Greetings
I think rebirth can be seen as describing reality but it doesnt have to mean past death in
some passages. There are some that states "reborn in brahma realm" while refering to someone who is still alive, so obviously it means the state of mind that comes about through meditation
However there are other passages that are harder to explain away as metaphor for what was described above, such as
"What is old kamma? The eye is to be seen as old kamma, fabricated & willed, capable of being felt. The ear... The nose... The tongue... The body... The intellect is to be seen as old kamma, fabricated & willed, capable of being felt. This is called old kamma.
And what is new kamma? Whatever kamma one does now with the body, with speech, or with the intellect. This is called new kamma."
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and
The Blessed One said, "The ignorance with which the fool is obstructed, the craving with which he is conjoined, through which this body results: that ignorance has not been abandoned by the fool; that craving has not been destroyed. Why is that? The fool has not practiced the holy life for the right ending of stress. Therefore, at the break-up of the body, he is headed for a [new] body. Headed for a body, he is not entirely freed from birth, aging, death, sorrow, lamentation, pain, distress, & despair. I tell you, he is not entirely freed from stress & suffering.
"The ignorance with which the wise person is obstructed, the craving with which he is conjoined, through which this body results: that ignorance has been abandoned by the wise person; that craving has been destroyed. Why is that? The wise person has practiced the holy life for the right ending of stress. Therefore, at the break-up of the body, he is not headed for a [new] body. Not headed for a body, he is entirely freed from birth, aging, death, sorrow, lamentation, pain, distress, & despair. He is, I tell you, entirely freed from stress & suffering."
And
This contemplative Gotama — the leader of a community, the leader of a group, the teacher of a group, honored and famous, esteemed as holy by the mass of people — describes a disciple who has died and passed on in terms of places of rebirth: "That one is reborn there; that one is reborn there."
But when the disciple is an ultimate person, a foremost person, attained to the foremost attainment, the contemplative Gotama does not describe him, when he has died and passed on, in terms of places of rebirth: "That one is reborn there; that one is reborn there." Instead, he describes him thus: "He has cut through craving, severed the fetter, and by rightly breaking through conceit has made an end of suffering & stress."'
"So I was simply befuddled. I was uncertain: How is the teaching of Gotama the contemplative to be understood?"
"Of course you are befuddled, Vaccha. Of course you are uncertain. When there is a reason for befuddlement in you, uncertainty arises. I designate the rebirth of one who has sustenance, Vaccha, and not of one without sustenance. Just as a fire burns with sustenance and not without sustenance, even so I designate the rebirth of one who has sustenance and not of one without sustenance."
"But, Master Gotama, at the moment a flame is being swept on by the wind and goes a far distance, what do you designate as its sustenance then?"
"Vaccha, when a flame is being swept on by the wind and goes a far distance, I designate it as wind-sustained, for the wind is its sustenance at that time."
"And at the moment when a being sets this body aside and is not yet reborn in another body, what do you designate as its sustenance then?"
"Vaccha, when a being sets this body aside and is not yet reborn in another body, I designate it as craving-sustained, for craving is its sustenance at that time."
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This last one, it could be interpreted as the "I" dying and the sense of "I" coming to be laying claim to the body, however in this sutta it is discussing people after death directly
Vaccha has heard other teachers describing rebirth for their followers be they an ultimate person (i.e. enlightened) or not, however he is confused with the Buddha because he only describes rebirth for those who are not an ultimate person (enlightened) and when an enlightened being dies, he doesnt say they are reborn
There is also these kind of suttas
"Sensing a feeling of pleasure, one discerns that it is fleeting, not grasped at, not relished. Sensing a feeling of pain... Sensing a feeling of neither pleasure nor pain, one discerns that it is fleeting, not grasped at, not relished. Sensing a feeling of pleasure, one senses it disjoined from it. Sensing a feeling of pain... Sensing a feeling of neither pleasure nor pain, one senses it disjoined from it. When sensing a feeling limited to the body, one discerns that 'I am sensing a feeling limited to the body.' When sensing a feeling limited to life, one discerns that 'I am sensing a feeling limited to life.' One discerns that 'With the break-up of the body, after the termination of life, all that is sensed, not being relished, will grow cold right here.'
"Just as an oil lamp burns in dependence on oil & wick; and from the termination of the oil & wick — and from not being provided any other sustenance — it goes out unnourished; even so, when sensing a feeling limited to the body, one discerns that 'I am sensing a feeling limited to the body.' When sensing a feeling limited to life, one discerns that 'I am sensing a feeling limited to life.' One discerns that 'With the break-up of the body, after the termination of life, all that is sensed, not being relished, will grow cold right here.'
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The last one suggests that unless one has correct wisdom and sees things as they are, there will still be "fuel" and so things wont grow "cold". When things grow cold this is said to be nibbana (fires of greed, hatred and delusion of have put out)
These few suttas i have quoted are harder to dismiss as just metaphor, they imply something else
However slightly off topic but to address rebirth itself, if there is rebirth its anatta anyway, there is no "you" in it just like there isnt now, its not yours, and besides if one wants nibbana they are trying to stop birth and dukkha (and so rebirth after death if it is so)
Im starting to think, Why not practice like there is? If you practice really well and reach nibbana then if there is rebirth, "you" have gone past it, if there isnt then there was an extremely pleasant life full of wisdom
Even if you dont reach nibbana, if there is rebirth it will most likely be pleasant, if there isnt there was still a good and happy life (for most part)
Also if there is rebirth, its the same as this life, marked by Anicca, Anatta and Dukkha so one would have to practice the same again
I think the only time people fall down in practice in reguards to rebirth is when they begin to think of themselves in it, or plan for a better rebirth etc (so seeing it through ignorance etc, not to say anyone here is) but this would be due to a lack of wisdom, if one views it with wisdom i cant see how it can hold one back since one would see any birth, both of "I" in moments in this life and that after death, as Anicca, Anatta and Dukkha
Another point i have just thought of, lets say there is no rebirth at all, the buddha obviously still taught it so it must serve some kind of purpose thats connected with ending dukkha, as he said that all he teaches is benefical and connected with the quenching of dukkha
Metta