Rebirth and the Western Buddhist - Khamkoo

1 Why it is Important
to Understand that Rebirth Exists
According to the teachings of Atisha and his successors
on the Stages of the Path (Lam rim), one becomes a
Buddhist and commences the practice of the Buddhadharma
when one takes refuge in the Three Jewels -
Buddha, Dharma, and Sangha- with one of three motivations:
(1) With horror of rebirth in ill destinies (as an
animal, a preta, or a hell being), one seeks the aid of the
Three Jewels in order to gain "happy" rebirth as a human
being, deva or asura. (2) With horror at the suffering
inherent in all states of rebirth under the control of karma
and defilements (klesa), one takes refuge in order to
achieve liberation from sarrzsiira, this cycle of death and
involuntary rebirth. (3) With infinite great compassion
unable to bear the sufferings of any other samsaric being,
one takes Refuge in order to become able to lead them all
to liberation and enlightenment, for which purpose one
must oneself attain the powers of a fully enlightened
Buddha.
Not one of these motivations makes sense if one disbelieves
in rebirth. Even outside Buddhism, the aim of
the Hindu practitioner is liberation (moksha), as in the
intermediate-level Buddhist motivation - liberation
from the cycle of samsaric death and rebirth. As Arnaud
Desjardins writes,
In fact, this Liberation was always defined as
escaping from samsara, liberating oneself from
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