The Western Lotus: A Revelation from Steve Jobs

Steve Jobs, the visionary co-founder of Apple, sought deliverance through the compassionate guidance of Practitioner Su at the Hsiang Kuang Pure Land Buddhist Centre in Australia. This testimony, recorded on September 7, 2017, details his profound transition into the Western Pure Land of Ultimate Bliss and his reflections on the nature of the lotus and the power of the Holy Name.

Steve Jobs speaks:

"Namo Amituofo. Today, the Western Pure Land is radiating immense light. Every morning, when the monastics at the Hsiang Kuang Pure Land Buddhist Centre perform their morning walking meditation, they bring forth batches of new Bodhisattvas. When these beings first witness the scene of the Western Pure Land’s assembly of pure beings receiving sentient beings, the shock, surprise, disbelief, curiosity, and joy they feel—sometimes even weeping with happiness—is a sight I see every single day.

When I was alive in the human world, I did not practise the Dharma. In fact, I created a continuous stream of karma. I am one who attained rebirth in the Western Pure Land while still carrying my karma. Therefore, the visibility I have in the West—the things I see and hear—is merely the most basic level, and even that is already beyond words. How much more magnificent, then, is the state of being and the scenery witnessed by those who were true practitioners, whose hearts were pure and who reached higher realms? That is truly beyond the power of any pen to describe.

The Lotus of the Western Pure Land

In truth, to reach the Western Pure Land, one must chant the Holy Name of Namo Amituofo. When you chant that single Buddha-name, a lotus flower manifests in the Western Lotus Pond. I, too, reside within a lotus. Based on the information I have gathered, this is the conclusion: a single lotus flower contains an entire Western Pure Land of Ultimate Bliss! Whether it is a budding lotus or one that is half-open, it is all the same; inside every lotus is a complete Western Pure Land of Ultimate Bliss! There are immeasurable and boundless lotus flowers in the West. Some are currently in the embryonic stage, meaning a spirit is residing within them; some belong to people currently living in the human world or other realms who are chanting the Buddha's name; some lotuses have withered and lost their colour, their names no longer legible; others are standing tall, vibrant, and brilliantly coloured; some even emit light. There is such variety—different lengths, colours, sizes, and degrees of softness. One lotus, one world; every single lotus flower is an entire Western Pure Land of Ultimate Bliss.

A World of the Heart

It is a world of the heart. Every lotus is a place where a life, a spirit, resides. You grow within that lotus until the flower blooms, you see the Buddha, realise the truth of non-arising, and become companions with the non-retreating Bodhisattvas. When you reach that stage—the level of your own cultivation—the lotus naturally blossoms, and you truly see the physical form of Namo Amituofo. At that moment, all the benefits and manifestations you experience are truly your own, created and held by your own capacity. Before that, while you are still inside the lotus, all the benefits you enjoy—food, clothing, shelter, and travel—are manifestations provided by Namo Amituofo for your enjoyment. You are like a small foetus slowly growing into an infant, a child, a young one who has not yet matured. During these days, your parents care for you with the utmost caution and tenderness, providing a happy, carefree environment. Everything you eat, wear, live in, and use is exactly as you wish. You can go wherever you like. Everything you see, hear, taste, and smell is exactly what you desire—perhaps the most delicious, exquisite nectar or ambrosia you have ever tasted. There is no political turmoil, no war; everything is something you have never encountered in the human world. Such a wonderful world! As long as you believe and are willing to come, when your human life reaches its end, the great compassion of Namo Amituofo will hear your sincere chanting of 'Namo Amituofo'—even if it is just once or ten times—and He will bring your lotus to receive you back into the Western Lotus Pond, to bring you home.

The Necessity of Spreading the Dharma

I have seen that many of our spirits—including the beings and Bodhisattvas who are saved and brought back by Practitioner Su during the temple's morning walking meditation—already had lotus flowers in the West. However, every lotus grows differently. Regardless, if they follow the temple or the people around them in chanting the Buddha's name, that lotus comes back to life to receive its owner and bring them home. These are the things I have witnessed in the West. I am sharing this so that everyone can listen, see, and think: if there is such a wonderful place, where else would you want to go? It is too good! No wonder many people do not believe it and doubt how such a perfect place could exist. Modern people are prone to distrust; they live in a world of speculation, calculation, suspicion, competition, and inequality, so they refuse to believe that such a wonderful place exists. It is truly a pity! In truth, when I was alive, I only vaguely knew that in Buddhism, there was a 'Western' place that was wonderful, but I knew nothing else about it. I had no opportunity to come into contact with it, nor the time to understand it. How many more people have never even heard of it? Especially people in the West—and here, I am referring to the Western hemisphere of the Earth, such as Europe and the Americas, not the Western Pure Land of Ultimate Bliss. People in the Eastern hemisphere, like those in Asia, have more opportunities to come into contact with Buddhism and should have a better understanding of the West. Therefore, Namo Amituofo should promote this and spread the word so that everyone knows about it. Using mass media is the fastest way.

