The document summarizes various media coverage of Steve Jobs's life and influence of Buddhism. Major news outlets like ABC News, The Washington Post, and CNN discussed how Jobs incorporated Buddhist principles of simplicity and focus into Apple's products and culture. Some articles explored his spiritual journey in more depth, noting he studied Zen Buddhism and traveled to India seeking enlightenment. There was some debate around whether Jobs was a true Buddhist or used aspects of it to further his business goals. The coverage highlighted Jobs's passion for technology and mystery surrounding his personal beliefs.
2. Introduction
Steve Jobs was an extremely influential mind of our era. The
majority of people and media focus solely on the success and history of Apple
Corporation. There are many archived reports on the change in Apple stock,
list of products in circulation, and breakthroughs in technology. It is hard to
enter any school or workplace without seeing an IPod, Mac, or IPhone.
Nevertheless, much less was known about his personal life. Jobs was adopted
at a young age, fired from Apple, and devoutly practiced Zen Buddhism. He
even proceeded to travel to Tibet in search of enlightenment. Even the Apple
model of simplicity is said to be derived from Buddhist beliefs. My
presentation will cover blogs, articles, and other media that explore different
parts of this technological icon’s life and death.
3. ABC News
Jsaguiar’s blog covered
the ABC news article.
Image from: wordonfire.com
http://abcnews.go.com/Health/steve-jobs-buddhism-
guided-life-mantra-focus-simplicity/story?id=14682458
4. Analysis
ABC news did a fantastic job covering the basic spiritual side and
influence of Steve Jobs. The article was written by Susan Doyle James and
focused mostly on how Buddhism ideas were incorporated into Apple
Corporation. The title and first paragraph positively emphasize how simplicity
was used to build Jobs’s successful career. Reliable sources are used,
including Robert Thurman (Professor of Buddhism Studies at Columbia
University) and Gary Li (Secretary of the Buddhist Association of the U.S.).
The general attitude is that of religion positively correlating with economic
success, seeing that Apple is one of the most successful companies in the
entire world. ABC news is prevalent and this story was very easy to find.
5. Washington Post
C1oneill’s blog covered
the Washington Post’s
article.
Image from:
http://www.horowitzfreedomcenter.org/2011/10/05/the-
washington-post-and-double-standards/
http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/under-god/post/steve-
jobss-journey-for-
enlightenment/2011/11/16/gIQAkx2BSN_blog.html
6. Analysis
Sally Quinn of the Washington Post interviewed Walter Isaacson, the
author of “Steve Jobs”. He has also written books about Franklin and Einstein,
neither of which were religious, simply spiritual. The interview centered
around how Jobs disregarded God at the age of thirteen and began his search
for new enlightenment. He believed there was many paths, a high power, and
a “great mystery”. The title and first paragraph positively focus on how Jobs’s
personal religious beliefs gave him passion that drew people to his ideas.
Isaacson refers to Jobs’s belief in “a great mystery” quite frequently. Even
upon his death, Steve Jobs lives on in a semi-secretive manner. Isaacson is a
reliable source. He’s president and CEO of Aspen Institute, former manager
of TIME magazine, and CNN broadcasting. Steve Jobs and Buddhism are
promoted in a positive fashion. Searching for enlightenment is portrayed as
searching for passion and success. The Washington Post is extremely
prevalent and the beginning picture really caught my attention. (next slide)
8. Wall Street Journal Blog
Joelhartzlerworld
religion’s blog covered
this Wall Street Journal
article.
http://www.editorsweblog.org/multimedia/2011/09/wall_street_
journal_live.php
http://blogs.wsj.com/speakeasy/2011/10/06/the-zen-of-steve-
jobs/?KEYWORDS=buddhism
9. Analysis
The next source was a little bit different. Jeff Yang is a columnist for
the Wall Street Journal but his blog focuses solely on Asian culture. His
column is superior to mainstream media because Buddhism is his religion.
Therefore he dives deeper into Jobs’s religious practices and integrations.
Examples include Apple’s use of miyabi (high refinement) shibui (unobtrusive
beauty) iki (audacious style) yugen (enigmatic quality) and ma (how things are
defined by what they are and what they are not). My first impression of the
article was good. The title and picture used were very impactful (next slide).
Yang does a phenomenal job of providing specific examples of Steve Jobs’s
use of Buddhism in his life and company. He draws on personal experience
and research. Jobs is promoted as a visionary, revolutionary, innovator, self-
involved egoist, and a ruthless manipulator. This article was a bit less
prominent than the first few; its title is “Speakeasy blog”. It has the most
complete coverage, addressing both the positive and negative… a great
example of ying and yang.
10. The Zen of Steve Jobs
This picture illustrates consumer admiration of Steve Jobs and
his products. IPhone 3 is used to photograph the memorial.
