How would you counter this hypothesis to the ‘Enlightenment’ idea?

[liminal_luke]

During a recent telephone conversation, a friend mentioned his take on the covid vaccines, again.  I stopped him.  I suggested that discussing this topic would not result in either of us changing our minds and that our friendship would suffer -- could we just agree to disagree?  He said yes and we've resumed our fun banter.

 

Sadly, the debate in this thread has now entered the covid vaccine zone.  Silly me!  I imagined I had the power to broker a mind-changing discussion between avowed Buddhists and their detractors.  My mediating skills are clearly not up to the challenge.  (Luke slinks off to watch Netflix and eat donuts.)

Edited August 26, 2023 by liminal_luke

[Mark Foote]

15 hours ago, Cobie said:

 

I had deleted that post (before your reply), on reflection I thought it was mean spirited. My apologies. 

 

I've noticed that you do delete many of your posts.  I was hastening to comment on that one, expecting that you might, and for me the post was as valid as anything else on the forum.  I wanted to continue the thought, to encourage you to continue the thought.  As it were! 

[Mark Foote]

14 hours ago, Daniel said:

 

It appears that the forum is using 'invision' forum software, and the editor is a highly customizable plugin called CKeditor5.  As such there is no manual because of the modular nature of the product.  The link below is the top of the tree of the  developer documentation in all its glory.

 

https://ckeditor.com/docs/ckeditor5/latest/features/index.html
 

Daniel stands revealed as a developer... I suspected as much!

An example of my work, with the team at a local junior college:

 

https://getthatwebsite.com/mathskills/371/index.html#/units
 

Edited August 26, 2023 by Mark Foote

[Mark Foote]

On 8/24/2023 at 2:23 PM, Daniel said:

 

I assert that you are far more than than what is on the surface.  That you have an essence, which is eternal, timeless, absolutely unique.  You bring something to reality which absolutely cannot be brought by anyone or anything else.  And it's not just you, it's everyone and everything that exists.  Because of this, I greatly value the opportunity to interact with you, and them, and everything.  To be in your presence, to listen to your words, to share your ideas when you choose to share them.  To visit the realm-of-luke when I am invited.  But not just you.  Everything is like this for me.

 

When I am able to hold this idea and maintain it, it's an ongoing blissful state, and it's close, oh.  it's so close, it's like the air i breath every second of every day.  I don't need to do anything, its just happening.  When Ajay asked about my experience, I went to the store and reached out with my peripheral vision, and just basked in the blissful tempo of life and all it has to offer.  That way I could write about it.

 

Missed that, until people quoted it.  Certainly admire that.  "Like the air I breath".  "Who cooks for you", said the owl.

[Mark Foote]

10 hours ago, stirling said:

 

In Buddhism "Form is Emptiness, Emptiness is Form":

 

https://www.sotozen.com/eng/practice/sutra/pdf/01/04.pdf
 

 

Boo on Sotoshu, that they don't credit their translators. 
 

 

10 hours ago, stirling said:

 

What does this mean? It means that form IS merely a quality of emptiness, but that both co-exist and are interdependent. So, the illusory form of "self" never goes anywhere, but is recognized to be empty of intrinsic reality, or, more simply put, no-thing has a reality that is independent of the rest of reality.
 

Emphasis added.  "Shikantaza is the place, and things" (Kobun, from the Jijkoji website).  The place and no-thing, things and no-thing.

It can't be done, of course.

[Daniel]

On 8/26/2023 at 8:41 AM, Mark Foote said:

 

I agree, the language is very important.

 

The memory plays tricks.  I thought he was responding to a question about what he was, but he was responding to a question about what he would become after his time in this world.  And yet, the verb tense in his final response would seem to be about what he was. 

Apparently the term "buddha" had a connotation about what a person would become in the next and subsequent worlds that was widely understood at the time?  People today mostly associate it with enlightenment in this life, and don't think of the significance of the word beyond that.

To be a buddha was to be something more than a "non-returner".  Seems to me there is a lecture where Gautama addresses his cosmology in more substantive terms, but I can't recall where it is at the moment.

Meanwhile:

 

Your worship will become a deva?
 

No indeed, brahmin.  I'll not become a deva.
 

Then your worship will become a gandarva?
 

No indeed, brahmin, I'll not become a gandarva.
 

A yakka, then?
 

No indeed, brahmin.  Not a yakka.
 

Then your worship will become a human being?
 

No indeed, brahmin.  I'll not become a human being.
 

... Who then, pray, will your worship become?

