[Yarikoff]

Hello again Nevare,

It isn't essential to believe in rebirth in order to benefit from the teachings of the Buddha. Personally I neither believe nor disbelieve in rebirth because it isn't relevant to my practice in the here and now . I think its important not to get too intimidated when people think otherwise.

To quote Ajahn Sumedho of the Theravada Thai Forest Tradition, who teaches in a very pure and immediate way :

"I've heard Buddhists say that to be a Buddhist you have to believe in the law of kamma and rebirth. But I've never felt that that was ever an expectation.

The thing that attracted me to Buddhism was that you didn't have to believe in anything. You didn't need to take positions. But these are terms that are used. So what is kamma now, rebirth now? Always bringing attention to the here and now rather than deciding whether you believe in the concepts or not. The concepts are just conditions, words."

(The Sound of Silence)

You can read more of what he has to say about kamma and rebirth(including the rebirth process) in a short chapter with that title here:

http://books.google.com/books?id=Ux8...page&q&f=false

Since you mentioned no- self, (or more correctly not-self or anatta) this would be a very helpful resource for you to read:

"Anatta and Rebirth" by Bhikkhu Buddhadasa - who was a well known and very highly respected teacher in Thailand.

http://www.what-buddha-taught.net/Bo...nd_Rebirth.pdf


with kind wishes,

A-D