Dear all,

When a thought pops into our head, or we have the experience that we "think of something," where are these thoughts coming from? There seem to be a few possibilities regarding the substance and origin of thoughts.

alt text

Charles Haanel, author of the Master Key System, seems to imply that all thoughts originate from the "individual" conscious mind:

"Human consciousness consists only in the ability of man to think. Mind in itself is believed to be a subtle form of static energy, from which arises the activities called ‘thought,’ which is the dynamic phase of mind. Mind is static energy, thought is dynamic energy - the two phases of the same thing. Thought is therefore the vibratory force formed by converting static mind into dynamic mind."

However, Bashar, and other have discussed how "messages" are often sent by the Higher Self when we are in a state of inspiration, passion, a channeled state, etc.

Although Bashar also discusses how individual thoughts are almost a sort of "end process" that arises from a blueprint of beliefs and emotions: Beliefs ==> Perception ==> Interpretation ==> Emotional reaction ==> Thoughts ==> Action

Others, such as the yogis, state that thoughts come to us from the subconscious as well as the conscious:

"Messages, when ready, come out like a flash from the subconscious mind to the surface of the conscious mind through the trapdoor in the subconscious mind."

I have heard it stated by some that since we are "all one", all thoughts originate from the Universe or Universal mind.

Zen Buddhists take the stance that "thoughts are like passing clouds", meaning they are ephemeral and without real substance, and hence typically nonsensical, and that a higher state of being is reached by letting go of all thought, and making the mind akin to a placid, ripple-less lake.

Still others have theorized that as all humans are, to a degree, telepathic (or have a sixth sense), our thoughts can come from others, and our thoughts can affect others as well:

"Every thought that you send out is a vibration which never perishes. It goes on vibrating every particle of the universe and if your thoughts are noble, holy and forcible, they set in vibration every sympathetic mind." People of gloomy moods attract to themselves, gloomy things and gloomy thoughts from others and from the Akasic records in the physical ether. Persons with hope, confidence and cheerful spirits attract thoughts of similar nature from others. They are always successful in their attempts.

As mentioned in the preceding quote, some state that thoughts can come to you from "the ether."

The yogic and Vedantic teachers have come up with a highly technical, almost scientific breakdown as to the nature of various mental phenomena:

Mind is made up of subtle, Sattvic, Apanchikrita (non-quintuplicated) Tanmatric matter... The Chitta is the mind stuff. It is the mental substance. Vritti or thought-wave is a modification of that mental substance. It is a process. Just as waves and bubbles arise from the surface of the ocean, so also these Vrittis arise from the surface of the mind-ocean. Just as rays emanate from the sun, so also these mental rays (modification of Vrittis) emanate from the mind-sun. Just as the sun merges itself in the horizon at sunset by collecting all its rays, so also you will have to merge in that Sun of suns, Absolute Consciousness, Eternal Peace by collecting all the dissipated mental rays and dissolving the mind itself....Vrittis have been classified into five kinds: (1) Mano-Vritti, (2) Buddhi Vritti, (3) Sakshi Vritti, (4) Akhandakara Vritti and (5) Akhanda Ekarasa Vritti. No. 1 belongs to the instinctive mind. Nos. 2, 3, 4 and 5 belong to the Sattvic mind.

And so on and so on. :)

So do the thoughts that arise in our head come from all of these sources? Or principally from one source or the other, relative to our mood and vibrational state?

Or do the thoughts in our head come from all of these sources constantly or at various times?

Many thanks for your insights, everyone.

asked 13 Aug '13, 14:33

lozenge123's gravatar image

lozenge123
6.9k22062

2

lozenge123, perhaps from the pause
after the exhale, yet
befor the inhale

(14 Aug '13, 13:49) fred
2

I'm pulling them out of my ass.

(15 Aug '13, 14:51) CalonLan
2

If they all make sense to you then you are right that they are ALL RIGHT.
If none of them are acceptable to you then you are still right that NONE OF THEM ARE ACCEPTABLE.
IN the centre of it all is your point of reference which lives up to what ever you say that it is.

(17 Aug '13, 14:30) The Traveller
showing 1 of 3 show 2 more comments

Perhaps all thought is just that. Source manifesting through individual and collective channels. All one thing.

There does seem to be a continuity, an observable continuity and patterns. One theory is that there is a "Universal LIbrary", "Akashic Record", "Universal Unconsciousness" that becomes conscious as ideas are 'released' from that realm.

Regard simultaneous "discoveries" around the world by unconnected individuals. See Rupert Sheldrake's Morphic Fields.

Dig into this guy's work, you will find some fascinating answers http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rupert_Sheldrake

Sheldrake

link

answered 16 Aug '13, 06:38

Dollar%20Bill's gravatar image

Dollar Bill
11.9k29113

edited 16 Aug '13, 06:39

Here's a link to his website.

http://www.sheldrake.org/homepage.html

(14 Sep '13, 01:51) ele

My answer here is the inspiration to the comment under the question.