... Just as, brahmin, a lotus, blue, red, or white, though born in the water, grown up in the water, when it reaches the surface stands there unsoiled by the water,--just so, brahmin, though born in the world, grown up in the world, having overcome the world, I abide unsoiled by the world.  Take it that I am a Buddha, brahmin.

(AN Book of Fours 36, Pali Text Society AN Vol 2 p 44)

 

 

 

 

The question I'm asking myself is, what is buddha objecting to?  The brahmin is asking consistently and repeatedly in future tense? about the future?  buddha is saying, 'no, brahmin'.  Then at the end of the passage, there is an exposition which equates the process leading to the goal with the present ( classic buddhism, right? )  But what's missing?  The future!  The future tense is completely missing from any of buddha's answer.  Take it that I AM, present tense.  This indicates to me, buddha's objection is ( forgive me, could be? ) the projection into the future.  And then this can be perhaps interpretted / rephrased as "clinging to what could be."  If so, discouraging it would be, again, classically buddhist?

 

Stepping back from this, originally I was wondering about the meaning of the statement "take it that I am __________" because that is not clearly defined.  Is it a name?  a title/role?  an attainement?  an action?  You brought "non-returner" as a meaning for the word buddha.  I am playing with a different idea.  

 

If you recall, I was asking about the inclusion of the indefinite article "a".  "Take it that I am A __________".  This forces "buddha' to be a noun.  Lacking the indefinite article opens up an interesting possibility that 'buddha' in this passage is a verb?  So, linguistically, I am wondering if the Pali text includes the indefinte article or not.  In ancient languages, I think they are often omitted.  This would render the quote a little differently.  Maybe the indefinite article is being added by a translator, but it is not actually in the text?

 

If so, buddha is correcting the brahmin not just to clinging to what could be, but also to clinging to any of the rigid titles and roles being offered. The answer buddha gives?  

 

"Take it that I am awakened" verb, present tense.

 

 

 

And, if you recall, I wondered about the distinction between "Buddha" and "buddha" in my reply?  Pali?  I cannot recall ever seeing captial letters.  non-captial 'b' permits it being a verb.  Anyways, I wonder what buddha gautama would say about capitalizing 'B' in buddha?  I can't decide if he would shrug or correct it?  Perhaps it would depend on whether the individual is clinging to it?

 

Edited November 4 by Daniel

[Mark Foote]

21 minutes ago, Daniel said:

 

The question I'm asking myself is, what is buddha objecting to?  The brahmin is asking consistently and repeatedly in future tense? about the future?  buddha is saying, 'no, brahmin'.  Then at the end of the passage, there is an exposition which equates the process leading to the goal with the present ( classic buddhism, right? )  But what's missing?  The future!  The future tense is completely missing from any of buddha's answer.  Take it that I AM, present tense.  This indicates to me, buddha's objection is ( forgive me, could be? ) the projection into the future.  And then this can be perhaps interpretted / rephrased as "clinging to what could be."  If so, discouraging it would be, again, classically buddhist?

 

Stepping back from this, originally I was wondering about the meaning of the statement "take it that I am __________" because that is not clearly defined.  Is it a name?  a title/role?  an attainement?  an action?  You brought "non-returner" as a meaning for the word buddha.  I am playing with a different idea.  

 

If you recall, I was asking about the inclusion of the indefinite article "a".  "Take it that I am A __________".  This forces "buddha' to be a noun.  Lacking the indefinite article opens up an interesting possibility that 'buddha' in this passage is a verb?  So, linguistically, I am wondering if the Pali text includes the indefinte article or not.  In ancient languages, I think they are often omitted.  This would render the quote a little differently.  Maybe the indefinite article is being added by a translator, but it is not actually in the text?

 

If so, buddha is correcting the brahmin not just to clinging to what could be, but also to clinging to any of the rigid titles and roles being offered. The answer buddha gives?  

 

"Take it that I am awakened" verb, present tense.

 

 

And, if you recall, I wondered about the distinction between "Buddha" and "buddha" in my reply?  Pali?  I cannot recall ever seeing captial letters.  non-captial 'b' permits it being a verb.  Anyways, I wonder what buddha gautama would say about capitalizing 'B' in buddha?  I can't decide if he would shrug or correct it?  Perhaps it would depend on whether the individual is clinging to it?

 

 

Haven't found the Pali for you yet.

