Steve Jobs (1955-2011), the man who changed the way we communicate, did visit
Did Steve Jobs actually speak about Hindu influence –
he mentioned the Hare Krishnas during his commencement speech at Stanford University on June 12, 2005: "I had no idea what I wanted to do with my life and no idea how college was going to help me figure it out. And here I was spending all of the money my parents had saved their entire life. So I decided to drop out and trust that it would all work out OK. It was pretty scary at the time, but looking back it was one of the best decisions I ever made. The minute I dropped out I could stop taking the required classes that didn't interest me, and begin dropping in on the ones that looked interesting. It wasn't all romantic. I didn't have a dorm room, so I slept on the floor in friends' rooms, I returned coke bottles for the 5¢ deposits to buy food with, and I would walk the 7 miles (11 km) across town every Sunday night to get one good meal a week at the Hare Krishna temple. I loved it. And much of what I stumbled into by following my curiosity and intuition turned out to be priceless later on.(link)" In the same speech he mentioned Karma. You have to trust in something – your destiny, life, Karma…
Gandhiji was a great influence on Steve Jobs. Mahatma Gandhi was one of his personal heroes.
When asked by Time magazine about his choice for the person of the century in the year, 1999, Jobs replied, "Mohandas Gandhi is my choice for the Person of the Century because he showed us the way out of the destructive side of our human nature."
In the same interview, Jobs said, "Gandhi demonstrated that we can force change and justice through moral acts of aggression instead of physical acts of aggression. Never has our species needed this wisdom more."
Many reports suggest that Jobs worked for the video game manufacturer Atari as a technician with the main purpose of raising enough money for about a year-long spiritual and dharmic retreat to India in the 1970s in search of enlightenment.
The trip to India including visiting the Ashram of Hindu guru Neem Karoli Baba. Steve Jobs came back to America with a shaved head and wearing traditional Indian robes. He regularly walked around his office/neighborhood barefoot which is very common in Buddhist and Hindu faiths.
His travels in India broadened his mind. What he did next then would leave a mark upon history. Teaming with another friend he made during his Spiritual Retreat in India, Steve Wozniak they would found the Computer maker Apple.
By 1983 Apple had become big enough for him to persuade the CEO of Coke to come over to Apple- in that infamous line- “Do you want to sell sugar water for the rest of your life, or do you want to come with me and change the world?”
So we have a Spiritual seeker who returns wrongly described as a ‘Buddhist’ but so unlike Buddhist escape from life to Nirvana, Steve takes his obscure persona with a troubled childhood and destitution, along with a fledgling firm into a formidable Blue chip company that would urge Coke CEO to quit being a lemonade seller and ‘change the world’ with his gizmos.
His passion for quality and user-friendliness extend, he told one journalist, to his spiritual path.
Hinduism was a definite source of spirituality and inspiration for Steve Jobs as he liked yoga and was also vegetarian, known for his strong love and compassion to all animals and was even known to explore Hinduism during his trip to India in 1970s.
Steve Jobs held a press conference (April 1, 2011) at the Apple headquarters in Cupertino to discuss the rumors he has been quietly following a Hindu path for some eight years.
'I'm here to confirm what you already know,' the world famous CEO began. 'Nor should it come as a surprise to anyone who knows me, knows my travels through India in the yearly years and knows my philosophy of life.'
'I'm here to confirm what you already know,' the world famous CEO began. 'Nor should it come as a surprise to anyone who knows me, knows my travels through India in the yearly years and knows my philosophy of life.'
The Hindus have paid tribute to Apple co-founder Steve Jobs, saying that he was very "Hindu at heart" (news link) Hindu statesman Rajan Zed, in a condolence message in Nevada (USA) on Thursday, said that he would offer "fervent prayers" for Jobs who was inspired by Hinduism.Zed, who is president of Universal Society of Hinduism, citing reports, said that Hinduism was a source of spirituality and inspiration for him.
