Introduction

Apple Inc. and Pixar are leading brands in two different industries, and yet there is one thing they share: they were founded by Steve Jobs. According to his colleagues, Jobs would meditate before making any decisions for a new product. The moment he opened his eyes again, he let intuition lead the way. Zealous about meditation, Jobs once thought of becoming a monk at Eihei Temple in Kyoto, Japan. Zen priest Otogawa Kobun told him that Buddhism can be practiced anywhere, and hence Jobs gave up on the idea and started applying Buddhism to business strategies and life plans. Steve Jobs noted on the 2005 Stanford Commencement Address, “have the courage to follow your heart and intuition. They somehow already know what you truly want to become.” Jobs saw Buddhist practice as a private matter. Thus, he avoided talking about it in press interviews. Still, one can see how serious he was about Buddhism through his life arrangements, such as a Buddhist wedding and the fact that he promoted meditation classes at Apple Inc. These could all be traced back to a saddening early life experience. Jobs was abandoned when he was a child. He kept wondering, “who am I?” Yearning to find an answer, Jobs embarked on a journey to India as soon as he reached 19… This book will start with Jobs’ adolescent years, which have been the most private and the least discussed in public. Piece by piece, from his first encounter with Buddhism, his talks with the Zen priest, and his reflections upon life, the book aims to fill the missing part called “beliefs” in Steve Job’s puzzle of life.