A pertinent question has just come to mind.
It concerns those who want to attain the Sotapanna stage. It has all but been firmly established that for that to happen listening is necessary.
Now someone playing (I must put it that way, I will show why) a recorded desana discourse delivered in Sinhala (with a liberal incorporation of Pali terms) is only hearing the desana (not listening to) when the understanding comes only from reading the transcription in English.
I feel the ‘Ariya effect’ (even when recorded) still contributes to the impact on the ‘hearers'(if not ‘listeners’) – but to what extent?