Buddhism has been described as a very pragmatic religion. It does not indulge in metaphysical speculation about first causes; there is no theology, no worship of a deity or deification of the Buddha. Buddhism takes a very straightforward look at our human condition; nothing is based on wishful thinking, at all. Everything that the Buddha taught was based on his own observation of the way things are. Everything that he taught can be verified by our own observation of the way things are.
Buddhism teaches that beings experience an endless cycle of death and rebirth. If a person doesn't attain goals in her lifetime, she will live again. This may seem like doctrinal trivia, but without reincarnation, certain basic ideas of Buddhism make no sense.