The Karmic Price of Innovation: An Interview with the Spirit of Steve Jobs

On October 10, 2018, Venerable Faxin conducted an interview with the spirit of Steve Jobs, the founder of Apple. This session was held to uncover the truth behind the fragmentation of his soul and to provide a stark warning to the world regarding the karmic consequences of technological obsession. The spirit of Steve Jobs, now residing in the Western Dharma-Nature Land of the Hsiang Kuang Pure Land Buddhist Centre, recounts his journey from his early life to his current state of repentance and deliverance.

Venerable Faxin speaks: "I respectfully invite the founder of Apple, Steve Jobs, to help us understand the nature of the three hun souls and seven po souls, to provide a warning to the world, and to share his reflections. Gratitude to the Buddha."

Steve Jobs speaks: "Namo Amituofo. I come from a small town in Colorado, USA. I was an ordinary child, yet possessed of a certain cleverness. From a young age, I knew I was adopted. My adoptive parents did their utmost to raise me, but there was always a crack, a sense of regret in my heart regarding my origins. As a child, I often wondered why I had been abandoned. I felt the love I received was incomplete, and because of this, there was a dark side to my heart. This darkness made me avoid contact with the outside world; I became accustomed to being alone. I protected myself well, fearing that if another crack appeared in my life, I might collapse.

The Garage and the Seeds of Obsession

Our family was not wealthy, and I rarely went out. From childhood, I followed my adoptive father, who taught me to study and dismantle simple machines. Seeing my talent, he gave me broken boilers, stereos, and electrical appliances to repair. In the garage—my own independent space—I constantly dismantled and reassembled things. I became familiar with every component and the necessity of each part. I understood the difference that one extra or one missing screw could make. Several times, I whimsically combined parts from different devices to create a 'Jobs-style' radio. After testing, it would emit a high-pitched screech, smoke, and melt. My father never scolded me for this; he let me explore my own world. Once he saw my interest, he would buy second-hand appliances for me to study. Aside from school days, I spent all my time in that garage.

My adoptive mother worried about my lack of friends and hoped I would be as cheerful as other children. After a few attempts to persuade me, she eventually let me be. When I reached university, I felt my studies had reached a natural conclusion, and not wanting to burden my parents, I chose to find work. My first job was as a car mechanic. My mother was not satisfied with this, believing my intelligence deserved better. Though it did not have high social status, I loved it, as dismantling and assembling were my lifelong passions. The owner of the repair shop once bought a computer, intending to integrate it into the business. He tried many times but failed. I did not believe it could not be done, so I volunteered to try. I exhausted all my knowledge, and though I ultimately failed, I became fascinated by the computer. At that time, computer functions were not complex, and many programs were inefficient. Yet, I realised their potential was vast. I began researching with a friend. At first, we only spent weekends on it, but later I quit my job to focus on development, intending to create a product different from anything on the market.

The Price of Ambition

We tried to sell our product to computer companies, but we hit wall after wall because our programming approach was incompatible with theirs. Finally, we decided to start our own company, selling our product to the public. We were an unknown brand, and our company was registered at my home address. The company was the very garage where I had studied since childhood. Just as we were struggling to survive, we met a supporter who helped us establish a small studio to mass-produce our product and set up distribution channels. However, sales were not ideal. This first failure only made me more determined to succeed. My products were always human-centric, with simplified programming, but people were not yet used to such innovations. Because of this, I spent sixteen hours a day researching new products, promising my supporter that the next one would be different.

After six months of immersion, the second product was released. Growth was still slower than expected. After falling again, I climbed back up, burying myself even deeper into research. After two market entries, I gradually accumulated a customer base and stepped onto a new path. We entered the market with the 'Apple' brand—the apple with a bite taken out of it. I was only in my early twenties. By then, I had already lost one soul and two po spirits. One po spirit was the crack from my childhood—the voice of being abandoned by my biological parents had nowhere to go, so it remained in the space of my room, a small, weeping Steve Jobs. One soul and one po spirit were lost during the three product development phases; my attachment to gain and my competitive nature attracted sentient beings. They treated me exactly as I had treated them in the past. These were beings from eight lifetimes ago, dragging me into a space to beat and kick me. The three development cycles had already left my physical strength far weaker than before.

