The Big Lebowski ending explained

What happens

Donny dies, the nihilists are dealt with, and the Big Lebowski is exposed as a fraud who stole the ransom money himself. Walter scatters Donny's ashes, which blow back over the Dude. Life goes on, with bowling.

The last image

The Dude stands at the bowling alley bar, relaxed and unbothered, as the Stranger tells us that the Dude abides.

What it says

The plot's schemes end with nothing solved and nothing gained, yet the friendship survives. The film closes on mourning turned into a joke and then something warmer, because abiding, not winning, is what it values.