what is the difference between a thought and an insight?

[Patang]

@tsuki bullseye  besides, a contentment that is felt here is absolute.

Edited February 24, 2018 by Patang

[tsuki]

5 hours ago, Patang said:

the difference between them is that thoughts are a distinct process, gradually constructed and matured into an idea. the process is accompanied by internal questions and answers that guide the way, like a flowchart. the thinker believes that the idea is true, but he does not know it, and he must verify it against the perceived reality. insight on the other hand is not a process, it is a realization obtained at once. there are no questions or answers, no examination is made to validate the concept and it is accepted indisputably as correct.

Coming back to your original definition, I think that there is agreement between us. There are no questions and answers, as what is gained by insight is space to make those. When one is ready to discard his simplifications of reality, he is open to look at what's left with more clarity and detachment. 

What I would add is that the process of thought is not fully experience-driven. Separate experiences are linked and the links are treated as something precious. As something to be expected in the present, or future. Care given to links distracts one from the present, as one tries to keep up with events that unfold and fit them into the expected scheme. This is ultimately grounded in distrust in ones ability to adapt. The Ego is scared, as it was hurt in the past.

I think that the seeking is what heals the Ego. Not any specific path to Enlightenment, but the idea itself. The journey into the unknown with the intention to die. When one is completely ready to die, no links are necessary and the insight happens. This story, of course, is a link in itself.

[Patang]

@tsuki thanks for your addition regarding the mechanics of thoughts. regarding to the ego, gee i don't know, i can only refer to it as a concept, as a label, not something that is real, simply because i can't feel it, so to speak. actually, for me, all things are merely concepts, you know what i'm talking about.

[Ether]

A thought could be anything.

An insight is a thought which has been proven true over and over again because you gained experience

[John Iverson]

When you got the ohhhhh!! Moment.. or you can feel it that is worth to write it down because it is an insight of yours... thoughts can also be a part of your imagination which leads to idea and later on become an insight depends.. ?

[Joseph Maynor]

Insights don’t really seek proof.  They are just spontaneous ideas that seem to come up as mini epiphanies outta nowhere.  

[Faceless]

Maybe explore whether there is action that is not within the field of thought? 

There is the insight as in intuition ‘of thought’ but is there an insight which is not of thought??? 

We would have to ask ourselves have we really investigated thouroghly enough to come to a conclusion yet. 

This seems reasonable no??? 

[Patang]

@Ether there is nothing to prove.

@Joseph Maynor indeed.

@John Iverson @Faceless ok, i understand your point, let's dive into the depths of illusion. when we imagine an object, we activate a process of thinking that realizes what we imagined. when we see an object through our eyes, the understanding of what is in front of us is also a thought process. and that is precisely the point, seeing an object is not a thought process, only the interpretation we give it. the same thing happens when we think of an idea and when we get an insight.