The Illusion of Continuity and the Reality of Interconnectedness in Buddhism

The Buddhist concept of the mind-stream (Pali: citta-santāna, Sanskrit: citta-saṁtāna) is often invoked to explain the continuity of experiences and karmic consequences across lifetimes without positing an enduring, unchanging self. However, upon deeper examination, it becomes evident that the so-called problem of continuity arises not from Buddhist teachings but from a misunderstanding of life as fragmented and composed of discrete, isolated individuals. The real challenge lies in recognizing life as an integrated whole, interconnected and interdependent, rather than in resolving a continuity that does not exist in the first place.

Life as an Integrated Whole

Central to Buddhist thought is the teaching of Dependent Origination (Paticca Samuppada), which reveals that all phenomena arise in dependence upon other phenomena. This interconnected causality dismantles the illusion of discrete, self-contained entities. From this perspective, life is a seamless web of interdependent processes, and the notion of a singular being traveling through lifetimes is a projection of ignorance (avijjā).

What we perceive as continuity in the form of a mind-stream is better understood as a dynamic flow of conditions. This flow does not require a permanent self to…