Steve Jobs, Hinduism & Zen Buddhism

Hey there,

So over the past couple days, I’ve been talking about a Zimbabwean inventor, Joan of Arc, and Nikola Tesla.

Today, I’m going to discuss Steve Jobs and his little discussed relationship with spirituality and Eastern philosophies.

Despite being known as a visionary and sometimes ruthless leader of Apple, like any other human being, Steve Jobs had two sides to him.

The outward-facing, product-focused innovator, and the inwardly-aware, enlightenment-seeking student.

Early Life

Despite having been sent to a Liberal Arts school by his adoptive parents, he dropped out in 1973 and escaped to India with his friends in search of enlightenment.¹

Jobs eventually found Neem Karoli Baba (aka ‘Maharaj-ji'), a Hindu guru and a devotee of the Hindu deity Hanuman, at his Kainchi Ashram. When he returned to California, he was a fully converted Buddhist.

Zen Buddhism

In the documentary Steve Jobs: The Man In The Machine, there’s a scene where Jobs meets another one of his spiritual advisors (at the age of just 18) for the first time — Zen priest, Kobun Chino Otogawa.

It was reported that Jobs felt enlightened, even at that age, and came to Otogawa to be guided by him. Otogawa said he “needed proof,” so Jobs showed him a little metal sheet. It was a chip of the personal computer. Jobs said, “I designed it, my friend Woz helped me. It’s called Lisa” (named after Jobs’ daughter).

Jobs begged Otogawa to make him a monk, who eventually gave in and helped him learn Zen meditation. This led to Otogawa becoming Apple’s very first corporate spiritual adviser (different, no?).²

Alas, you’d never know about this unless you dig into Jobs’ story. Why? Because the “spiritual” side to business and technology isn’t always fully valued. So Jobs just played the game well, keeping his spiritual practices in the background.

Reflections

I share this story to highlight the fact that there are many “successful” (by today’s standards) people, who owe a lot to some sense of spirituality. Whether they’re “divinely inspired” (like Joan of Arc), or “esoterically inspired” (like Nikola Tesla), there is something that happens within these folks — perhaps even many of us — but only a few act on it or have the courage to do something with it.

As you can see with Jobs, despite having a strong foundation in Eastern beliefs, he was able to convert that into Western products and ‘success’. He was both spiritually strong, yet materially wealthy.

Granted, not everything about his story was rosy. Apparently he wasn’t such a great father or husband, but what he lacked at home, he made up for with his innovations.

There always seem to be a cost to such decisions. But whatever you decide, the important part is to:

1. Acknowledge the costs

2. Accept them

3. Remain true to who you are (or want to be)

And with that, I wish you a wonderful weekend 🙂 

References:

1. Steve Jobs' Mantra Rooted in Buddhism: Focus and Simplicity

2. Steve Jobs had a spiritual adviser — here's what it was like the first time they met

3. Steve Jobs: the man in the machine (documentary)

4. Why Have The Beatles, Steve Jobs, And Mark Zuckerberg Taken Refuge In Indian Spiritualism?

Until Monday fellow wayfinder, remember: it will come.

George

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