How I became the "King of the Gods"

Dhr. Seven, Amber Larson, Crystal Quintero (eds.), Wisdom Quarterly; Ven. Weragoda Sarada Thero (trans.), Treasury of Truth: Dhammapada Text, BuddhaNet.net)

The War in Heaven ("heaven" being near-Earth space): Sakka King of the Devas overpowers the Titan "demon" Vepacitti, like St. Michael and the Dragon, like Satan, Lucifer, or any misbehaving "son of god," Sanskrit devaputra (Tadolini).

Golden Buddha in the Thai Buddhist kingdom, land of Theravada (Manuela Jedinger)

  
Mindfulness Made [Sakka] King of the "Gods" (Devas)

Illustrated Dhammapada: 2(7) The Story of Magha (Verse 30)

Sakka (St. Michael)  watches over Earth

While residing at Kutagara Monastery near Vesali, the Buddha spoke this verse, with reference to Sakka (Indra/Archangel Michael/San Miguel), King of the Devas.

A Licchavi prince named Mahali living in Vesali, hearing the Buddha recite the sutra entitled "Sakka's Question," thought to himself: "The Supremely Enlightened One has described the great glory of Sakka. Has the Buddha seen Sakka?

"Or has he not seen Sakka? Is the Buddha acquainted with Sakka? Or is he not acquainted with Sakka? I will ask him!" So the Licchavi prince Mahali drew near to the Exalted One, saluted him, sat down to one, and said:
 

"Venerable, has the Exalted One seen Sakka King of the Gods?" - "Yes, Mahali, I have indeed seen Sakka King of the Gods." - "Venerable, it must certainly have been a counterfeit of Sakka for, venerable, it is a difficult matter to see Sakka King of the Gods." - "Nevertheless, Mahali, I know Sakka King of the Gods, I know what qualities made him Sakka, and I know by the cultivation of which qualities Sakka attained Sakkaship."

• [Magha became a Sakka, that is, achieved the status of occupying the station of a Sakka. In Buddhist cosmology, this station is not limited to this world system but exists in other world systems as well, just as the posts of Maha Brahmas, World Monarchs (chakravartins), and buddhas (supremely enlightened teachers) exist elsewhere. But what is a world system? That is unclear but likely refers to a planetary system with a star (sun), of which their are countless in addition to ours, or a galaxy, of which their are countless extending out in space like bubbles in all directions, or possibly universes in the multiverse.] 

"Mahali, in a previous state of existence (former lives, previous rebirths) Sakka King of the Gods was a human being, a prince named Magha; therefore, he is called Maghava.

"Mahali, in a previous state of existence Sakka King of the Gods was a human being who gave gifts; therefore, he is called Purindada.

"Mahali, in a previous state of existence Sakka King of the Gods was a human being who gave alms assiduously; therefore, he is called Sakka.

"Mahali, in a previous state of existence Sakka King of the Gods was a human being who gave a dwelling-place; therefore, he is called Vassava.
 

The Buddha teaching his biological mother, Maya Devi, reborn in World of the Thirty-Three

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"Mahali, in a previous state of existence Sakka King of the Gods was a human being who could think of as many as a thousand things in an instant [not simultaneously but sequentially, for that is the nature of thinking and how discrete cittas function in the process of consciousness for living beings, which are so fast they can seem simultaneous but are not]; therefore, he is called Sahassakkha.

"Mahali, Sakka King of the Gods has a titan (asura) maiden named Sujata as wife; therefore, he is called Sujampati.

"Mahali, Sakka King of the Gods holds sway as king [King of Kings] and lord [Lord of Lords] over the [ruling] Gods of the Thirty-Three (i.e., on a planet or celstial plane called Tavatimsa, "The World of the Thirty-Three"). Therefore, he is called King of the Gods (devānam indo, chief or king of the devas).
 

