user8157: SN 22.59 states experiencing Nibbana requires the dispassion (viraga) that occurs from completely realising the impermanence, unsatisfactoriness & not-self of every type of consciousness & the other four aggregates. 

Now what do you think of this, O monks? Is consciousness permanent or impermanent?
Impermanent, O Lord.
Now, what is impermanent, is that unsatisfactory or satisfactory?
Unsatisfactory, O Lord.
Now, what is impermanent, unsatisfactory, subject to change, is it proper to regard it as: 'This is mine, this I am, this is my self'?
Indeed, not that, O Lord.
Therefore, surely, O monks, whatever consciousness, past, future or present, internal or external, coarse or fine, low or lofty, far or
  near, all that consciousness must be regarded with proper wisdom,
  according to reality, thus: 'This is not mine, this I am not, this is
  not my self.'
O monks, the well-instructed noble disciple, seeing thus, gets wearied of form, gets wearied of feeling, gets wearied of perception,
  gets wearied of mental formations, gets wearied of consciousness.
  Being wearied he becomes passion-free. In his freedom from passion, he
  is emancipated. Being emancipated, there is the knowledge that he is
  emancipated. He knows: 'birth is exhausted, lived is the holy life,
  what had to be done is done, there is nothing more of this
  becoming.'"
This the Blessed One said. Pleased, the group of five monks were delighted with the exposition of the Blessed One; moreover, as this
  exposition was being spoken, the minds of the group of five monks were
  freed of defilements, without attachment.
Indeed, at that time there were six arahants in the world.

Many suttas describe Nibbana as the ending of the perception (sanna) & asava (defilement) of 'becoming' (MN 121) and the calming of all formations (MN 26; sabbasamathosankhara). 
Therefore, can the thought of or belief in 'rebirth' in the mind result in Nibbana? 
Is the belief in 'rebirth-reincarnation' not a type of 'becoming' & not a 'thought formation'? 

user-1: Zhiyi claimed that teaching rebrith was the 1st teaching, even before meditation. I think he called it the teaching of the inferior herbal grass.
This does not mean it is not true.

user7309: 
"Birth is ended, the holy life fulfilled, the task done. There is
  nothing further for the sake of this world"

Would not make much sense, if there were only one birth to end or no births to end. Rebirth is part of (mundane) right view: 

And how is right view the forerunner? One discerns wrong view as
  wrong view, and right view as right view. This is one's right view.
  And what is wrong view? 'There is nothing given, nothing offered,
  nothing sacrificed. There is no fruit or result of good or bad
  actions. There is no this world, no next world, no mother, no father,
  no spontaneously reborn beings; no brahmans or contemplatives who,
  faring rightly & practicing rightly, proclaim this world & the next
  after having directly known & realized it for themselves.' This is
  wrong view...

Rebirth is the understanding that within conditionality, a beginning and an end cannot be conceived. As such, death is a misnomer - redeath would be better really, but with rebirth being used instead of birth already, the description would gain a slightly more Essentialist sound. 
Rebirth is a 'thing' that is given an unlimited and full range to balance kamma within conditionality. Because rebirth is an attempt to describe dependent origination in a concrete, 'one truth' way, it doesn't fit very well with the spirit of the Buddha's words imo. 
But if some form of being subject to kamma is defined, then rebirth is an accurate description of how kamma remains in balance across conditioned existence. It reminds me of Nagarjuna's claim that Samsara is unconditioned, in that when looked at as a whole, there is no 'thing' external to Samsara to provide a condition for it. This leads to a very still image of Samsara, because 

"Where there is neither an addition of nirvana nor a removal of
  samsara; There, what samsara is discriminated from what nirvana?"

Gives an image of Samsara as still, empty (the image swings a little towards the nihilistic for my mind), then all this perceived change and dis-balance must balance out. Rebirth is a description of that balance act. 
Really though, because it does not lead to the cessation of objectification (not in my mind at least), it is best put aside.

user12107: Yes. It can. The belief that rebirth results in more suffering provides motivation to find liberation and escape samsara. 

user5000: 
"Therefore, can the thought of or belief in 'rebirth' in the mind
  result in Nibbana?"

