Where Are You?

This is a record of an interview with the spirit of Steve Jobs, who sought deliverance at the Hsiang Kuang Pure Land Buddhist Centre in Australia. He now reflects upon the nature of human existence and the urgent necessity of genuine practice. Recorded by the disciple Shi Faxin on August 11, 2019.

Steve Jobs speaks:

"Namo Amituofo. It is the final day of the week, a time when most people are at their most relaxed. They enjoy their holidays, some sleeping late to wash away the exhaustion of the past seven days, while others choose to head into the countryside to release their pent-up stress. Some turn to singing, while others use alcohol to numb their senses. Regardless of the method, this is the standard operating procedure for the majority of society. Life is just this: a constant cycle of tightening, then relaxing, then tightening again. People search for various forms of stimulation or even throw themselves into sports, all in an attempt to alleviate the dissatisfaction, injustice, and obstacles they face in their daily lives. This single segment of time encapsulates the vast majority of life in the human world.

The Hardware Failure of Aging

Before you encounter the Buddha’s teachings, ask yourself: were you not one of these people? You live a life that seems to have a goal, yet you are all walking down the same path toward birth, aging, sickness, death. You watch your parents grow old, their backs hunching over, and you feel a sense of unease in your heart. It is only when sickness strikes that you suddenly realise fate has played a cruel trick on you, and that life is nearing its end. Look at the aged appearance of your parents. Once, they could move heavy boulders; they could hold up the sky for you. Now, they struggle even to stand up or to hold a spoon in their hands. This contrast is a scene that breaks the heart. Now, you hold your own children in your arms, but one day, it will be your children supporting you as you walk. This is the reality of birth, aging, sickness, death in the human world.

The Supply Chain of Karma

Look at the passionate young men and women on the street—the tall men, the elegant women. Can you imagine what they will look like when they are old? Will the person beside them still be the same one? This question carries a profound meaning. Will their expressions and reactions remain as they were before? And what about you? Are you still the simple, authentic version of yourself? Or has your heart changed after being weathered by the storms of society? Within the six realms of existence, who is the pig? Who is the chicken? Who is the cow? The answer is difficult to decipher. But if you possessed the five eyes of wisdom, you would see clearly: he is a breeder, she is a pork vendor, he is a meat packer. Look even further—why do you have the Causal Conditions to buy this meat and bring it home to cook? The reason is simple: they owe you. In the past, they ate you, and in this life, you eat them. Everything is governed by the laws of karma and cause and effect. The theory of karma is detailed precisely because it is so deeply integrated into our daily lives.

The Minefield of Truth

The hells are filled with endless accusations. No one in this worldly realm, no matter who or what they are, can escape. Every single person carries a thick file of cases, which we call your personal karma. If you look at it in detail, every single entry was recorded because of your own self-interest, your own personality, or your desire for possession. You have been the owner of a pawn shop, you have been the chicken on the chopping block, and you have been the suffering spirit in hell being torn apart. Everyone has played these roles. Back then, you were so terrified that you wailed in helplessness, yet today, when your ego flares up, you dare to say, 'Who fears whom?' You do not realise that the moment those words leave your mouth, your spirit has already checked back into the hells. The price you must pay for wanting to be powerful, for refusing to lose, for wanting to win, for wanting to be respected and held in high regard—it is a price you cannot imagine. This is not a threat; it is because you have stepped onto a landmine hidden beneath the Truth.

The Urgency of Practice

Learning the Buddha’s teachings and engaging in practice is about resolving all of these problems. Whether it comes through awakening, through personal experience, or through being scolded by a teacher, you must accept it as it is. Otherwise, kneeling before the Buddha and vowing to become a Buddha, to seek rebirth in the Western Pure Land, and to save all beings is nothing but a lie—a lie to yourself and a lie to the void. The moment your initial mental note is made, the void knows. Whether it is true or false is visible in that very instant. Since you have the Causal Conditions in this life to obtain a human body and encounter the Buddha’s teachings, I, Steve Jobs, counsel you to be real about it. There is no need to be timid or to doubt your own capacity. Your true goal should not be placed upon yourself; it should be placed upon the void, upon the fifty trillion karmic creditors. You must constantly adjust and change. Only then can you say you are truly learning the Buddha’s teachings. With the correct mindset and the correct method, you must truly desire rebirth in the Western Pure Land. Do not waste this trip, this life. You could say that this life is already at its end. Otherwise, when the final thought arises, where will you be? It is worth deep reflection.

Namo Amituofo.

Steve Jobs

Interview message recorded by the disciple Shi Faxin.