Googling "Anguttara Book of Fours 36" yields other translations.  Here's Bhikkyu Thanissaro, who uses "awake" instead of "Buddha":

 

"When asked, 'Are you a deva?' you answer, 'No, brahman, I am not a deva.' When asked, 'Are you a gandhabba?' you answer, 'No, brahman, I am not a gandhabba.' When asked, 'Are you a yakkha?' you answer, 'No, brahman, I am not a yakkha.' When asked, 'Are you a human being?' you answer, 'No, brahman, I am not a human being.' Then what sort of being are you?"
 

"Brahman, the fermentations by which — if they were not abandoned — I would be a deva: Those are abandoned by me, their root destroyed, made like a palmyra stump, deprived of the conditions of development, not destined for future arising. The fermentations by which — if they were not abandoned — I would be a gandhabba... a yakkha... a human being: Those are abandoned by me, their root destroyed, made like a palmyra stump, deprived of the conditions of development, not destined for future arising.
 

"Just like a red, blue, or white lotus — born in the water, grown in the water, rising up above the water — stands unsmeared by the water, in the same way I — born in the world, grown in the world, having overcome the world — live unsmeared by the world. Remember me, brahman, as 'awakened.'
 

"The fermentations by which I would go to a deva-state, or become a gandhabba in the sky, or go to a yakkha-state & human-state: Those have been destroyed by me, ruined, their stems removed. Like a blue lotus, rising up, unsmeared by water, unsmeared am I by the world, and so, brahman, I'm awake."

 

(https://www.accesstoinsight.org/tipitaka/an/an04/an04.036.than.html)

 

 

Ok, here's the Pali:  https://obo.genaud.net/dhamma-vinaya/pali/an/04_fours/an04.036.pali.bd.htm

The line in question appears to be:  "Buddhoti maṃ brāhmaṇa dhārehī" ti."

Lots of dictionaries, here:  https://www.lexilogos.com/english/pali_dictionary.htm

 

So Buddho is Buddha, in the Pali Text Society's dictionary, but I don't know the grammer to know what the suffix "ti" does to the word.  Ok, "ti or iti means like this, as such" (from https://www.wisdomlib.org/definition/ti#:~:text=Pali-English dictionary&text=(used to point out something,and ti only is remaining.)

literal translation:  "Buddha as such when I am dead Brahman call it time".

 

And they lived happily ever after.

[Daniel]

1 hour ago, liminal_luke said:

During a recent telephone conversation, a friend mentioned his take on the covid vaccines, again.  I stopped him.  I suggested that discussing this topic would not result in either of us changing our minds and that our friendship would suffer -- could we just agree to disagree?  He said yes and we've resumed our fun banter.

 

Sadly, the debate in this thread has now entered the covid vaccine zone.  Silly me!  I imagined I had the power to broker a mind-changing discussion between avowed Buddhists and their detractors.  My mediating skills are clearly not up to the challenge.  (Luke slinks off to watch Netflix and eat donuts.)

 

i disagree that friendships are suffering

[Daniel]

1 hour ago, Mark Foote said:

Daniel stands revealed as a developer... I suspected as much!

 

Not a web-developer, but I've done some fun stuff with databases.  That was 20 years ago.  For the past 20 years, I've been a network admin at a small but very busy dental office.  Although, I'm also the entire IT dept, and the facilities manager, so I do it all.  Some fun stuff, and some messy stuff too.  In general, THANKGOD, my systems just plain work, so I'm very part time, and 99% I'm working remotely.

 

1 hour ago, Mark Foote said:

An example of my work, with the team at a local junior college:

 

https://getthatwebsite.com/mathskills/371/index.html#/units
 

 

NICE!!!

 

[Daniel]

1 hour ago, Mark Foote said:

Missed that, until people quoted it.  Certainly admire that.  "Like the air I breath".  "Who cooks for you", said the owl.

 

I'm the cook in the family.  In high-school I worked at a pizza shop, and I was a line cook in college.

[Daniel]

51 minutes ago, Mark Foote said:

The line in question appears to be:  "Buddhoti maṃ brāhmaṇa dhārehī" ti."

 

Awesome.  many-many-thanks.

 

I have an online friend in india, maybe he can help with this.  Not sure if he knows Pali, but, maybe he can help.

 

52 minutes ago, Mark Foote said:

And they lived happily ever after.

 

Amen, amen.

[Cobie]

.

Edited September 12, 2023 by Cobie

[stirling]

4 hours ago, Mark Foote said:

Boo on Sotoshu, that they don't credit their translators. 

