The Buddha's teaching was in response to reincarnation. It was a way to escape the endless rounds of suffering reincarnation saddled man with. Westerners think the East likes the idea of reincarnation. No, reincarnation is a bad thing for those who believe in it. The goal for a Buddhist is to become a non-returner.
Now, of course Buddhism offers a lot more than that, but that is its historical raison d'ĂȘtre.
BSB