mn38/en/sujato:
The Longer Discourse on the Ending of Craving Mahātaṇhāsaṅkhayasutta
“….Sāti, the fisherman’s son, had the following harmful misconception:
“As I understand the Buddha’s teachings, it is this very same consciousness that roams and transmigrates, not another.”
Several mendicants heard about this.
“Is it really true, Reverend Sāti, that you have such a harmful misconception.
“Absolutely, reverends. As I understand the Buddha’s teachings, it is this very same consciousness that roams and transmigrates, not another.”
Then, wishing to dissuade Sāti from his view, the mendicants pursued, pressed, and grilled him,
“Don’t say that, Sāti! Don’t misrepresent the Buddha, for misrepresentation of the Buddha is not good. And the Buddha would not say that.
In many ways the Buddha has said that consciousness is dependently originated, since consciousness does not arise without a cause.”
(Anekapariyāyenāvuso sāti, paṭiccasamuppannaṃ viññāṇaṃ vuttaṃ bhagavatā, aññatra paccayā natthi viññāṇassa sambhavo”ti.)
Now, from Lal’s last entry (above): “…Dhammā includes kamma bija, which are in vinnanakkhandha (our FUTURE hopes and expectations…Those are energies. Kamma vipaka materialize due to them….Dhammā includes memories,….. The other three khandhas are included in memories. ”
Is that not saying that vinnanakhandha ‘roams and transmigrates’ (along with the other three khandhas, although all four are constantly undergoing change?) Are these dhamma or memories not ever with us? (ready to be accessed, as it were). Or else, a new vinnana and the whole set of khandhas arise for every new bhava, but that has been ruled out.
It must be that I am missing something fundamental and pivotal here because the distinction is too stark (it seems to me).