 

I've never read a translation of the Heart Sutra that got it wrong. The content is too strong and of sufficient clarity that it can't be muddled, IMHO. This is something I think it true of all pithy dharma.

 

Quote

Emphasis added.  "Shikantaza is the place, and things" (Kobun, from the Jijkoji website).  The place and no-thing, things and no-thing.

It can't be done, of course.

 

What can't be done? 

Edited August 26, 2023 by stirling

[Nungali]

20 hours ago, Daniel said:

 

I could be wrong, but, I recall that the only absolute perfect vaccuum exists at the center of a black hole.
 

'Recall '  ?  What ?  from an old episode of 'Thunderbirds' ?

 

 

Yes. Definitely.  From my perspective "1" implies at least duality, because it always and forever includes "not-1".  But it actually includes the entire uncountable infinite set of negations: 

 

not-0, not-1, not-2, not-3....

 

also all decimals

 

not-1.1, not 1.11, not 1.111, not-1.1111, not-2.1, not-2.11, not-2.111, not-2.1111....

 

also all objects

 

not-apple, not-orange, not-hammer, not-nail, not-lint, not-duck ....

 

also all actions

 

also all symbols

 

also any conceivable concept that any human has, is, or will have.  And all the concepts that no human has ever had, is having or will have.

 

It get's very-very big very very fast, doesn't it?  Just by claiming "1"?

 

No .  ... and yes .   It does contain ''all of that' ,   as 'all of that' is where it comes from . Its just that 'all of that'  is 'singular '  in singularity .

 

BUT , as  you said , once one 'let's go'  , the ' multitude of things '  does expand VERY fast . Looking at the  first expansive period after the 'Big Bang' , it all happened in  a VERY short time ... small fractions of seconds ;

 

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chronology_of_the_universe#Inflationary_epoch_and_the_rapid_expansion_of_space

 

... and , same article, see ' Electro weak symmetry breaking ' .

 

THEN we have the 'two' manifested   ( as in yin / yang , or ) as in , 'super symmetry'   - that is  the 'one' divides into two BEFORE the expansion into the 'multitude' .  So this 'split' in all the 'potential components'  comes before  they separate out .  Just as TTC tells us .

 

 

Unless proven otherwise, absolute nullification, oblivion, and void is the only non-dual concept which exists, because it goobles up anything and everything.  It's a perfect vaccuum.

 

Nope .   Unity isnt a void that excludes everything ... thats the  zero / dao .  Unity / singularity includes everything .

 

otherwise if the one produced all , but contains noting, where did the everything come from ... a void that excludes them ?  Nah .

The void BEYOND and before 0 also is 'split' ... going 'backwards ' ... and even there you get a 'trinity' .   I cant demonstarte that with physics or cosmology ... but I thought  you,  Daniel might have encountered it in  Jewish philosophy , re.  Tzim-tzum ?

 

I don't represent it as zero, but instead use the word NULL which is always and forever forced to be singular. But, I think I know what people mean when they use the zero symbol in this context.  So I'm not intending to argue.  I promise.

 

Null is just a mathematical matrix where all elements are actually  0   ... so you are splitting hairs here .

 

Dont do that .... hairs are singular , if you split one , it won't be long before  ( 10 to the power of -16  seconds )  before the 'multitude erupts ;

 

 

25 More Badass Jewfros | White afro,

 

20 hours ago, Daniel said:

 

I need to read more about it, but based on what you're saying, I absolutely love-it!  It sounds like this is what I had in mind when I said "like the light in close proximity to the surface of the sun", but I felt like that would never be absolutely correct.

 

 

  I think your example is probably better and might be absolutely correct.

 

 

[Nungali]

21 hours ago, Daniel said:

 

Even a broken clock is right twice a day.

 

 

 

Now we just need to collaborate on some sort of exorcism for Nungali's internet-device.  I can donate hyssop, cedar, and boat-loads of optimism

 

 

 

Take more than that !

 

I can even stop TVs from working just by walking into a shop ! 

[Nungali]

17 hours ago, Michael Sternbach said:

 

Yes, that's exactly the issue I have with the Buddhist mindset myself. It doesn't seem to recognize the glorious and eternally valid uniqueness of the individual as one in a myriad of foci the Universe creates to contemplate its own existence.

 

BTW, back in the day, I was taught the illusionary nature of individual existence in a lecture in Kyoto's Sosenji temple (where I was occasionally practising zazen at the time) and attempted to further discuss the issue, however, the monk in charge decided to quickly move on to other attributes of Nothing, LOL.