Sakka's chariot of the gods (WQ)

"Mahali, Sakka King of the Gods iin a previous state of existence as a human bieng took upon himself and fiulfilled seven vows. Because he undertook and fulfilled these seven vows, Sakka [Magha] attained Sakkaship [the status of a Sakka, rulership, which may last thousands or hundreds of thousands of years but is nevertheless a temporary post].

"Now what were these seven?

1. 'So long as I live, may I be the support of my mother and father.
2. So long as I live, may I honor my elders.
3. So long as I live, may I speak gentle words.
4. So long as I live, may I never give way to backbiting.
5. So long as I live, may I live the life of a householder with heart free from taint of avarice, generous in renunciation [letting go] of what is mine, with open hand, delighting in liberality, attentive to petitions, delighting in the distribution of alms.
6. So long as I live, may I speak the truth.
7. So long as I live, may I be free from anger. Should anger spring up  within me, may I quickly suppress it.'

"Mahali, Sakka King of the Gods in a previous state of existence undertook and fulfilled these seven vows. Because he undertook and fulfilled these seven vows, Sakka attained Sakkaship."

The Buddha said, "In a previous birth Sakka was [re-]born as Magha. During that birth with 30 companions he built roads and resting places for the benefit of the community [particularly, the spiritual recluses who as wandering ascetics who overnight in these salas, or pavilions, which also served as gathering places for general meetings]. His unflagging effort brought him into the exalted position of 'king of the devas, and he recited this stanza:
 

The Brahmin youth Magha through mindfulness was reborn  as chief of the devas. Therefore, mindfulness is always praised, whereas sloth and distractedness are always condemned.

Maghava appamadena devanam setthatam gato appamadam pasamsanti pamado sada garahito: "Maghvava, through mindfulness, leadership reached [and] was born chief of the devas, so mindfulness is always praised and sloth and unmindfulness always condemned."

COMMENTARY

Devas and titans in space  (wiki)

Pamado garahito sada: Those who lag behind are "condemned" because the lethargic (those overtaken by sloth and torpor) cannot achieve their goals, be they worldly or spiritual. Distractedness (lack of awareness) is, of course, always censured, deprecated by those "noble" (entered into the ennobling stages of enlightenment). Why? It is because lack of awareness, on the one hand, is at the root of all calamities. Every calamity, whether a state of human adversity or rebirth in a worse state, a path of subhuman woe is, indeed, based on unawareness (nescience, ignorance, spiritual blindness).

Mindfulness: on the other hand -- whether as bare awareness in the present moment or as a set of systematic contemplations leading to liberating insight -- is at the root of all success.

Maghava: a synonym for Sakka King of the Gods (the "gods" referring only to the devas of the Realm of the Four Great Kings, the World of the Thirty-Three, and earthbound fairies/spirits/angels overseen by one of the four regent-devas, that is, one of the Four Great Sky Rulers (catumaharajika-devas).

Devas: literally, shining or sporting ones, are a class of beings with subtle physical bodies invisible to the naked eye. They live in the celestial planes in space as well as in the human plane alongside humans and animals, tending to avoid interaction instead resorting to quiet woodlands and undisturbed areas.
 

Seminars, like Nov's "Spirituality," are run up to expo on Feb. 2015 (consciouslifeexpo.com)

• Conscious Life Expo LA: Special Seminars (Conspiracy Theory) The shadow or secret government ha s grown in leaps and bounds since WW II when the primary reason for its existence became the secret space program.  This program involves black budget projects that use newly invented and acquired technologies with the help of treaties and relationships over time with various ET races, both on and off planet. In this special three-hour seminar, Kerry Cassidy will cover ET visitation to planet Earth, where they have been contacting both our allies and adversaries. Conscious awareness of the multi-verse, and the truth behind the "Matrix" we live in, can empower us to deal with this brave new world. Cassidy is a documentary filmmaker, investigative journalist, and  talk show host of Project Camelot Whistleblower Radio (projectcamelot.org).
• Also featured was Sean David Morton discussing revolution and "Personal Sovereignty," because is something telling you that something is desperately wrong with society? Our government molests, oppresses, imprisons, rapes, and destroys its “citizens,” so did you ever wonder what happened to our so-called rights, constitution, and governance “by, for, and of the people?”

