David Bohm’s Plasma and the Buddhist Perspective on Freedom within the Collective

Introduction

The question of whether an individual can be free within a collective is an age-old inquiry that has philosophical, spiritual, and scientific implications. In physics, David Bohm’s research on plasma revealed that electrons in a plasma state do not behave as isolated particles but rather as part of an interconnected whole, displaying a form of self-organizing intelligence. This insight from plasma physics provides a striking metaphor for Buddhist teachings on saṃsāra (the cycle of existence), anattā (non-self), and true liberation (Nibbāna-dhātu).

This essay explores the implications of Bohm’s plasma studies in relation to Buddhist thought, arguing that just as an electron in plasma is never truly independent, an individual in worldly existence is not truly autonomous. Furthermore, just as real freedom for the electron would mean exiting the plasma, true liberation for a being means transcending all conditions, including the collective and the illusion of self.

Bohm’s Plasma and Collective Behavior

David Bohm discovered that in a plasma (a state of matter where electrons are no longer bound to atoms but move freely), the individual electrons do not act as separate, independent entities. Instead, they behave as if they are part of a larger, self-organizing system. This phenomenon is in stark contrast to the behavior of electrons in a metal, where they move more independently within a rigid structure.

Some key characteristics of plasma behavior include:

Loss of individual behavior: The electrons in plasma interact in such a way that their movements appear coordinated, as if responding to an overarching intelligence rather than random collisions.
Self-organizing dynamics: Plasma exhibits a degree of coherence, as if functioning as a collective entity rather than a sum of separate particles.
Sensitivity to external conditions: Electrons in plasma react to external fields and stimuli in an interconnected manner, suggesting a deeply interwoven network of causality.

Bohm’s findings challenged conventional understandings of matter and hinted at a deeper implicate order, where reality itself might be structured in ways beyond classical physics. This idea of deep interconnectivity aligns with Buddhist insights into the conditioned nature of existence and the illusion of separateness.

The Buddhist Perspective on Individuality and the Collective

Buddhism teaches that all beings exist within the conditioned world (saṃsāra), subject to causes and effects (paṭicca-samuppāda, dependent origination). The belief in an independent, autonomous self is an illusion (anattā, non-self), as everything we experience—including thoughts, emotions, and identities—arises due to conditions beyond our control.

From this perspective, beings in the world are much like electrons in Bohm’s plasma:

The Illusion of Individuality

Just as an electron in plasma is not truly an isolated particle but is influenced by the surrounding field, individuals in saṃsāra are not truly independent but are shaped by karma, social conditions, and mental formations.
The sense of self arises only in relation to external conditions, much like an electron’s movement is defined by its plasma environment.

The Paradox of Freedom in the Collective

In a society, one may feel relatively free to make choices, but these choices are still conditioned by culture, habits, and external influences.
Similarly, even though an electron in plasma moves more freely than one in a metal, it is still governed by the plasma’s collective interactions.
True freedom cannot be found by simply navigating better within the collective; it requires transcending it altogether.

From Plasma to Metal: Two Kinds of Bondage

In a metal, electrons are constrained within a rigid lattice, representing a condition where an individual is strictly bound by rules, societal norms, and conceptual limitations.
In plasma, electrons are free-moving yet still governed by collective interactions, just as beings in a more open society may feel freer but are still conditioned by subtle mental and karmic influences.
Neither state represents true liberation, as both are forms of conditioned existence.

Bohmian Physics and the Buddhist Concept of Liberation

Bohm later expanded his views into a broader philosophical framework, proposing the implicate order, where reality has hidden layers of interconnection beyond what is immediately perceptible. This is remarkably similar to Buddhist teachings that:

The apparent world is not ultimate reality but a conditioned manifestation of deeper causes.
Ultimate liberation (Nibbāna) is beyond both individual and collective identity, transcending all forms of conditioned existence.

Thus, the true goal is not to attain better conditions within the plasma (saṃsāra) but to completely leave the plasma behind.

Conclusion: From Plasma to Nibbāna

Bohm’s plasma provides an insightful analogy for understanding why liberation must go beyond both individual identity and collective interaction. Just as an electron in plasma is never truly independent, a being in saṃsāra is never truly free. One cannot attain true freedom simply by improving their position within the collective, just as an electron cannot become free merely by moving more efficiently within plasma.

The only real freedom is found outside the conditioned system altogether. This is why the Buddha did not seek to reform the collective but to guide beings out of saṃsāra entirely, toward Nibbāna-dhātu, where all conditioned states dissolve.

In summary, Bohm’s plasma serves as a profound metaphor for the Buddhist path: as long as one remains within the field of conditioned interactions, one is still bound by the collective forces of rāga (attachment), dosa (hatred), and moha (ignorance). True liberation is not about navigating the plasma but transcending it altogether, just as Nibbāna is beyond all formations and conditions.

Gautama Dhamma