UFOs in Buddhist perspective

Six silvery saucer shaped objects are found in this artwork from a Buddhist temple in Dharamsala (home of the Dalai Lama), Himachal Pradesh, India.

-

UPDATE (July 30, 2008): AP reports "Lake found on Titan, a moon of Saturn"

-

Extraterrestrials are consistent with Buddhist cosmology. Moreover, other intelligent beings certainly exist.

-

Not only are there unseen beings on this planet, benevolent and otherwise, there are celestial beings on various planes, in other "world systems," on other planets. Rebirth in those worlds may take place according to one's karma. It is clear that, from Buddhist accounts, this world and intelligent, bipedal life is far older than accepted archeology admits of. Finally, there are ordinary beings historically who seem to be of extraterrestrial origin (e.g., kinnaras).

-
Kinnaras

In Sanskrit kinnara refers to the inhabitants of the Kinnara planet; a kind of gandharvah—inhabitants of various planets...(www.vedabase.net/k/kinnara).

In Buddhist mythology and Hindu mythology, Kinnara are paradigmatic lovers, celestial musicians, half-human and half-bird. Their character is clarified in the Adi parva of the Mahabharata, where they say: "...Never do we become mother and father. No offspring is seen in our lap. We are lover and beloved ever-embracing. In between us we do not permit any third creature demanding affection. Our life is a life of perpetual pleasure." They are also featured in a number of Buddhist texts, including the Lotus Sutra.

-

In Southeast Asian mythology, Kinnaris, the female counterpart of Kinnaras, are depicted as half-bird, half-woman creatures. One of the many creatures that inhabit the mythical Himavanta, Kinnaris have the head, torso, and arms of a woman and the wings, tail, and feet of a swan. She is renowned for her dance, song, and poetry, and is a traditional symbol of feminine beauty, grace, and accomplishment. (Source: Wikipedia Kinnara entry). Similarly, there are garudas, suparnas, devas, nagas, asuras, and rudras—all of whom might be regarded as ETs in today's terminology.

All that having been said, these recent reports may be regarded as good news:

• Former astronaut is accusing NASA of massive cover up. (Reuters 7/29/08)
• Vietnam reports UFO explosion. (Reuters, 5/28/08)
• American Buddhist Net reports UFO police chase. (American Buddhist, 6/22/08)
• Larry King: UFOs have interfered with nuclear missles. (CNN, 7/28/08)