11. Tricycle.com
Eennis’s blog covered this
article from tricycle, a
Buddhist review magazine.
Image from:
http://wisdomquarterly.blogs
pot.com/2008/07/tricycle-
better-blogging.html
http://www.tricycle.com/blog/buddha-buzz-
steve-jobss-death-and-dharma
12. Analysis
Tricycle is a Buddhist review magazine. The report was written by
Emma Varvaloucas and serves as an unbiased well rounded example. She
starts off by comparing Steve Jobs’s Stanford commencement speech with a
passage from The Tibetan Book of the Dead. I thought this article was going
to be one sided and boring because there were no opening pictures and the
title was simply “Steve Jobs: Death and Dharma”. Tricycle addresses Jobs as a
“Celebrity Buddhist” and links several articles I used earlier (ABC, CNN, and
valleyzen.com). The main focus was shifted from Apple to acceptance of
death and realization that there is an end. Varvaloucas’s placing of the
“Celebrity Buddhist” label was harsh but necessary. No other media source
considered this possibility. This media was not prominent; I had never heard
of Tricycle before this project. Nevertheless, her overall approach is unbiased
and honest.
13. CNN
Mlodge’s blog covered
this article by CNN.
http://freestudents.blogspot.com/2011/02/crappy-
network-news-cnn.html
http://religion.blogs.cnn.com/2011/10/06/the-zen-
of-steve-jobs/
14. Analysis
CNN reporter Dan Gilgoff covered the death of Steve Jobs. It
focused mostly on Steve Jobs’s relationship with his “Buddhist monk guru”
Kobun Chino Otogawa. That in itself is somewhat of a contradiction. Apple
and enlightenment went unmentioned. There was no connection drawn
between Buddhism and Apple’s economic and trend success. I felt more
informed by the video at the beginning than the actual article.
Generalizations were used in describing Buddhism. CNN’s Gilgoff states that
Zen Buddhism is a fundamental practice of Japanese culture when in actuality
there are other forms of Buddhism in Japan as well. This article was more of
an opinion piece compared to the others I have read. CNN is prominent but I
wasn’t interested or drawn into their story. Nevertheless, Otogawa remains a
reliable source.
17. Conclusion
Steve Jobs’s life was a media noteworthy event because it was filled
with so much mystery and great success. His death will affect Apple in every
way imaginable, along with the many Apple users and consumers. A few
articles briefly mentioned his childhood, adoption, and brief college stint. But
the main focus was the integration of Buddhist ideas into the formation of the
Apple empire and the perfect product. Nevertheless, it was clear that all
sources had a slight doubt about Jobs actually being a legitimate practicing
Buddhist. One article even referred to him as a “Celebrity Buddhist”. He’s
been called a manipulator and a corporate tyrant, a visionary and an
innovator. Now that he is gone, the spotlight will shift to his company. How
will they react in his absence?
18. Works Cited
James, Susan Donaldson., “Steve Jobs’s Mantra Rooted in Buddhism: Focus and Simplicity”, ABC NEWS,
October 6, 2011. (http://abcnews.go.com/Health/steve-jobs-buddhism-guided-life-mantra-focus-
simplicity/story?id=14682458)
Quinn, Sally, “Steve Jobs’s journey for enlightenment”, Washington Post, Novemeber 16, 2011.
(http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/under-god/post/steve-jobss-journey-for-
enlightenment/2011/11/16/gIQAkx2BSN_blog.html)
Yang, Jeff, “The Zen of Steve Jobs,” Wall Street Journal Speakeasy, October 6, 2011.
(http://blogs.wsj.com/speakeasy/2011/10/06/the-zen-of-steve-jobs/?KEYWORDS=buddhism)
Varvaloucous, Emma, “Buddha Buzz: Steve Jobs’s Death and Dharma”, Tricycle.com, October 6, 2011.
(http://www.tricycle.com/blog/buddha-buzz-steve-jobss-death-and-dharma)
Gilgoff, Dan, “The Zen of Steve Jobs”, CNN NEWS, October 6, 2011.
(http://religion.blogs.cnn.com/2011/10/06/the-zen-of-steve-jobs/ )
CLS_AT, “Crappy Network News: CNN”, Blogspot.com, February 26, 2011.
(http://freestudents.blogspot.com/2011/02/crappy-network-news-cnn.html)
Milian, Mark, “The Spiritual Side of Steve Jobs,” CNN.com, October 5, 2011.
(http://articles.cnn.com/2011-10-05/tech/tech_innovation_steve-jobs-philosophy_1_tim-cook-steve-jobs-
apple-s-ceo/4?_s=PM:TECH)
YouTube, “Steve Jobs Funeral,” YouTube, October 6, 2011.
(http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Dc4VYumDtfE)
