10

Can you embrace both Maude and Bunny,

And see them as two sides of the same special lady?

This will help you get down to cases,

And prevent you from no longer digging them.

If you are perfectly calm,

You can be like a little Lebowski on the Way.

If you adhere to a strict drug regimen,

You will be able to keep your mind limber.

If you give a shit about that poor woman,

You will be rescued from being a fucking asshole.

As temptations fall burning into your lap,

Can you just take it easy, man?

As you are made privy to new shit that comes to light,

Can you retain the humility of a fucking amateur?

Both the Dude and the Stranger nurse their beverages

Without becoming addicted to them,

They bowl but do not expect to win,

And they ramble without becoming rambunctious.

People call this “being dude.”

It is an incarnation of Dudeness—

It comes to light when you keep your mind limber.

Tao Te Ching: 10

Can you embrace both the abstract and the concrete,

And see them as two sides of the same oneness?

This will help you maintain integrity

And avoid internal contradiction.

Meditating upon, and subtilizing your inner energy

Allows you to become as pure and receptive as a newborn.

Examining your perceptions of the world

Allows you to cleanse them of all dust and distortion.

Identifying with the people over whom you have influence

Prevents being distracted by your own self-interest.

As temptations avail themselves to you

Can you remain steadfast as a mother bird in her nest?

As you grow wise and knowledgeable about many things,

Can you retain the modesty of an amateur?

Both the Tao and the sage nurture the people

Without assuming any ownership of them.

They act without expecting results,

And lead without controlling.

Human beings call this virtue.

It is the very embodiment of Tao—

Tao manifesting itself via the human heart.