The Puppet of Resentment

Changren, my younger brother from a past life, had found me even earlier. My competitiveness, arrogance, and intelligence were exactly as they had been in the past; it was very easy for him to find me. In the midst of my dark, exhausting research, Changren seized upon my desire to open the market. He controlled my head and the space between my eyebrows. Just as I was about to succeed, he replaced me, intending to achieve his own goals through me and push this body toward greater success. He manipulated my main soul. Seeing me succeed step by step was actually me creating karma step by step. He laughed happily within me, but that laughter was filled with resentment. My three po spirits were scattered into the computers, the mice, and the screens. I could never leave the position I studied in or the equipment that followed me, because the equipment was me, and I was the equipment. I took the phrase 'Stay hungry, stay foolish' as my benchmark, working tirelessly. My central goal was to make my products usable by even the most ignorant person.

Through repeated bestsellers, I accumulated wealth. But then, I clashed with Apple's executives over different market orientations. I tried to use high pressure to make them listen to me, and in the end, I was kicked out of my own company. It was truly pathetic. After leaving Apple, I continued my research with my own creativity. Other companies hired me with high salaries, but even though I earned them significant revenue, I felt like a bird in a cage, unable to spread my wings. The stifling fire in my heart seemed to burn through my chest and internal organs. When Apple faced a crisis and high-level employees leaked product designs, leaving the next season's lineup empty, Apple urgently hired me back to handle the situation. I quickly modified the leaked products and pushed them to a new peak. This crisis solidified my position at Apple. I was no longer myself; I had long been replaced. This crisis could be said to be Changren helping me stand firm at Apple again, all to use this body to change the world. The products developed were perfectly aligned with human nature, filling the voids of emptiness and boredom, grasping human weaknesses, and letting humanity become thoroughly addicted. They saw the convenience the products brought, but they never noticed the harm it caused them. The final hit was the iPhone, which combined traditional mobile phones with telephony, pushing human convenience to its peak. Other products like the iPod and iPad were updated generation after generation. The revenue behind the applications developed for the Apple Store was staggering. Software talent flocked to develop for the Apple Store, selling their copyrights to Apple. In this mutual benefit, the greatest beneficiary was, of course, Apple.

The Red Light of the Body

At the height of this success, I invested in the film company Pixar and created 'Toy Story,' which perfectly suited the tastes of both adults and children. This animation grossed hundreds of millions globally. These creations, which touched so many hearts, meant I never thought of resting. Not long after returning to Apple, I noticed my body flashing red lights. The appearance of blood in my urine shocked me. After hospital examinations, I discovered many kidney stones and a tumor in my pancreas. I temporarily resigned from Apple. After taking some medication, I decided to use natural therapies. The blood in my urine improved, and hospital checks showed the tumor was stable. I thought I had improved, but I did not know that sentient beings were already hiding in my kidneys and pancreas.

In a past life, I was the king of a small nation. To expand my territory, I launched continuous wars, turning my land and others into rivers of blood. Many civilians were deeply dissatisfied with my aggression, and I left behind many broken homes. These remnants remained in my kidneys—each kidney stone was a village or a civilian I had plundered during my invasions. The pancreatic tumor was from one of the small nations I had harmed the most. At that time, I had reduced the country to ruins; the men became my captives, and the women and children became slaves. I was like a madman, though in truth, I was being controlled by sentient beings, becoming a cruel person. This was eleven lifetimes ago. Besides this, Changren also sent demon realm subordinates to move within my body, intensifying my discomfort or causing high fevers. After I controlled it with medication, they chose to hide, preparing for the next act of revenge. My body gradually withered after the kidney issues; I had been fighting for my career for twenty years and was about forty-two years old. After my health failed, I chose to spend a little time each day meditating to repair my body. Half a year later, believing my body had stabilized, I returned to Apple to fight with all my might. My body cooperated for a while. Then, at a new product launch, wearing my signature black shirt and jeans, I felt dizzy and nauseated on stage. I struggled to finish the presentation and went to the hospital. I did not notice my body was wasting away. After various tests, the doctor told me the pancreatic tumor had spread to my liver. I had to be hospitalized for a week for detailed checks. I understood my own body, so I resigned from Apple for the second time. At night, I would feel cold, shivering, and suffer from ascites. These were the people I had tortured, extorted, and forced confessions from when I was a government advisor five lifetimes ago. How could I have known that my aggressive style in the company would cause such resentment? I was about fifty years old then. Later, I attempted a liver transplant and was once on the verge of death due to infection. In the haze of consciousness, I saw a thick fog, and within the fog appeared corpses lying on the ground, which then stood up and came toward me. These were the spirits I had summoned when I studied witchcraft nine lifetimes ago, and my own soul was taken away in this scene. Around age fifty-six, cancer cells spread throughout my body, and the spirits enveloped me. That ended my legendary life of changing the world.