 

 

 

Well put !   If this is not part of Buddhist philosophy , from where does it arise . I have heard it is part of 'higher' Vedanta , but do not know Vedanta well enough to know if or where it came from within it .  That is why some attributed  Buddhism to Binah on the Tree of Life  ( one of its terms is 'sorrow' )  and 'higher Hinduism' to Chokmah .   It is certainly part of the Thelemic understanding though .

[Daniel]

6 minutes ago, Nungali said:

 

Null is just a mathematical matrix where all elements are actually  0   ... so you are splitting hairs here .

 

Dont do that .... hairs are singular , if you split one , it won't be long before  ( 10 to the power of -16  seconds )  before the 'multitude erupts ;

 

 

25 More Badass Jewfros | White afro,

 

 

 

I don't want to argue because I think we agree on the most important things.  Although, if YOU want to argue, I will happily argue.  I can see it both ways, it could be annoying and pointless, or super-fun and fruitful.  Your choice.  Regarding Tzim-Tzum.  Yes, of course.  But, I don't see how that moves the convo forward.

 

But... here's what I will do.  I will see if my daughter can find any pictures of me with my fro.  Because... you deserve to see it and Ihave no shame.

[Daniel]

19 minutes ago, Nungali said:

 

Take more than that !

 

I can even stop TVs from working just by walking into a shop ! 

 

Have you, perhaps, tried a different browser?  Something very very different?  Not sure which one you're using, but, if you're using Windows 'opera' is very different on the back-end, also, 'duck-duck-go' is very different on the back-end.  Although 'duck-duck-go' is rather popular, at least in the US, so maybe you're already using it.  Chrome is very different than Edge.  Etc.

 

In the IT world, I have the opposite effect, not just me, but many IT-pros.  It's called the proximity effect.  Any time we come over to look at a problem, the problem is gone, and the client says:  "How come it always works when you're watching??? "

 

Edited August 26, 2023 by Daniel

[Nungali]

10 hours ago, Michael Sternbach said:

 

I am familiar with the Kabbalah and therefore aware that the Hebrew letters represent objects and beings (as do the Egyptian hieroglyphs, the Chinese and Japanese characters, etc).

 

That was a bit of a joke   ..,. an aleph is an ox ???

 

At the same time, the Hebrew letters represent numbers and archetypes -- which actually illustrates my statement that transient things are expressions of archetypal 'ideas'.

 

I think that evolved from the older Egyptian concept of 'Neter '  , which relates to a whole different way of collating stuff , years back we looked at a 'modern'  origin point' for that in Agrippa .... before the site let the esoteric forum, become the insane asylum echo chamber it is today (where deep ,  meaningful and intelligent things used to be  discussed ) . Through to Golden Dawn and ' 777' correspondences ... through to today .... when I can say  ; " I am a Cancer and my stone is a moonstone and my metal silver . '

... unless that got changed by the 'New Age' ?   

 

It also works with totems  .... there are lots of  Raven's , but  ONE  Raven 'spirit' if you like . And  that 'one raven' each raven can  communicate back to HQ and the person with raven totem .

 

Aside :

 

Spoiler

I remember sitting in 'camp' one afternoon with my teacher .  One of the women , a white woman ,  drives into camp, parks over in the car place , comes and takes a seat with us and

 

" That was a  scary drive ! I nearly had an accident ."

 Teacher :  " You where not paying attention ... and you drive too fast . "

Her :  "  Ummmm ... yeah ,  possums ran out onto the road ... in the middle of the day ! I had to swerve, nearly hit them, nearly ran off the road ! "

Teacher :  " Yeah ,  you nearly hit 3 possums ;  Mum and two kids ! "

Her: 'How did you know that ?"

Teacher : " You didnt notice the first one before them ? "

 H : " Ummmm ... there was a single possum before that , acting strange on the side of the road ?"

T ; " Strange !?  he was standing on his back legs waving his arms around ! "

H; " Well, yes ..... hang on, how do you know this ? "

T : " Because that was me  ! I'm going 'Look out ! Mum and babies crossing the road ahead !' But you didnt notice . You have to learn to pay more attention to the animals .... and slow down ! " 

( He has , of course , a possum for his   totem ; 'Gurrarn' . )

 

 

A nice example for words being derived from the things they are intended to designate -- rather than the reverse, as some Buddhists suggest.

 

 

They do react to certain words that way, however, 'bone' isn't part of their vocabulary. But they have a clear concept of it regardless. 