No, it can't.
In the same way, the thought of or belief in "non existence of rebirth" in the mind, can't result in Nibanna.

"Is the belief in 'rebirth-reincarnation' not a type of 'becoming' &
  not a 'thought formation'?"

It is a type of "becoming" and a "thought formation".
In the same way, a belief in "non existence of rebirth-reincarnation", is a type of "becoming" and a "thought formation".
When a thought or belief arises in a being due to ignorance, that being clings and craves on that thought or belief. This clinging and craving will not result in Nibanna.
When a thought arises in a being due to wisdom, that being does not cling nor crave on that thought. This absence of clinging and craving will result in Nibanna.
A belief is something that is accepted as the only truth. Thus, no belief can ever arise in a being who truly destroyed ignorance. That would be impossible. The one who destroyed ignorance, dwells in wisdom. He is the knower of the truth. How could the knower of the truth say "this is the only truth", when he knows "all truths are non truths"? That would be impossible. That's why the knower of the truth stays in the middle.

user111: Rebirth in a Buddhist context does not involve a belief in a soul. It merely refers to the continuation of the mental-physical causes and effect process after  death. It should not be confused with the Hindu belief of reincarnation.
However if a person clings to the view that everything ends after death, he/she wont be able to attain Nibbana as it falls under Uccedavada.

8157: <p><a href="http://www.accesstoinsight.org/tipitaka/sn/sn22/sn22.059.mend.html" rel="nofollow noreferrer">SN 22.59</a> states experiencing Nibbana requires the dispassion (<em>viraga</em>) that occurs from completely realising the impermanence, unsatisfactoriness &amp; not-self of every type of consciousness &amp; the other four aggregates. </p>

<blockquote>
  <p><em>Now what do you think of this, O monks? Is consciousness permanent or impermanent?</em></p>
  
  <p><em>Impermanent, O Lord.</em></p>
  
  <p><em>Now, what is impermanent, is that unsatisfactory or satisfactory?</em></p>
  
  <p><em>Unsatisfactory, O Lord.</em></p>
  
  <p><em>Now, what is impermanent, unsatisfactory, subject to change, is it proper to regard it as: 'This is mine, this I am, this is my self'?</em></p>
  
  <p><em>Indeed, not that, O Lord.</em></p>
  
  <p><em>Therefore, surely, O monks, whatever consciousness, past, future or present, internal or external, coarse or fine, low or lofty, far or
  near, all that consciousness must be regarded with proper wisdom,
  according to reality, thus: 'This is not mine, this I am not, this is
  not my self.'</em></p>
  
  <p><em>O monks, the well-instructed noble disciple, seeing thus, gets wearied of form, gets wearied of feeling, gets wearied of perception,
  gets wearied of mental formations, gets wearied of consciousness.
  Being wearied he becomes passion-free. In his freedom from passion, he
  is emancipated. Being emancipated, there is the knowledge that he is
  emancipated. He knows: 'birth is exhausted, lived is the holy life,
  what had to be done is done, there is nothing more of this
  becoming.'"</em></p>
  
  <p><em>This the Blessed One said. Pleased, the group of five monks were delighted with the exposition of the Blessed One; moreover, as this
  exposition was being spoken, the minds of the group of five monks were
  freed of defilements, without attachment.</em></p>
  
  <p><em>Indeed, at that time there were <strong>six arahants in the world</strong>.</em></p>
</blockquote>

<p>Many suttas describe Nibbana as the ending of the perception (<em>sanna</em>) &amp; <em>asava</em> (defilement) of 'becoming' (MN 121) and the calming of all formations (MN 26; <em>sabbasamathosankhara</em>). </p>

<p>Therefore, can the thought of or belief in 'rebirth' in the mind result in Nibbana? </p>

<p>Is the belief in 'rebirth-reincarnation' not a type of 'becoming' &amp; not a 'thought formation'? </p>
 -1: <p>Zhiyi claimed that teaching rebrith was the 1st teaching, even before meditation. I think he called it the teaching of the inferior herbal grass.</p>

