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The Zen of Steve Jobs Paperback – 31 Jan 2012

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Product details

  • Paperback: 80 pages
  • Publisher: John Wiley & Sons; 1 edition (31 Jan. 2012)
  • Language: English
  • ISBN-10: 1118295269
  • ISBN-13: 978-1118295267
  • Product Dimensions: 18.3 x 0.5 x 25.4 cm
  • Average Customer Review: 2.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
  • Amazon Bestsellers Rank: 655,419 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
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2 of 2 people found the following review helpful By Sam Quixote TOP 500 REVIEWER on 18 Aug. 2012
Format: Paperback
This short comic book focuses on Steve Jobs' relationship with Zen Buddhism and Kobun Chino Otogawa, a Buddhist Priest. It jumps around in time from a young Steve Jobs to Steve Jobs in 2011 and shows that he was interested in the religion for a time but that after that interest faded, he still kept in touch with Kobun.

There isn't much else to say about the book. Jobs, like many Americans, dipped into Buddhism because he liked some aspects of it but never fully committed and eventually left it altogether. One of Jobs' tasks when learning about Zen Buddhism was to learn to walk and meditate at the same time in a circle. The author then makes it seem that this exercise led to Apple's famous circle on the iPod and then later Apple's circular HQ (never mind that Jobs employed teams of talented designers who actually came up with these ideas).

Kobun is a fairly ordinary character though he's portrayed as an "outsider" to Zen Buddhism because he doesn't beat his students with a stick and eats hot fudge sundaes at Denny's. Anyone looking for a book on Jobs' life won't find it here as the book is centrally about Jobs' dabbling with Buddhism. Jobs fanatics might enjoy this book, for anyone else, I wouldn't bother.
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1 of 1 people found the following review helpful By sanyata on 26 Jan. 2012
Format: Paperback
the graphic style is very minimalist and the palette is dark and foreboding, almost otherwordly. it like it!
the narrative is also very tight, focusing on steve and the zen master as a the only real characters in the story. there are almost no other characters. this makes for an interesting premise.
author's understanding of zen isn't perfect, but he avoids putting false statements about zen into steve's or the master's mouth. that's great.

however, now for the bad:

- the actual story is only about 40 pages long and there is no story. its more like random glimpses. the rest of the book is extras, such as "the making of", "interview with the author"?
- the book currently cost £10, where £4, or at the very most, £5 would seem the fair price.
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews on Amazon.com (beta)

Amazon.com: 39 reviews
9 of 10 people found the following review helpful
Quiet, pleasant, and well done 12 Jan. 2012
By Dave R - Published on Amazon.com
Format: Kindle Edition
I picked up the paperback of this book curious about the interaction of Steve Jobs with the world of Buddhism. I also thought since it was a re-imagining, the story would be a nice typical flow of ups and downs, apex, then an ending. It's a lot more than that, and none of that.

The story calmly flows independent of any formula. The illustrations and dialogue are minimalistic - the creators are clearly influenced by, and appreciate the subject at hand. I admit, the first time I read through it, I wasn't as pleased as I am now. It wasn't until I read through the background and intent of the book that I realized my appreciation. This isn't as much about story telling as it is about conveying a feeling... and imagining how it must have been to be a part of the private interaction that occurred between Kobun and Steve Jobs.
8 of 9 people found the following review helpful
a pleasure to read, not at all hero worship 6 Jan. 2012
By scrabulous - Published on Amazon.com
Format: Paperback
with everything else that's been said and written about Jobs, this one comes out as something different. Jobs relationship with zen buddhism is not that well known but this book is brave enough to imagine what it might have been like. the dialogue is clipped, the framing is simple. it's all very zen. I read it a few times right away (since it is only 60 pages of story) and came away finding something new and different each time.
4 of 4 people found the following review helpful
Shallow spirituality 18 Aug. 2012
By Sam Quixote - Published on Amazon.com
Format: Paperback
This short comic book focuses on Steve Jobs' relationship with Zen Buddhism and Kobun Chino Otogawa, a Buddhist Priest. It jumps around in time from a young Steve Jobs to Steve Jobs in 2011 and shows that he was interested in the religion for a time but that after that interest faded, he still kept in touch with Kobun.

There isn't much else to say about the book. Jobs, like many Americans, dipped into Buddhism because he liked some aspects of it but never fully committed and eventually left it altogether. One of Jobs' tasks when learning about Zen Buddhism was to learn to walk and meditate at the same time in a circle. The author then makes it seem that this exercise led to Apple's famous circle on the iPod and then later Apple's circular HQ (never mind that Jobs employed teams of talented designers who actually came up with these ideas).

Kobun is a fairly ordinary character though he's portrayed as an "outsider" to Zen Buddhism because he doesn't beat his students with a stick and eats hot fudge sundaes at Denny's. Anyone looking for a book on Jobs' life won't find it here as the book is centrally about Jobs' dabbling with Buddhism. Jobs fanatics might enjoy this book, for anyone else, I wouldn't bother.
8 of 10 people found the following review helpful
The other side of Steve Jobs 8 Jan. 2012
By Joe Shevy - Published on Amazon.com
Format: Paperback
A great way to enter and understand the mind of a genius. I would've never know this side of the story of his life if it wasn't for this book.
How his mind changed during the course of the time. I also learned about the way he and therefore Apple thinks, so I can apply that way of thinking to my own business.
5 of 6 people found the following review helpful
The sad ending of this book must have a meaning. 20 Jan. 2012
By shinji iwamasa - Published on Amazon.com
Format: Kindle Edition
Well, it has a tragic ending, but is based on the true story. Steve cried over the sudden death of his spiritual teacher, Kobun, and this resulted in his commencement speech at Stanford University.

Steve said, "Remembering that you are going to die is the best way I know to avoid the trap of thinking you have something to lose."

Beautiful...

With reverence to Kobun, here Steve referred this to the words of Japanese Zen Buddhist monk, Dogen in his _Shobo Genzo Zuimonki_, Volume 1, Chapter 7.

I believe that Steve's reliance on Kobun never fade but even deepened after his death.

You might compare this ending with the one of Issacson's _Steve Jobs_, that somewhat suggests Steve's skeptic view on what he had learned from Kobun. In his interview* with CNN, Issacson seems to make a slight change to the quotation from Steve, that reads at the very end of his book:

"That when you die, it doesn't just all disappear. The wisdom you've accumulated. Somehow it lives on."

Here Steve may refer to the Title of Lotus Sutra, "Such is the force of my wisdom, its supreme light to shine for aeon(kalpa)."

Both Kobun and Steve are gone, but their lights of wisdom persist...

I am pretty sure that Steve carried out the legacy of Kobun's teaching, profoundly and aesthetically.

What do you think?

*from the article titled, "Biographer: Mortality motivated Steve Jobs"
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