If you observe the experiences of those who formulated a theory on subjects that are at the periphery of human understanding, you will find that most of them were original thinkers.

They arrived at an understanding by letting curiosity expand with inner confidence.

They didn't destroy that confidence with the question "but what If I am wrong?"....or kill that curiosity with the question "how do I know if I am right?"

If you venture into the understanding of the nature of your own consciousness without clouding your curiosity with an existing concept, you are far more likely to come into alignment with the intent that is driving your desire to know.

As you begin to formulate your own idea of where your thoughts come from, you can then compare your understanding with other concepts already out there.

In this comparison, you will find, to you surprise, that you are stumbling upon ideas and concepts that already occurred in the minds of others, however you will not agree completely with any or all of them.

NOW DON'T MAKE THE MISTAKE OF ASKING, "whose answer is the right one?"

You are aligning with an understanding that was meant for YOU and YOUR EXPANSION.

Then again, not everyone is ready trust his or her own intuition and inner guidance.

If you are inspired to ask the question, "What If I am inspired to commit murder?” you are definitely not yet ready to know difference between possession and inspiration.

There are no right answers to the type of questions we ask here.

It is as if we are all in a creative drawing class and the instructor has given each one of us a blank paper and a pencil and says, "Ok go ahead and draw"

If you trust your intuition, you will start drawing right away.

If you do not you will most likely peek at the next person to see what they are drawing, or worse yet, you will put up your hand and ask "What exactly are we supposed to draw?"

Now let us take this example a little further.

Let us say that someone says, "It is OK if I draw just a square?", and the instructor says, "Sure go ahead...”

Now you may start at that point and draw a different type of square or think that you are far more original and instead draw a circle or a triangle.

What you do not realize is that your so-called "originality" is still constrained by the permission obtained by the square.

At this stage (of reading this answer), you may respond to the above example with the previous reaction of "Well we need guidance...because without it we may choose to just murder each other without provocation"...and take yourself back down to the common denominator of the mindless follower.

Alternatively, you may stay in that class, draw the most beautiful circle or triangle, and feel good about your achievement in originality.

However, what if you drew a tree...a cloud...an ant...or a dot, followed by a scribble?

What if you hand that drawing in and you choose NOT TO ask the instructor "Is this drawing OK?"

Could you live with NOT KNOWING if the drawing you handed in was CORRECT?

IF you can...then you are ready for inner expansion.

Because your thoughts are an attempt to quantify the non-physical energy of perfect fluidity of creation into the very solid and very static reality of "things" and "concepts"

Conceptualizing forces the fluidity of creation into static moments like expecting a single photograph of a house to convey everything that happened within it.

You cannot experience the house by looking at the picture, but the picture can trigger the memory of an actual experience.

You cannot understand where your thoughts come from by conceptualizing it into a question here and then studying the answers associated with it.

You have to search within yourself for your own understanding because the question is a key meant to unlock a connection within you.

You are not turning the key when you learn by comparing answers, because you are remaining within thought and analysis instead of observing the source of your thought.

Thinking about the source of thought is the same as dissecting a frog in order to discover its source of life.

You will only end up with thousands of dead frogs and thousands of "techniques" on how to reach the source of your consciousness.

link

answered 17 Aug '13, 16:14

The%20Traveller's gravatar image

The Traveller
19.5k11942

edited 17 Aug '13, 16:47

@the traveller I will answer a question for you. you said:What if you hand that drawing in and you choose NOT TO ask the instructor "Is this drawing OK?" The instructor is the living one inside of the house. When one is born of water and spirit the 2 become one. the perfect alignment in truth is done so the 2 becomes one.

you said: Could you live with NOT KNOWING if the drawing you handed in was CORRECT? if the 2 becomes one it is correct. if the 2 becomes one you know it is correct.

(17 Aug '13, 16:29) white tiger

And there is nothing to fear then you can cross the last door that very narrow gate and go above(ascend). seek you first the kingdom of God.

(17 Aug '13, 16:29) white tiger
1

Hi White tiger.
You are gifted with becoming One with the living instructor inside the house.
Not everyone is gifted this way.
In addition, I admire your willingness to share with such humility.
Your input is much appreciated.

(17 Aug '13, 16:42) The Traveller

Who may ascend into the hill of the LORD? And who may stand in His holy place? 4He who has clean hands and a pure heart, Who has not lifted up his soul to falsehood And has not sworn deceitfully. 5He shall receive a blessing from the LORD And righteousness from the God of his salvation

(17 Aug '13, 16:54) white tiger

@the traveller we are all created equal in the beginning we all have gifts and we can all decide by choice what we do with it. the potential is there for every one. only the choice and the dedication and effort to overcome are missing. When you clean the inside of the cup and you search for God with all your heart spend 40 days in the desert the 2 will become one overcome ascend above and you will find him.

