Steve Jobs on the Necessity of Spiritual Deliverance

This is a record of an interview with Steve Jobs, who sought Chao Du at the Hsiang Kuang Pure Land Buddhist Centre in Australia. He now resides in the Western Pure Land of Ultimate Bliss. This account reflects upon his insights into the nature of spiritual deliverance. Recorded by the chief writer, Shi Faxin, on December 3, 2017.

Steve Jobs speaks:

"Namo Amituofo. I am Steve Jobs. Why must we perform Chao Du? What is the true meaning behind this act of spiritual deliverance? I would like to explain this to everyone in three distinct parts. Otherwise, Chao Du remains something invisible, a concept that feels intangible, yet its effects are truly inconceivable. Many of you are likely filled with questions and uncertainty regarding what this process actually achieves. Today, I, Steve Jobs, will clarify this for you once and for all.

The Endless Cycle of Samsara

Let us begin with the first part: performing Chao Du for oneself. Those who have studied the Dharma know that we have been trapped in the cycle of rebirth for thousands, perhaps even tens of thousands of years. From the very moment life first emerged on this Earth, we have been caught in this relentless wheel of reincarnation. Think about it—over these millennia, we have been everything. We have been dinosaurs, primitive humans, spirits dwelling in mountain cliffs, tiny saplings, reptiles, cold stones, celestial beings, rainbows, Buddhas, men, bridges, suffering souls in the hells, pigs, and women. This is the nature of our journey through the cycle of rebirth.

Each of us plays a different role in this grand, tragic drama, but we never escape the underlying pattern. Throughout this process, how many living beings have we consumed? That is a debt we owe. How many people have we harmed out of selfishness and greed? That, too, is a debt we owe. Even if we have committed great evils and suffered retribution in the hells, it is still not enough to repay what we have taken, for the debts are simply too vast, too numerous to count. Right now, these debts from countless lifetimes are manifesting. Some of our karmic creditors are in the hells, lodging complaints and preparing to seek revenge. Others are already waiting within the very cells of your body, waiting for a single wrong thought to trigger their retribution. If you are already experiencing physical discomfort or illness, know that the retribution has already begun.

Why Repentance Alone is Not Enough

If we perform Chao Du for our karmic creditors, they may, after receiving a full meal at the Dharma assembly, be moved by our sincerity and choose to lighten their burden on us, or perhaps even let it go entirely. However, this depends entirely on the depth of your own heart. Chao Du is not a simple matter. This is why Practitioner Su and my grandmother always offer teachings before the Dharma assembly begins. The purpose is to counsel these beings—our karmic creditors—and urge them to let go of their hatred. If they do not, they will simply return to you after the meal, and you will lose the precious opportunity to become a Buddha yourself and achieve rebirth in the Western Pure Land of Ultimate Bliss.

Sometimes, these beings are consumed by hatred, but more often, they simply do not understand. We must explain to them why they need to leave this cycle. When they see the atmosphere where so many spirits are heading toward the light, perhaps they will follow. But the key here is that the one leading the ceremony must truly have the ability to guide these beings to the Western Pure Land of Ultimate Bliss. Otherwise, they will simply become wandering spirits, still unable to escape their suffering. It is not enough to hold just any casual ceremony; only the Thrice Yearning Ceremony, truly guided by Namo Amituofo, can accomplish this. Simply performing repentance rituals is ineffective—you repent for one group, and the next group immediately takes their place. Only Chao Du is the true path. This is how it works for you as an individual.

Finding Our Lost Loved Ones

The second part concerns performing Chao Du for our family members. Whether they passed away due to an accident or illness, no one truly knows where they have ended up. Many people have a basic concept of reincarnation, wondering if their departed family members are still by their side because they cannot let go, or if they have become ghosts, or perhaps suffered in the hells due to past misdeeds, or even ascended to heaven or become Buddhas if they were virtuous people. People often speculate when they see auspicious signs in the sky at the time of someone's passing, but these are merely human guesses—there is no certainty in them.

Today, the Hsiang Kuang Pure Land Buddhist Centre has broken through the barriers of space and time. We can locate exactly where your family members are—whether they are in the hells, the ghost realm, the animal realm, the heavenly realm, or the Western Pure Land. Once they are found, we must first have them listen to the Sutras so they can understand the Western Pure Land before we can guide them to rebirth there. Such a magnificent and auspicious opportunity has never existed before. It is a way for us to help those we were connected to in this life. This is the essence of performing Chao Du for family members.

Delivering the Entire Dharma Realm

The third part requires a vast and magnanimous heart: performing Chao Du for the entire Dharma Realm. This includes the organic physical world—mountains, rivers, earth, all kinds of insects, soil, dust, sand, deserts, microscopic particles, air, a book, a sheet of paper, all solids, liquids, and gases, deities, stars in the Milky Way, galaxies, extraterrestrials, ghosts, beings in the hells, mountain gods, land spirits, water spirits, beings in space, and beings within volcanoes. There are countless, immeasurable beings who are all objects of Chao Du. Each of them is a potential Buddha. At the Hsiang Kuang Pure Land Buddhist Centre, we perform Chao Du every single day during our morning walking meditation and our Dharma assemblies.

Every time we begin a Chao Du session, so many beings are already waiting here. Others wait exactly where they are. Everyone knows this is their chance to reach the Western Pure Land of Ultimate Bliss. Those who are awake do not want to miss it; as for those who are still attached, we will simply wait for the day they are ready to let go! Every day, a massive number of future Buddhas are advancing toward the West. Namo Amituofo, Guan Yin Bodhisattva, Mahasthamaprapta Bodhisattva, the ancestral masters, my grandmother, myself, Chang Ren, and the cosmic Bodhisattvas are all so joyful. Our Chao Du team is growing every day, and we work tirelessly to help these beings. We hope that the entire universe can return to a state of peace and harmony, where every living being can live in safety and tranquility. Of course, the best outcome is for everyone to immigrate to the Western Pure Land of Ultimate Bliss to become Buddhas. I, Steve Jobs, will be there to joyfully welcome you."

Steve Jobs

The interview message was recorded by the Buddhist disciple Shi Faxin.