I had assumed that the goal of Buddhism was to Rest In Peace (R.I.P.) after death which is the same goal as people who don't believe in rebirth.
the Buddha transl. Nyanaponika wrote:When having painful feelings endangering the body, he knows: 'I have a painful feeling endangering the body.' When having painful feelings endangering life he knows: 'I have a painful feeling endangering life.' And he knows: 'After the dissolution of the body, when life ends, all these feelings which are unrelished, will come to final rest, even here.'
"It is like a lamp that burns by strength of oil and wick, and if oil and wick come to an end, the flame is extinguished through lack of nourishment. Similarly this monk knows: 'After the dissolution of the body, when life ends, all these feelings which are unrelished will come to (final) rest, even here.'
Gelañña Sutta: At the Sick Room (1) translated from the Pali by Nyanaponika Thera
to be continued...R. Bogoda wrote:The opposite of life is not death, as some fondly believe, but rest — the rest and peace of Nibbana, in contrast to the restlessness and turmoil that is life.
From: Principles of Lay Buddhism by R. Bogoda
With metta / dhammapal.