path of the Middle Way, the center point - that is what Abiding is all about. But does that mean that the Dudeist is all about compromise? Not at all, if he/she understands the difference between Abiding and compromise.

[RighteousDude]

The Dudeist is always seeking the Path of the Middle Way, the center point - that is what Abiding is all about.

No I ain't. 

I'm not trying to be contrary or anything, it's just working out that way. It happens from time to time.

PS: To expand just a bit: I'm not seeking shit. I'm just doing my own thing in my own way in my own time. I don't feel any need to examine my life or understand my motives. I'm a happy guy and I'm not trying to improve. The way I figure it I'm either already good enough or irredeemable.

[SeekWa]

"Can one "train" to become totally naturally unaffected by everything?"

There is a point, between subjectivity and objectivity, that contains the potential for both attachment or dis-attachment. But it is not purely one, devoid of the other.

To be totally naturally unaffected by everything, is a contradiction. To be 'totally naturally unaffected' would be a state wherein we were totally and completely this thing we are calling unaffected. Everything else in existence would have to cease to exist. There could be nothing else but Total, Natural, Un-affection.

This is an area, in my opinion, where our rationality sometimes breaks down. We take sides - it's one side OR the other. You are either this OR that. But the Everything has everything in it. So, the State of Being Unaffected is, according to Nature, going to have elements of everything else in it, as well - including, to one degree or another - affection.

If we shape shift the above quote just a bit, it might look like this: "I am training to stand and live in the center, in a state of Constant Abidance."

[Miriam]

Hi, i just tried to do these exercises. I was kind of flabbergasted. It really works. Thankee. Miriam