Is the Dude De Ching THE official "Holy Book" of Dudeism?

[tfroehle]

Would the D.D.C. be considered Dudeism's "Bible" or would it be the Abide Guide?

[BikerDude]

Well ok..
I stand corrected.

Every religion needs to have a holy book. Christianity has the Bible, Judaisim has the Torah, Buddhism has the Dhammapada and Scientology has Dianetics.

Of course, we too have a tome that you can use to really tie your head together, and it?s called The Dude De Ching.

But I'd remind that the dude was one of the authors of The Port Huron Statement.
http://www.nytimes.com/2012/03/04/sunday-review/the-port-huron-statement-at-50.html?pagewanted=all&_r=0

http://mentalfloss.com/article/26831/dude-port-huron-statement-and-seattle-seven

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Port_Huron_Statement
The actual document
http://coursesa.matrix.msu.edu/~hst306/documents/huron.html

Beyond that I'd say he was not into the whole "scripture" thing.
But that's just like my opinion man.

I guess maybe the manifesto as well?

http://dudeism.com/takeiteasymanifesto/

Somehow in the context of the Dude I've always found the old Hippie meme to be appropriate.
"Turn on"
"Tune in"
"Drop out".

I see the Dude as spiritually turned on, tuned in and dropped out.
But you know. You gotta feed the monkey.

[The Daryl]

Does Dudeism need a "bible"? Doesn't the word "holy" sorta have all kinds of baggage attached to it depending on your personal background?

Like Biker posted, in the intro, the DDC certainly self-applies that title.

My opinion is that while DDC is A book, I wouldn't call it THE book; more like part of a larger canon.

A big thing about the DDC- it isn't very accessible to someone not already familiar with the Tao Te Ching, and even though Merrell's translation is included there are SO many other translations out there (that, in my opinion, are more accessible for a newcomer).

Also, not every Dudeist is heavy on Taoism roots; that's the thing about a spiritual philosophy for its time and place. It's going to be a little different for every one. We're all going to find different methods and sign posts pointing at "IT" (whatever the hell "IT" is)...

The Abide Guide is more like a self-help book, with a pretty kick ass intent to give you a different point of view. Maybe call it another potential signpost, but "holy" would seem pushing it, man.

[meekon5]

I think if you need a "book" then it's a good one to use but in answer to the question

"Is the Dude De Ching THE official "Holy Book" of Dudeism?"

the answer is a simple No!

We have never been a prescriptive group and I personally am against even including the text of the film as "Holy".

I point to our Taoist roots where the Taoists have books but none of them (even the Tao Te Ching) are the ultimate authority on the subject.

My Dudeism may not be your Dudeism, the point is we are both trying.

[BikerDude]

[Anchorite83]

I have a bunch of holy books I keep close to my heart, and the Dude De Ching has become one of them. That being said if you can understand Dudeism/Taoism without the book and can still find balance then it's all good. We all Abide differently.

[Rev. Heath McKinley]

I think that how you interpret the DDC and how I do will differ.
I have the original version not the newer one with annotations but I do have the Tao Te Ching with annotations by the Dudely Llama.
This has made it easier for me to apply the veneer of TBL to the Tao Te Ching and further understand the DDC.

Sure it may not be a "Holy "Book" but I think that for how I see Dudeism it's quite an important one along with The Abide Guide and other texts like the Manifesto.

As others have said, your Dudeism is not my Dudeism and we all Abide differently.
But isn't that the beauty of abiding?

[Dudelonious.Funk]

As others have said, your Dudeism is not my Dudeism and we all Abide differently.
But isn't that the beauty of abiding?

Far out dude.

[jgiffin]

As others have said, your Dudeism is not my Dudeism and we all Abide differently.
But isn't that the beauty of abiding?

Far out dude.

Exactly. Also, dudeism is not dogmatic. It's not, to me, set in stone. It's a ripple on a pond. Great book, though. About time for a re-read after too many years on the shelf.

[HnauHnakrapunt]

The trouble with official holy books is that there are always people who say they are not holy to them. Like the case with the Bible - should I be offended or not when some atheists write it as 'the bible'? Even without the 'holy' adjective? Is the Quran holy when I read it in English, outside the Muslim community? The Bhagavad Gita helped me a lot but I am not a Hindu, so technically it is not holy to me. Etc.
So I think it is better to talk about books that are important/helpful to believers, and I think the Dude De Ching helps with Dudeism theory, while the Abide Guide is more practical.