<p>This does not mean it is not true.</p>
 7309: <blockquote>
  <p>"Birth is ended, the holy life fulfilled, the task done. There is
  nothing further for the sake of this world"</p>
</blockquote>

<p>Would not make much sense, if there were only one birth to end or no births to end. Rebirth is part of (mundane) right view: </p>

<blockquote>
  <p>And how is right view the forerunner? One discerns wrong view as
  wrong view, and right view as right view. This is one's right view.
  And what is wrong view? 'There is nothing given, nothing offered,
  nothing sacrificed. There is no fruit or result of good or bad
  actions. There is no this world, no next world, no mother, no father,
  no spontaneously reborn beings; no brahmans or contemplatives who,
  faring rightly &amp; practicing rightly, proclaim this world &amp; the next
  after having directly known &amp; realized it for themselves.' This is
  wrong view...</p>
</blockquote>

<p>Rebirth is the understanding that within conditionality, a beginning and an end cannot be conceived. As such, death is a misnomer - redeath would be better really, but with rebirth being used instead of birth already, the description would gain a slightly more Essentialist sound. </p>

<p>Rebirth is a 'thing' that is given an unlimited and full range to balance kamma within conditionality. Because rebirth is an attempt to describe dependent origination in a concrete, 'one truth' way, it doesn't fit very well with the spirit of the Buddha's words imo. </p>

<p>But if some form of being subject to kamma is defined, then rebirth is an accurate description of how kamma remains in balance across conditioned existence. It reminds me of Nagarjuna's claim that Samsara is unconditioned, in that when looked at as a whole, there is no 'thing' external to Samsara to provide a condition for it. This leads to a very still image of Samsara, because </p>

<blockquote>
  <p>"Where there is neither an addition of nirvana nor a removal of
  samsara; There, what samsara is discriminated from what nirvana?"</p>
</blockquote>

<p>Gives an image of Samsara as still, empty (the image swings a little towards the nihilistic for my mind), then all this perceived change and dis-balance must balance out. Rebirth is a description of that balance act. </p>

<p>Really though, because it does not lead to the cessation of objectification (not in my mind at least), it is best put aside.</p>
 12107: <p>Yes. It can. The belief that rebirth results in more suffering provides motivation to find liberation and escape samsara. </p>
 5000: <blockquote>
  <p>"Therefore, can the thought of or belief in 'rebirth' in the mind
  result in Nibbana?"</p>
</blockquote>

<p>No, it can't.</p>

<p>In the same way, the thought of or belief in "non existence of rebirth" in the mind, can't result in Nibanna.</p>

<blockquote>
  <p>"Is the belief in 'rebirth-reincarnation' not a type of 'becoming' &amp;
  not a 'thought formation'?"</p>
</blockquote>

<p>It is a type of "becoming" and a "thought formation".</p>

<p>In the same way, a belief in "non existence of rebirth-reincarnation", is a type of "becoming" and a "thought formation".</p>

<p>When a thought or belief arises in a being due to ignorance, that being clings and craves on that thought or belief. This clinging and craving will not result in Nibanna.</p>

<p>When a thought arises in a being due to wisdom, that being does not cling nor crave on that thought. This absence of clinging and craving will result in Nibanna.</p>

<p>A belief is something that is accepted as the only truth. Thus, no belief can ever arise in a being who truly destroyed ignorance. That would be impossible. The one who destroyed ignorance, dwells in wisdom. He is the knower of the truth. How could the knower of the truth say "this is the only truth", when he knows "all truths are non truths"? That would be impossible. That's why the knower of the truth stays in the middle.</p>
 111: <p>Rebirth in a Buddhist context does not involve a belief in a soul. It merely refers to the continuation of the mental-physical causes and effect process after  death. It should not be confused with the Hindu belief of reincarnation.</p>

<p>However if a person clings to the view that everything ends after death, he/she wont be able to attain Nibbana as it falls under Uccedavada.</p>
