34

The Dude is deeply casual during all the separate incidents:

Confronting Lebowski,

Attending the cycle,

Helping Maude conceive,

Wanting only to get back to his rug.

He abides all things,

Does not try to scam anyone.

He is unemployed,

So he seems like a loser, a deadbeat,

Someone the square community doesn’t give a shit about.

He is mixed up in all this,

In bed with everybody.

He has no expiration date,

So he fits right in there.

Because his thinking is not uptight,

His thoughts are bottomless, infinite.

That’s ingenious, if we understand it correctly.

Think they’ve got room for one more?

Tao Te Ching: 34

Tao flows everywhere and in all directions.

Everything in the universe relies upon it,

Yet it doesn’t expect anything in return.

It works diligently,

Yet seeks no merit.

It is all-powerful,

Yet seeks no control.

It is eternal,

Yet seeks no sustenance.

Thus it can be found amongst even the most insignificant.

It provides the ground for all things,

Yet requires no tithe.

Thus it can be placed among the greatest of the great.

In the same way,

The sage does not seek greatness.

This is how he finds it.