What is thought? In terms of Neurobiology thought is merely the result of electrical activity in the brain, resulting in significant changes occur within a large number ofneurons in the intercellular space in the synoptic links between nerve cells and glial cells.
Today with the help of scanning brain activity by various methods, for example, by positron emission tomography or functional magnetic resonance imaging, scientists can track the emergence of certain reactions in your brain and to determine how specifically the subject of this reaction was caused and what was the reaction, but it still does not give a clear answer to the question, what is thought.
So whether the thought only the subject of the material world or something more?
Our thought can be expressed in the form of images or words. Once born, the thought not disappear. It remains in your memory, or being expressed, turns into word and remain in memory of other people, while a certain way influencing them.
Recorded thought continues to live on paper, in the book, even after the author's death. The thought is not just a collection of words or images. Thought painted emotionally, in other words, thoughts with inherent spirit. Thus, the thought is a carrier of a particular spirit. This spirit can be calming or vice versa cause irritation or other negative emotions.
Thought can kill a human, and can restore it from the dust. Such a huge force of ourthought. I must admit that we often underestimate the importance of our thoughts.
"Obsessive thoughts bite as hard as an incurable disease. Once infiltrating into the soul, they devour it, do not give anything to think about, nothing to wonder." Guy de Maupassant
Thought is the basis of all that we have. Everything created by man is the result of his thoughts.
Since ancient times people wonder what is the thoughts? Since the days of Plato's theory of ideas people are trying to find the answers to this question. The thoughts is of paramount importance in the world's religious and philosophical systems.
In Christianity control over your thoughts - is the foundation of the spiritual life of an ascetic. According to the teachings of the Holy Fathers, it all starts with a thought, good and evil. Our thoughts materialize. All that is created, and all that exists on earth and in the universe, has materialized in time and space the divine idea, and we are created in God's image. If our thoughts are peaceful and quiet, kind and generous, it affects not only our own state, but we still exude this peace everywhere around them: and in the family, and in the country, and everywhere.
So what is our thought?
Often thoughts come to us as if from nowhere, suddenly. This phenomenon of enlightenment is well known to scientists. Often scientific discovery came a sudden out of nowhere.
So, Mendeleev first "saw" the periodic system of elements during sleep. Similarly, because of sleep, a distinguished Swiss chemist Alfred Werner understand how to bring order to the chaotic jumble of information about complex compounds.
One of the largest German organic chemists-Friedrich August Kekule himself admitted in an article published in a serious scientific journal that once fell asleep in a chair before the fireplace and looking at the dancing flames. And suddenly in a disturbing dream appeared to him the idea of the cyclic structure of benzene and many other organic molecules, the idea, the solution of which fought in the years of his colleagues.
Jules Henri Poincare, a French physicist, mathematician and philosopher, realized the deep connection between the theory of functions of Fuchs and non-Euclidean geometry in that moment, when raised in the omnibus.
Max Planck, German physicist, founder of quantum theory, almost instantly came to the idea of the quantum of action, observing during a severe thunderstorm with flashes of lightning.
The same phenomenon is known in the art world, it is called inspiration. Poets, musicians, artists are very familiar with this phenomenon, when the musician suddenly comes to mind the melody, and therefore the poem lines and then they drop everything, run to record thoughts came to them in the form of music or poetry.
The French officer, Rouget de Lisle was created in one night under the influence of the inspired impulse of the immortal "Marseillaise" became the national anthem of France. Neither before, nor after de Lille had not written anything more remarkable.
Russian poet of the heartland Pete Ershov not fulfilled yet twenty when he wrote "The Humpbacked Horse", was admired Pushkin. Ershov lived for more than a third of the century, and many worked tirelessly - poems, short stories, essays, plays, but none of the new creations Ershov even partially comes close to the quality of his early tale, written in one go, without the slightest exertion.
In this way, are born truly brilliant works of art. This allows us to conclude that there is some subtle mental world, the world of ideas from which if necessary we can extract information, but how and when it opens, is a mystery.
The thought is an essential attribute of consciousness, but whether it is a product of human free will, or completely determined by the existing physical and chemical laws, according to the materialistic worldview - you decide. But one thing is clear, you need to seriously monitor your thoughts and try to avoid the appearance of evil thoughts.
The Buddha also said, "... whatever one frequently thinks and ponders upon, that will become the inclination of his mind."
Ask yourself in meditation "What is a thought?" We are blessed with the ability to think but many thoughts seem to be mere blips in the mind that we ascribe great importance to and let them become little dictators running our lives.