• October is Month of Resistance: Stop Mass Incarcertation.net (RevCom.us)
• Marketplace's Kai Ryssdal coming to Los Angeles (UCLA/SCPR)
• For Muslims in the US, it's deja vu on Islamophobia
• Uprising Radio: Jane Piper confronts her rapist in court
• Police say they found bombs on their manhunt
• AUDIO: punk rock says F Your World Trade 
• The History of brassieres (bras on Wiki) The history of bras is intertwined with social history...splitting the corset into a girdle-like restraining device for the lower torso...represented liberation from the oppression of male patriarchy...

"Thor: Dark World" (Sakka, King of the Devas)

Dhr. Seven, Amber Larson,  CC Liu, Wisdom Quarterly; Wikipedia edit of Sakra

(MMDE) Chris Hemsworth, Tom Hiddleston, Natalie Portman, Kat Dennings, Zachary Levi, Anthony Hopkins, Jaimie Alexander, directed by Alan Taylor (Marvel, Nordic mythology), 2013.

The Buddha surrounded by space beings from akasha deva loka, Wat Bua Kwan, Thailand (WQ)

     

Sakka ousts Vepacitti told as Michael and titan/drag

Sakka (Śakra, शक्र) is the ruler of The World of the Thirty-Three according to Buddhist cosmology. His full title is Śakro devānām indraḥ (शक्रो देवानं इन्द्रः; Sakko devānaṃ indo), "Śakra, Lord of the Devas." 

 

In Buddhist texts, Sakka is the proper name, not an epithet of this shining one; conversely, Indra in Sanskrit and Inda in Pali are sometimes used as an epithet for Sakka as "lord (of lords)" or "king (of kings)," or "ruler (raja)." Nevertheless, his position as ruler is considered a station; therefore, there are many "Sakkas," at least one in each world-system, which may refer to a solar system, galaxy, or bubble-like cluster of space.

 

In East Asian traditions, Sakka is known as Dìshìtiān (帝釋天) or Shìtí Huányīn (釋提桓因) in Chinese and as Taishakuten (帝釈天) in Japan. In China, Sakka is sometimes compared to or conflated with Taoism's Jade Emperor (Yùhuáng Dàdì, 玉皇大帝 often simplified in Yùhuáng, 玉皇). Both share a birthday on the ninth day of the first lunar month of the Chinese calendar (usually in February).

 

What is a "Sakka"?

Deva, "shining one," like Sakka

The Sanskrit sakra, "powerful," as an epithet of Indra, is found in several Vedic verses from the ancient sacred Indian text, the Rigveda. Sakka seems to be the root source for the Nordic myth of the Nordic space alien (and Marvel Comic hero) "Thor" casting out his evil brother (Loki) and St. Michael casting out that infamous rebellious "being of light" Lucifer (later conflated with the devil, Satan, Belzebub, etc.)

  

In Buddhist lore, Sakka "cast out" one of the titan (asuras) chiefs, Vepacitti (which some might conflate with Mara Devaputra or as someone under Mara's control). There is in the story the additional complication of Sakka being married to Vepacitti's daughter, the titan princess Sujā.

Karma works (itself out) in mysterious ways.

Such are the startling entanglements of karma, because it is not that "God works in mysterious ways" so much as "karma works itself out in mysteriously incomprehensible ways." Both expressions are saying the exact same thing, the former with a personified character of all-encompassing "law" or regularity in the universe, the latter free of a personal agent controlling a natural and predictable (albeit bafflingly complex) pattern.

These parallel "myths" -- actual events attested to by the ancients -- are no coincidence, but are either remembrances colored by cultures of actual events or stories deriving from the wisdom of the East -- ancient Vedic and Buddhist cosmologies, particularly as inherited by ancient Greece when the great empire extended into ancient Northwest India (Bactria, Sogdiana, and the various Alexandrias like Kandahar, Afghanistan).

