When meditating, I had a breakthrough of sorts couple of times. I've seen hundreds of thoughts in my mind, all running simultaneously, each thought calling for all my personal associations for every word / concept participating in that thought, every association triggering body response AND many other thoughts, and it was going on and on and on.
For example, a simple thought like "I should buy milk" was triggering all kinds of associations and thoughts about my concept of "I", everything related to a feeling "should" and all the things I should do, everything related to buying, concept of money, all places and scenarios about how and where to buy milk, and all things that could be done with milk. For a start.
After this has happened a few times, I've come to understanding that our thoughts are amazingly complex processes, and they are as unique as our personal experiences. Which means, very unique. And we have a mighty system of filtering them down to a manageable level, otherwise we couldn't be able to function.
So, my answer, without semantics, is that every thought is unique, and it is impossible even for the same person to think the same thought twice. Probably not the answer you were looking for, though.
I should start meditating again. When I did I remember all kinds of random thoughts gloating to the surface, kind of like I was already thinking all those things already (subconsciously) and it floating to the surface would be me actually registering it as a conscious thought. I agree with the every thought is unique idea, just because of the complexity of the brain (what's the chance of two brains having identical synapse operations?).
When meditating, I had a breakthrough of sorts couple of times. I've seen hundreds of thoughts in my mind, all running simultaneously, each thought calling for all my personal associations for every word / concept participating in that thought, every association triggering body response AND many other thoughts, and it was going on and on and on.
For example, a simple thought like "I should buy milk" was triggering all kinds of associations and thoughts about my concept of "I", everything related to a feeling "should" and all the things I should do, everything related to buying, concept of money, all places and scenarios about how and where to buy milk, and all things that could be done with milk. For a start.
After this has happened a few times, I've come to understanding that our thoughts are amazingly complex processes, and they are as unique as our personal experiences. Which means, very unique. And we have a mighty system of filtering them down to a manageable level, otherwise we couldn't be able to function.
So, my answer, without semantics, is that every thought is unique, and it is impossible even for the same person to think the same thought twice. Probably not the answer you were looking for, though.
I should start meditating again. When I did I remember all kinds of random thoughts gloating to the surface, kind of like I was already thinking all those things already (subconsciously) and it floating to the surface would be me actually registering it as a conscious thought. I agree with the every thought is unique idea, just because of the complexity of the brain (what's the chance of two brains having identical synapse operations?).