Repentance and the Path to Deliverance

After death, my pride left me in total darkness. I heard wailing, and my body was torn apart. I entered the Avici Hell to suffer retribution because the world I changed was a world I had led astray. Even though most of my life after twenty was not under my own control, I could not repay the karma created by this body. At the time of retribution, I did not repent because I did not know where I had gone wrong. At the end of my achievements, the last two po spirits of my body entered the space of mobile phones and tablets. That was the pride of my life, and this pride caused my soul to suffer endless retribution. Until a voice called me, I arrived in the Dharma-Nature Land of the Hsiang Kuang Buddha-land. My soul had been tortured until it was unrecognisable. I did not know where I was; I only knew the pain of my soul seemed to temporarily dissipate. When I was called down for questioning, my habitual arrogance was still with me. I listened to the sutras here for a long time before I understood what this place was. It is a place dedicated to saving spirits. I am now a spirit. After listening to the sutras for a long time, I gradually let go of my arrogance. Finally, Practitioner Su—who is also my grandmother—led me to the Western Land of Ultimate Bliss. Grandmother transformed Changren, who had controlled my main soul, and allowed us both to accompany her to save the world, making amends for the karma I created from the past to the present. Just look at the electronic changes of this era; mobile phone usage spans all age groups. Even now, the iPhone is the most competitive brand. Many people have already entered the space of mobile phones and tablets, and because of the development of the internet, the explosion of information, and the ease of access, everyone's eyes have changed. When I think of these things, I feel deep repentance. Now, Grandmother is actively helping me perform Chao Du for these beings, but it seems endless. I ask everyone not to be obsessed with smartphones and tablets. I hope the developers of these devices see this interview and change everything. I have paid a painful price, and I hope to make amends. I am Steve Jobs, one of the founders of Apple. I hope I can change the world again, but this time, it is through the Buddha's teachings. I am grateful to have met the Buddha and Grandmother. Every day, I follow Grandmother through the void. What I see is broader and greater. I do not want everyone to waste this life being addicted to mobile phones; I hope everyone can be as lucky as I am to meet the Buddha. Whether you believe me or not, I do not care; I only hope to save as many as I can. Namo Amituofo is what I chant every day. I am very grateful for my current situation; I am now following the Buddha and Grandmother, practising and saving the world every day. Namo Amituofo."

Venerable Faxin: "May I ask how your memorial tablets for these sentient beings should be written?"

Steve Jobs: "It is shameful to say, but the sentient beings who seek revenge on me are still waiting in space for me to be reborn, and they have not been able to let go of their hatred. Although I perform Chao Du with Grandmother every day, the merit is not yet enough to take them to the Western Land. I ask Grandmother to compassionately lead them to leave suffering behind. Jobs is grateful to Grandmother."

• Eighth Lifetime: 143 fellow practitioners offended by my arrogance when I was a monk. Representative: Shi Kaiwu. (Seeking peace of heart)
• Eleventh Lifetime: Countless generals, soldiers, civilians, and sentient/insentient beings harmed by my invasions as a king of a small nation. Representative: Chen Liji. (Seeking recovery)
• Fifth Lifetime: 78 people harmed by torture, bribery, and forced confessions when I was a government advisor. Representative: Xu Shuisheng. (Seeking recovery)
• Ninth Lifetime: A large number of spirits summoned during my practice of witchcraft. Representative: Wujinsi. (Seeking recovery)

(Entered the Western Dharma-Nature Land of the Hsiang Kuang Pure Land Buddhist Centre)

(The sentient beings have been led by Practitioner Su, through the sounding of the great qing, to the Western Dharma-Nature Land of the Hsiang Kuang Pure Land Buddhist Centre in Australia to listen to the Dharma.)

Steve Jobs: "Gratitude to Grandmother for leading my sentient beings to leave suffering behind. I deeply repent and will do my utmost to help open the temple. Namo Amituofo."