 

In Buddhist texts, Sakka's myth and character are different from those of the Vedic Indra. According to G.P. Malalasekara (Dictionary of Pali Proper Names), "Sakka and Indra are independent conceptions. None of the personal characteristics of Sakka resemble those of Indra. Some epithets are identical but are evidently borrowed, though they are differently explained."

 

Great Brahma/Odin creating the world

The World of the Thirty-Three that Sakka rules is located on the top of Mt. Sumeru (cf. Meru, a kind of Mt. Olympus, abode of the Greek gods), imagined to be the polar axis of the physical world extending through space, around which the Sun and Moon revolve. 

The World of the Thirty-Three is the highest of the celestial planes in direct contact with Earth. Like the other devas of this world, Sakka is long-lived but mortal. When one Sakka dies, the position or station is taken by another deva who becomes the new Sakka. It is a position in addition to being that being's name, as is the case with many Buddhist figures including the Buddha, with it cyclical conception of history and staggering view of time.

 

Buddhist stories about Sakka (past and present, in the past having been named Maghavā from Macala, an echo of "Michael") are found in the "Birth Tales" (Jātakas) as well as in sutras, particularly those preserved as part of the collection known as the Connected Discourses (Saṃyutta Nikāya or "Kindred Sayings").

 

If the glorious devas or "shining ones" were so different from the angry asuras or "titans" (often referred to as "demons" for their warlike ways), how is it that Sakka could be married to Suja, the daughter of his chief rival, Vepacitti (Sanskrit, Vemacitrin), one of the titan kings? 

 

Many long-lived "gods" have come down from space to be worshipped by mortals (Hilti)

 

The strange workings of karma, which connects beings as much by attraction as aversion -- love like hate being very sticky -- seems to be the ironic explanation.

 

But despite this intimate relationship, a state of war generally exists between the many inhabitants of the World of the Thirty-Three [lords or ruling devas] under Sakka and the titans, who formerly peacefully co-inhabited this celestial plane. Sakka, newly reborn into the position of "lord of the 33 lords" and "king of kings" (ruler of the immediately subordinate sky/space world of the Four Great Kings (Catu Maha Rajikas), ousted by Vepacitti and the titans after getting them drunk on "heavenly" beer or brew (sura). 

This is the legend of how they came to be called a-suras. They were cast onto Earth and, realizing that they had been duped, swore off drinking beer. Sakka thereby managed this ousting feat and has resolved subsequent "wars in heaven" with minimal violence and no loss of life. For Sakka is reputedly and unambiguously the world-system's most famous stream-enterers, having gained the first stage of enlightenment by hearing the Dharma from the Buddha.

Sakka is thus doubly splendid in being partly enlightened and ruling, partying (at the many balls, cotillions, feasts, and get togethers among the devas of the Sensual Sphere or kama loka, a sphere which includes our human plane, as exemplified by a sutra that recounts a visit to such a party in a large mansion/vimana/ship by Ven. Maha Moggallana, who shook it with his toe by a magical feat to bring the devas out of their careless diversions and sensual distractions). 

 

How could Sakka be in any way "enlightened" in the lineage of the "noble ones" (ariya)? Liberating insight that uproots some defilements and weakens others makes it so, even if one does not then immediately start behaving like a stereotypical "saint" or in anyway seem different to the casual observer. This is evident from verses in praise of stream entry in the "Jewel Sutra" or "Gem Discourse" (Ratana Sutta). The Three Jewels, or "Triple Gem," are the Buddha, Dharma, and enlightened Sangha -- the Teacher, the Teaching, and the successfully Taught.

Those who clearly comprehend the Noble Truths

Well taught by him of wisdom deep

Although they may be very neglectful,

They can never undergo an eighth birth.

Truly, in the [Noble] Sangha is found this precious jewel.

By this truth, may there be happiness.