A Second Chance at Life

What virtue or ability did I have to be born a Westerner and yet be known by Practitioner Su and brought to the West? It is because I created the world of computers and games, and the harm I caused to humanity was greater than the benefits. Practitioner Su wanted to save those victims, so she had to save me first. I can feel that there are many people and spirits listening to my words right now. I want to tell everyone: do not hesitate. From this moment on, go and understand the Western Pure Land of Ultimate Bliss. The monastics and practitioners at the Hsiang Kuang Pure Land Buddhist Centre are one in a million. Because this is a teaching that is difficult to believe, yet you are all living within it, staying with the Buddhas and Bodhisattvas, being cared for and protected just like me—a child growing up in a lotus in the West, nurtured by Namo Amituofo. Every monastic and practitioner at the Hsiang Kuang Pure Land Buddhist Centre has a lotus of a different size, shape, and colour! Whenever you encounter conflict or tests, your lotus pauses for a moment; those who make a breakthrough grow a little larger, while those who regress see their lotus remain the same or lose a bit of its lustre. There is a saying that 'appearance arises from the mind,' and this can also be applied to the Western lotus: the Western lotus grows according to the heart.

The Path to Deliverance

Returning to the subject, many beings in the universe have recently turned from demons to the Buddha, transforming evil into goodness, and they are also chanting 'Namo Amituofo.' Because of this, there are many more lotuses in the Western Lotus Pond! Everyone, keep up the effort! Do not be influenced by those outside who know nothing about the Hsiang Kuang Pure Land Buddhist Centre! They cannot receive the compassion and teachings of Namo Amituofo, nor can they understand what it truly means to deliver sentient beings to be reborn in the Western Pure Land. The sutras teach that the heart encompasses the void and the measure covers the worlds of the Ganges—to them, these are just technical terms in the sutras. They cannot feel it, and they have no opportunity to experience it personally. Rebirth in the Western Pure Land of Ultimate Bliss is just an abstract concept to them. When changes occur in their lives, they have no time or opportunity to know if it is real, so they just follow what others say. They do not have the ability to discern for themselves. This is not their fault; it is simply that their good roots, blessings, and causal conditions are not yet mature.

In fact, coming to the Hsiang Kuang Pure Land Buddhist Centre, as long as you are willing to step through the door, as long as you truly want to be reborn in the Western Pure Land of Ultimate Bliss, everything you lack can be helped here. You can adjust your body, your thoughts, and your heart, and grow your good roots, blessings, and causal conditions. As long as you come with a sincere heart, Practitioner Su can help you with whatever you are lacking. Even for those who are ill, or even critically ill, as long as you believe in Namo Amituofo, she can help you heal. For heart-sickness, depression, bipolar disorder, and many other uncontrollable problems, Practitioner Su can also handle them, because these are all related to karmic creditors and the actions of past lives throughout many kalpas. Dealing with these matters is what she is most expert and experienced in. Coming to find Practitioner Su is the right choice! I am not advertising for her; I am learning from her how to save people. Those who believe will be saved; those who do not will follow their own karmic path. Practitioner Su, would you not agree? The great compassion of the Buddha and the freedom of following causal conditions are exactly what I yearn for and wish to learn. As for those who had karmic affinities with me, if you have the opportunity to see these words, and if you feel that my transformation is a good thing, then please give yourself a chance at rebirth. You can come to the Hsiang Kuang Pure Land Buddhist Centre in Australia. I am here, and if there is an opportunity to serve, I am more than willing to do so. Just like Practitioner Su and the monastics and Bodhisattvas in the temple, who work tirelessly to let everyone know about Namo Amituofo and the Western Pure Land, I am willing to work hard with everyone to repay the Buddha's kindness. Namo Amituofo."