 

Ultimately, seeing is believing... 😉

 

 

Right, the Logos... Which also has to do with the ability to measure things, besides naming them. 

 

The question is how we are to interpret the ancient scriptures, though. If I had forgotten my name and found myself in a place where nobody knows me, would I cease to exist?

 

 

Exactly, and at that moment, it won't matter a bit if you call it a cross, a gyaku-tsuki, or whatnot -- or if you even know what hit you (in fact, the worst hits are those that you didn't see coming).

 

Nor will it help to tell yourself that you were hit by a mere convention, LOL.

 

 

 

[Daniel]

Just now, Nungali said:

That was a bit of a joke   ..,. an aleph is an ox ???

 

That's paleo-canaanite.

[Nungali]

3 hours ago, Cobie said:

@Mark Foote a request: I would really appreciate it if you could please be so kind as to remove the quotes. 
 

 

 

 

[Nungali]

13 minutes ago, Daniel said:

 

Have you, perhaps, tried a different browser?  Something very very different?  Not sure which one you're using, but, if you're using Windows 'opera' is very different on the back-end, also, 'duck-duck-go' is very different on the back-end.  Although 'duck-duck-go' is rather popular, at least in the US, so maybe you're already using it.  Chrome is very different than Edge.  Etc.

 

In the IT world, I have the opposite effect, not just me, but many IT-pros.  It's called the proximity effect.  Any time we come over to look at a problem, the problem is gone, and the client says:  "How come it always works when you're watching??? "

 

 

I dont normally answer questions like this ;  its a black hole of no return ... but lets zoom close for a look ;

 

remote signal  , still 3G and partial ... even town drops out 30.km away and has numerous surrounding towers  and their eftpos and other internet related stuff drops out ,  I mean, it all used to work super fine and efficient , until they made things 'better' .

 

At the same time , a continual request to download 'upgrades ' ( or is it upload down grades  ? ) .... I am still hitting the no button , I lost 2  computers that way .... one I kept saying no ... it eventually did it anyway , used up my credit  and then that lap top would not work after that .  Got a new one , so much crap was associated with just turning it on to the internet  ; news feeds , 'do you want to do this , do that , share this here or there .... so overloaded with crap that it could not work on a 3G signal . So computer guy , reloaded Ubuntu that doesnt have that  ... BUT in doing that  ....

 

you dont really want me to go on do you ?  Its a  bowl of black spaghetti !  My phone ? does weird shit . of course these modern young people think I am an idiot  " Look, show me your phone, I will show you how that works  (or even the phone repair place ) , or how you do  or use a certain function."  They mess around with it for 5  minutes , look surprised and then inform ME " "Oh .... it shouldnt be doing that ! "

 

DUDE !  Thats what I am saying in the first place !   and then they hand it back and whatever they did has caused more problems  . So I tell em to F off  you dont understand  and they are left  thinking I am a cranky old confused dude that  cant work modern technology .

 

YET  at times , I can explain a function or do something they had no idea about ... sigh .... welcome to 'Nungaliville' .

[Nungali]

18 minutes ago, Daniel said:

 

That's paleo-canaanite.

 

dont use bad language on me thanks

[Daniel]

@Nungali,

 

It's not super easy to see, but, the idea being represented here is a reflection which is being reduced.  The reflective quality is strongly represented in the vocalization of the letter.  It is 'silent'.  It adopts what ever vowel sound attaches to it with absolutely no restriction which is contrasted to the other 'silent' letter ayin which is a traditionally pronounced a little differently.  It's good, I think, to remember it's both pictoral and audible.  The meaning of the letter is connected to both.

 

 

It's easier to see in the aleph which has replaced the paleo-canaanite script.

 

 

The meaning of the word "aleph' because of its reflective quality is its name both forward and reverse.  Aleph is spelled with 3 letters:  aleph-lamed-pei.  The meaning of the letter aleph is "aleph-lamed-pei pei-lamed-alpeh". 

 

This is Aleph-pelah which means: "wonderous-teacher", or, "teacher-of-wonder".  The mysterious reflection.

 

"To create", as it is described in the first verse, in the beginning?  B'reishis Bara.  Bara... Bet-Reish-Aleph.  The bet is flowing to the reish is flowing to the aleph, and that's how the magic happens.  Through the reflection.  

 

Edited August 26, 2023 by Daniel

[Nungali]

That would be OX ... OX GOAD  ... and   TONGUE/MOUTH  -  'driving forward'  ; " Get up there !  Mush mush !  " ( whip whip ) .