For one after the acquisition of insight
Three things are immediately abandoned:
Self-illusion, doubt [about the Path or the Buddha], 

And clinging to useless rites and rituals

[as a means of gaining enlightenment]
Whatever they may be.
From the four states of [subhuman] misery,

One is absolutely freed
And is now incapable of committing six heinous deeds.

Truly, in the [Noble Community] is found this precious jewel.
By this truth, may there be happiness.

Whatever unskillful actions one does --
Whether by body, speech, or mind,
One is incapable of hiding it.
For it has been said that such an act [of concealment] is

Impossible for one who has seen the Path.
Truly, in the [Noble Community] is found this precious jewel.
By this truth, may there be happiness.

  

The Buddha in space visiting his former mother reborn in the World of the Thirty-Three

 

In fact, regardless of how one behaves after partly awakening to the Truth, however negligent, one has delimited rebirth to no more than seven more lives and can never be reborn onto any plane lower than the worlds comprising the "human plane" (manussa). Sakka accomplished this breakthrough while he was a deva king with great longevity and many sensual distractions, yet we often find ourselves to distracted with sensual pursuits and worries.

Sakka at one time frequently interacted with the Earth, visiting and questioning the Buddha, and is said to still protect and keep an eye on the progress in virtue of the Earth's inhabitants through his regents, the Four Great Kings.

 

Enlightened and humble (CB)

Sakka is mentioned in many Buddhist discourses. He is often shown consulting with the Buddha on questions of proper conduct, virtue, ethics, and morality (sila) -- behavior that leads beings to fortunate rebirths on Earth and in superior celestial worlds like his and higher. (The Bodhisatta, who eventually became the Buddha, was many times reborn as a Sakka).

 

An entire discourse explains what karma led to Sakka's very fortunate rebirth, and we are all capable of it, given our "divine nature," given our ability to be reborn as a deva (called a devaputra, "son of god," when deva is loosely translated as "god" in the ancient Greek, Roman, and Indian sense of the word).  Together with Brahmā -- a mythical god like Thor's father, Odin, or Cronus (father of the "king of the gods" Zeus)  -- Sakka is considered a Dharmapala or protector of the Buddhist Dharma. More

King Nemi-raja, ruler of Mithila, would make merit and teach Dharma to his subjects so that whenever one of them passed away, they would go onto a better rebirth. His reputation spread across the three spheres, and when it reached the devas, they were keen to meet him. Sakka got his vimana-charioteer, Matali, to take his ship to pick up the king. In Sakka's mansion, the king was invited to live there but declined and returned to the human world to do more good (Nemiraja Jataka, watnavaram.org).

Buddhist legend: "The War in Heaven"

Pfc. Sandoval, Dhr. Seven, Pat Macpherson (eds.), Wisdom Quarterly Wiki edit; G.P. Malasekera

Time-travel bells (stupas over Buddha statues), Borobudur pyramid Buddhist temple

Sakka King of the Devas: St. Michael (fmrly. Magha of Macala), Roman Catholic Church

Sakka versus Vepacitti (Vemacitrin) as St. Michael vs. Lucifer (Satan) the dragon (wiki)

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The Deva-Asura War

Sakka (St. Michael) defeats a dragon (wiki)

The Asuras ("Titans") formerly lived in the Heaven of the Thirty-Three (Pali Tavatimsa, Sanskrit Trāyastriṃśa), the world on the peak of Mt. Sumeru with the other Shining Ones of that world.

When Sakka, King of the Devas (Śakra, Indra, analogous to Archangel Michael) became the ruler of that world, the Titans celebrated by drinking a lot of gandapāna wine, a celestial alcohol so strong that Sakka forbade the other Shining Ones from drinking it.

Asura in Kōfuku-ji, Nara, 734, Japan

Weakened by their drunkenness, the Titans could not resist when Sakka had the whole lot of them thrown over the edge of the World of the Thirty-Three into what would become the Titan-world at the base of the mythical mountain Mt. Sumeru.

