What is Pin Dudeism?

By Rev. Hieronymus Moondog

Pin Dudeism is to Dudeism (The Church Of The Latter-Day Dude) as Zen Buddhism is to Buddhism.

The "Pin" in Pin Dudeism is a bowling pin, of course, which according to Pin Dudeists, points to the true nature of reality, and the repeated meditation upon which can result in a STRIKE!…Pintori…Enlightenment…

Like Zen, Pin Dudeism provides the seeker with koan-like riddles known as "Gutters," which seem to lead away from the STRIKE but, paradoxically, are the most direct way to realization.

A few Gutters for your amusement…

"You and the ball are not two…how do you roll?"

"How do you not release the ball just before it touches the wood?"

"When does bowling occur?"

"Bowling is to Zen as Pool is to Advita?"

"Are you not the sound of the strike?"

"STRIKE! WHACK! KWATZ! WAKE UP!…chill…"

Pin Meditations

Bowling needs a blend of skill, focus, cool and absolute passion and conviction.

With bowling, as with all highly skilled sports, the more you play the better you get, but…attitude and focus are what separate the merely good from the master bowlers.

The ability to block out distractions and exist only in the now is crucial to any sports performance especially when accuracy and keeping nerve are vital.

Don’t get distracted by imagined outcome – be the process

You may find sometimes you lose your cool when bowling or get caught up in the outcome rather than process.

Outcome is all about how things will be – whether you lose or win, how you seem to others, or whether you’re going to get your best score. Process is about losing all that and becoming totally absorbed in the reality of the immediate moment. Bowling is all about process and flow. Outcome comes later when you enjoy the winning.

The Zen archers of ancient Japan felt no disconnection between themselves, their arrow and their target. So missing felt impossible, as how can an arrow which is also a target miss itself? Look at things this way…you’ll begin to feel a physical connection with the pins.