[Buddha-l] reincarnation versus rebirth

[Curt Steinmetz]

Some Buddhists insist on a clear-cut distinction between the words 
"rebirth" and "reincarnation" - and when doing so they seem to assume 
that the Buddha was a native speaker of modern English (or possibly 
French): "The Buddha taught rebirth not reincarnation" or words to that 
effect. This makes about as much sense to me as claiming that the Buddha 
was a Democrat, not a Republican.

To be born is to be incarnated, no? Ergo, to be reborn is to be 
reincarnated.

I think the distinction might arise from different meanings given to 
these words by western (possibly French) esotericists in the 18th 
century or even earlier. But I don't understand what that distinction 
is, or why some Buddhists have decided to adopt that distinction as a 
"Buddhist teaching" of some sort?

Alternatively it is sometimes claimed that the Buddha taught rebirth, 
but Hindus teach reincarnation - which makes even less sense unless 
someone can cite Sanskrit equivalent terms for these two English words - 
but even that would not explain away the fact that the words "rebirth" 
and "reincarnate" have exactly the same literal meanings.

Curt