Dear John,

«They might do the washing, the scheduling, the counting, the remembering—leaving us fewer excuses to avoid silence.»

Infinity - 100 = ?

«A tool cannot cultivate the soul. But it can clear a path»

A blocked path can be cleared.
But what if nothing blocks it but our own mind?

Assuming we are not hungry or thirsty, have a comfortable seat with a solid roof over our head, no creepy-crawlies around and heating and cooling as necessary.
Assuming that we are either not tired or if we are, then it is because we chose to fool around with anything (both of the moving and inert kinds) just to avoid the silence.

What external obstacles remain?

I can see two types:

1) health problems.
This is the one area where better technologies can help. ; and

2) social problems (including wars and domestic violence).
Yes, we are not yet over the peak on that one, there is more to do, but this discussion is limited to machines and technologies and is not about human relationships.

«Perhaps they arise when a person is simply ready—softened, open, sincere.»

Correct.

And what helps making us ready, softened, open and sincere?

Scripture prescribes work as a start, nothing too fancy, just the ordinary activities that we would be doing anyway, only with the correct attitude.

«Sometimes that willingness arrives not through suffering, nor even through scripture—but quietly, in the middle of a conversation one didn’t expect would matter so much.»

Correct.
If one seems to be giving up their preferences due to suffering, then that is because they have the preference not to suffer!

Once the suffering is gone, the old preferences will come back...

Suppression does not work on the spiritual path.

Yuyutsu,

You’re right to point out that many of our obstacles are internal. Machines may remove chores, but if the mind resists stillness, it will always find a way to distract itself - with or without technology. Infinity minus 100 is still infinity, as you say.

But where your point strengthens mine is here: if the work is internal, then perhaps the role of external tools is not to create stillness, but simply to stop making it harder to access.

Not everyone has the conditions you describe - solid roof, warmth, freedom from creeping dangers. Much of modern technology does help deliver those things more widely. So even if machines can’t clear the mind, perhaps they can help more people reach the starting line.

I also appreciated what you said about scripture prescribing ordinary work with the right attitude. That echoes something I’ve always believed: that the path isn’t far from where we already stand.

What you said about suppression rings true. Forced surrender isn’t real surrender. The willingness has to come of its own accord - but perhaps, with fewer burdens and more space, that willingness might arise in more people, more often.

How do you see this playing out in the modern world? Are there ways in which today's tools - when used with the right attitude - might aid the very inner preparation scripture calls for?

Dear John,

Indeed, not everyone has the conditions I described.
This is primarily a social issue, because there's already plenty for everyone if we wanted.

Two great inventions of the 20th century are air-conditioning and the contraceptive pill:

Without contraceptives (but still with better health and a liberal culture), technology will forever keep chasing population growth, and while it's likely to be successful in sustaining survival even at greater numbers, the peace of mind required to look within will remain out of reach for most, that while ill side-effects of technology reduce our quality of life and its distraction hinder our concentration on the spirit.

So what we need here is better distribution of 20th-century technology along with continued social progress.

«Are there ways in which today's tools - when used with the right attitude - might aid the very inner preparation scripture calls for?»

Today's tools are already being used for spiritual purposes, but the returns are diminishing.

As an example, I use video-conferencing for scripture-study.
My teacher is in India, but also travels often and the class is spread around the world. It is an overkill for the task, because we only watch the teacher, not each other, then use the chat function to ask questions at the end without creating a cacophony.

Looking back, before the 20th century, having live international classes was simply impossible. Yet I already had them in the 1970's:
What we technically did was to set classrooms in each participating city, each with a phone (rotary, analog) and a device attaching itself to the phone magnetically, then amplifying the sound into a long wire that went along the wall with a multitude of personal earphone outlets, then started an international phone conference call (which was very expensive then, but the cost was shared among the many participants).

The ability to see the teacher in video is nice, but the advantage is marginal. If we needed diagrams, then they could be sent by fax, and to ask a question we just needed to come forward one by one and talk directly on the phone.