J B:
but makes a strong case that rebirth was central to the Buddha's teaching - not incidenta l- and that recalling his past lives was important in his own awakening.
Yes, a very central component to his awakening was the twelve steps of dependent origination, which take place over the course of three lives (previous, present, and next).
Most of the time, my own motivation is just to live a good life now, but there have been moments when I've felt and seen the truth of suffering so keenly that the idea of going through this process called life again and again really does sound maddening.
Anyone interested in past lives should order a book called "rebirth as doctrine and experience". It's the best dhamma reading I've found since MCTB.
Another question I'd like to tack on is: what do the actual freedom folk think of rebirth?