Rebirth (punabbhava) is the idea that at death the mind re-establishes itself in a newly fertilised egg, thus animating a new body, and continuing the individual. The Buddha taught that the force propelling the mind into a new body is craving (taṇhā), specifically the craving for pleasure, for identity and the craving to live. The ultimate purpose of all Buddhist practice and training is to eliminate craving and thus stop the process of rebirth.

The Buddhist doctrine of rebirth differs from Hinduism’s teaching of reincarnation in two significant ways. According to Hinduism, (1) an eternal self or soul (ātman) passes from one body to another and (2) eventually merges with the World Soul (Brahman). The Buddha taught that (1) nothing is eternal, (2) that the individual is a flowing, constantly changing process and (3) that liberation or Nirvāṇa is the ceasing of this process. See Anattā and Rebirth and Last Thought Moment.