Proving rebirth requires that you first put a lot on the line which requires faith

"For a lot of people for whom death is the end, the current pandemic is really cause for dismay. And of course, there really is dismay in the fact that so many people are dying, and there seems to be no end in sight. But when you realize that death is not the end, it gives you the courage to keep on doing what you know is right, even in the face of overwhelming odds — because you’re being asked to have conviction in the fact your actions have a power, and that they’re not snuffed out.

These are good things to believe. Now, it is possible to come to know that they’re true, but that requires that you take them on first as working hypotheses. Some people say, “Well, the Buddha didn’t teach you anything that you can’t prove for yourself,” which is true. But the proving requires that you first put a lot on the line. Spend time being generous, observing the precepts. Spend time practicing concentration, developing discernment into the areas where the mind is less than honest with itself. Take these things apart. You can follow this path only if you have a certain amount of conviction that it could be true.

Then, as the Buddha said, when you reach stream-entry, your conviction is verified. In other words, it doesn’t suddenly appear then. It’s not the case you were doubting, doubting, doubting all the time and not willing to put out any effort because of your doubts, and then suddenly you changed your mind. It’s because you put in the energy that was required, and then you found that the results more than exceeded your expectations.

By arriving at the deathless, you step out of space and time. And in stepping out of space and time, you begin to realize that time did not start for you at the date of your birth. It went way back further in the past. You may not know the details, but you do know that there’s something that goes way, way back. And you realize that you were able to reach that deathless dimension because of your actions, the choices you made right here and now."

~ Thanissaro Bhikkhu "Conviction in the End of Suffering"

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