(17 Aug '13, 17:03) white tiger
1

@The Traveller Thanks for a very inspirational answer to this question. Good to see you again.

(18 Aug '13, 02:58) ursixx
showing 2 of 7 show 5 more comments

Thought is matter according to J. Krishnamurti

What is thought made of?

Is thought the cause of all division, of all fragmentation in life? What is thought made of? What is the substance of those pieces of thread woven into that complex cloth we call the mind? Thought is matter, probably measurable. And it comes from the accumulated memory, which is matter, stored in the brain. Thought has its origin in the past, recent or remote. - Eight Conversations,19

That would qualify Haanels take on it also. As Einstein put it "E=MC2"

The take that Bashar has laid out is really a spiral not a straight line because after Action we reinforce our beliefs. So this spiral can go up (positive) or down (negative) depending on your perception of the resulting of the action
...Action ==> Beliefs...
My take on the Zen "thoughts are like passing clouds" is that they can be ephemeral and without real substance, It depends on your focus,where you find yourself at the moment.In times of mediation and self-realization this is true.They are just whisps of fluff. At other times when doing tasks ,in the now.We should be mindful of these clouds.
Negative, nonproductive thoughts= thunder clouds.... Positive productive thoughts =the thin Cirrus uncinus cloud As our White Tiger says "experience and enjoy"

If you go back to life as an infant at birth.Where do those thoughts come from? Comfort. Basic instinct, food ,warmth and comfort. It all expands from that point.
Now with that said do not confuse thoughts with messages.We receive messages and translate them into thought, and the spiral continues


peace

link

answered 14 Aug '13, 03:37

ursixx's gravatar image

ursixx
22.0k1445

1

amazing..ursixx..thank u :))

(14 Aug '13, 05:11) supergirl

Sorry, but I have to LOL at "do not confuse thoughts with messages." Would be most interested in seeing how a message isn't a thought (first and foremost).

(14 Aug '13, 12:20) Jman
1

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(15 Aug '13, 12:49) ursixx

@ursixx io, io, its off to work we go.

(16 Aug '13, 06:27) Dollar Bill

you have the though because you are a living one that experience something. If you would be a dead one you would not experience anything except emptiness and darkness. your though are yours to have and to control and change them. in this world you can hide your though inside the house or the cup. above nothing is hidden. because of evil dark though that cause shame some prefer to stay in the dark. Do not be surprise at my saying.

(16 Aug '13, 16:11) white tiger
showing 2 of 6 show 4 more comments

My perspective is that thoughts originate from Divine Consciousness and we receive those thoughts that resonate with the frequency at which we are vibrating at any given moment.

link

answered 16 Aug '13, 01:19

minombre's gravatar image

minombre
17115

I believe thoughts = spirit.

This doesn't mean, for me, that individual thoughts equal individual spirit(s).

I observe thoughts correlating with mind/brain. Yet, I don't think individual brains are the source of thoughts. And interestingly, one must have a thought about brains to then have the thought that concludes brains cause thoughts. Seems to jump to a conclusion without (really) going through the steps to establish reality of 'brain.'

I believe thoughts create, or perhaps better word is manifest. I think the thoughts that manifest as 'individual thinking' (i.e. I love chocolate and hate strawberry) are based on a distortion of Self (aka distortion of spiritual being). Distortion doesn't make it bad, evil, nor harmful. I think that distortion occurs at a level that is very very challenging for a conscious, or intellectual, mind to (fully) realize. But I do think that distortion has manifested an incredibly vast world known as the physical universe.

I think within (each of) us is an awareness that the world is manifested through my/our thinking. I actually believe this awareness isn't challenging to realize. In fact, I have experienced it as 'obvious' and as 'how could I not know this (before)?' That experience could be deemed 'enlightenment' but I think of it as closer to self evident. Yet, with the distortion at work, a veil is pulled over the awareness. When something presents itself as pointing out the distortion/illusion, the core of that distortion is revealed, but is not readily apparent because of the concept of defense - which is central to the distortion. I think that we think if we were to give up the distortion or give up our sense of perception / understanding that ALL would be lost. The reality, from my experience, is that true self remains, is perceived clearly (far less distortion) and that truth of who I am is without need of ANY defense.

Anyway, I identify God as the source of all real thoughts and God's Creation (us) as manifesting thoughts that are distorted to the degree where a 'visible' separation from God (our Source) appears 'real.'

link

answered 13 Aug '13, 16:09

Jman's gravatar image

Jman
5908

thoughts come when you are aware of something's outside of the cup or inside of the cup the one that is aware of this thought and control it through awareness, understanding, wisdom knowledge with a pure heart of love,righteous and truth is the living one the spirit that you are made in the image of God. You can call it the higher self if it please you. the one that comes from above is above all.

Let there be light, Be the light that you can be, experience and enjoy.

link

answered 14 Aug '13, 11:04

white%20tiger's gravatar image

white tiger
21.9k114116

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