The teaching of rebirth crops up almost everywhere in the Canon, and is so closely bound to a host of other doctrines that to remove it would virtually reduce the Dhamma to tatters.

In this article, Bhikkhu Bodhi explains how rebirth is an intelligible view, both intrinsically and in terms of the Dhamma, and how the concept of rebirth can help a person make better sense of the world. It is further shown how the concept of rebirth is crucial if the Dhamma is to be a consistent set of teachings. The Venerable approaches the topic from three philosophical standpoints: the ethical, the ontological, and the soteriological.