The True Cost of Innovation

This is the twelfth letter from the spirit of Steve Jobs, who sought deliverance at the Hsiang Kuang Pure Land Buddhist Centre in Australia. In this testimony, recorded on August 22, 2017, he reflects upon the profound karmic consequences of his technological innovations and offers a heartfelt warning to parents worldwide regarding the impact of digital devices on children.

Steve Jobs speaks:

"Namo Amituofo. I am Steve Jobs. I am deeply grateful to Namo Amituofo and Practitioner Su for their immense compassion in allowing me to voice these words. I have heard the cries of the beings to whom I owe a karmic debt, and it is heart-breaking—they are almost all children. For so long, people were lost in the illusion that they were keeping up with the latest trends, eagerly consuming the newest products I created. Only now, from this vantage point, do they realise the terrifying truth behind these devices.

These mobile phones have left their minds in a state of confusion and stagnation. It is as if they are only just beginning to wake up from a long, dark slumber. They come to me, weeping, telling me that they once loved to draw or paint, but because they became addicted to their iPads, their spirits have literally become trapped within the form of a white iPad. One young boy told me he loved playing basketball, but because he became obsessed with studying Apple programming, his spirit is now stuck within one of the icons of my most popular applications. He has become the spokesperson for that program, forced to exist as a digital image that people click on and use every single day. This is the horrifying reality of the technology I helped unleash upon the world. Every morning, the Hsiang Kuang Pure Land Buddhist Centre performs Chao Du for me, and often, I find I cannot even bear to open my eyes. I cannot face the suffering of the beings I have harmed."

The Hidden Truth of My Creations

"Parents, it was I, Steve Jobs, who was wrong. I invented these electronic toys that even a toddler can operate, providing a simple way for parents to keep their children quiet and out of their hair. The root of this entire error began with me. But I implore you, parents who love your children: do not let them be poisoned by technology from such a young age. If you do, their temperaments and brainwaves may be permanently altered by these devices, leading to strange personalities and emotional instability. They may even develop unimaginable, deeply ingrained negative behaviours that you will find impossible to prevent. You may find yourselves regretting your choices, yet unable to understand where your parenting went wrong.

Everything in life should be maintained according to the Middle Way—neither too much nor too little. This is a lesson I have only recently learned. But technology is inherently designed to pull people off balance. It is far too seductive; one gets drawn in before they even realise it. Whenever someone is bored, who isn't sitting in front of a computer or clutching a mobile phone to kill time? Parents, I beg you, think of your children! Give them the chance to retain their original, natural innocence. If you allow your children to use these devices simply because you believe they must keep up with the modern era, are you not forcing them to learn competition and conflict from the moment they are born? Are you not teaching them that they must never lose at the starting line? Is this truly what is best for them? Do we not, in the Western world, pride ourselves on fostering a child's individual interests? If you force them into the world of technology from infancy, you are actively obstructing the development of their true nature."

The Path of True Innovation

"I have only now come to understand that the industry I built was one that created immense negative karma. If innovation is used to benefit the elderly or to improve the education of children, then I would congratulate you. But if it is created solely to make people addicted to a product, and if the creator is constantly obsessed with sales data and market share, then that is nothing more than greed for fame and wealth. This is not sarcasm; these are the hard, cold facts. I, Steve Jobs, have always spoken this way—clear, direct, and hitting the bullseye. I never liked beating around the bush because I always found directness to be more efficient.

I never enjoyed socialising; it was never my interest. Only by burying myself in research did I feel a sense of achievement. But just like the mobile phones I created, I was simply burying myself in a false, illusory world. I ask parents everywhere to listen to my counsel: save your children! I have changed, but I am still the same sharp-minded, precise Steve Jobs I always was. I am now trying my best to pull back from the path I went astray on. Please, let everyone become a part of my effort to make things right. Namo Amituofo."