A tree grows there called cittapātali. When the Titans saw it blossom, they realized that it was different from the pāricchattaka (Sanskrit pāriyātra) tree which had grown in their old home, and they knew that they were dispossessed.

• Better explanation: The name "Asura" derives from Assura, worshippers of Ahura Mazda in Zoroastrianism

Asuras (Greek "Titans") find themselves tossed out of heaven, wake on earth (wiki).

Layout of heavenly Borobudur Buddhist temple representing Three Spheres or dhatus.

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They now contemplated war. In armor and weapons, they climbed up the steep slopes of Mt. Sumeru "like ants." Sakka set out to meet them, but he was forced to retreat because of their numbers.

Garuda/Avian, Delhi (wiki)

Passing through the forest where the Avians (Garuḍas) live on his flying chariot [UFO, spaceship, vimana], Sakka saw that his passage was destroying the nests of the Avians and ordered his charioteer Mātali to turn back.

When the pursuing Titans saw Sakka turn around, they felt certain that he must be coming back with an even larger army. So they fled, ceding all the ground they had gained (Robert Chalmers, 1895, "No. 31, Kulāvaka-Jātaka," The Jataka [Rebirth Tales] Volume I).

Asura and celestial maidens, Borobudur, Java

Despite their many wars, there was eventually a partial concord between the Shining Ones of the World of the Thirty-Three and the dispossessed Titans.

This came about because Sakka fell in love with Shachi (aka Sujā), daughter of a Titan chieftain named Vepacitti (Sanskrit, Vemacitrin).

Vepacitti had given Sujā the right to choose her own husband at an assembly of the Titans, and she chose Sakka, who had attended disguised as an aged Titan. Vepacitti therefore became Sakka's father-in-law.

• Archeology: High-tech scan of Egyptian mummies reveal tattoo of [Sakka] Archangel Michael

Sakka as St. Michael

Sakka (St. Michael) and Vepacitta

Before he was reborn as Sakka, King of the Devas, due to his unusually good karma (keeping seven vows), he was a human named Magha of Macala (Western "Michael"). He is also called Maghava. He is the ruler of two celestial worlds above this earth (bhumi) among Buddhist cosmology's 31 Planes of Existence. He rules the "World of the Thirty-Three" with 33 other "lords," and he is the king of four regents one world down, the "Realm of the Four Great Regent-Kings" of the four cardinal directions in space. His nemesis is the Asura-Titan chief Vepacitta, now his father-in-law. Sakka is not a unique figure but a station like the presidency because every "world-system" (cakkavala) has one. More

Sakka, "St. Michael," Lord of the 33 (video)

Dharmachari Seven, Wisdom Quarterly (ORIGINAL RESEARCH)

Sakka a "shining one" (deva) from space (akasha-loka), Nordic alien -- a Thor and Saint Michael figure from ancient India, Sumeria, and mythologies worldwide (SMW).

SPACE, Earth - Sakka [Magha of Macala], King of the near Earth orbit Devas (Devanam-Indo), is the world's most famous extraterrestrial Buddhist. As Indra, Indo, Maghavant, and "Saint Michael the Archangel" he appears in many forms across traditions including the Judeo-Christian Bible.

INDO-nesia (Arthurcha/Flickr)

There he is referred to as "St. Michael," a "son of God" (devaputra) often confounded with primary godson Christ, who tossed Lucifer (Satan) out of heaven in Christian lore. It would be more correct to say that Christianity picked up the strand of this ancient pre-Buddhist tale, popularized by the Buddha who explained many aspects of it, and modified the story to retell legends of ancient wars in the heavens.

Sakka's Titles
Because he is the "Lord" (Indo, sovereign) of Second Heaven (Tavatimsa, the Space Realm or Realm of the Thirty-Three) and because the 33 after which this world is named are lords there as well, Sakka is known as the "Lord of Lords," often literally and misleadingly translated as "king of the gods."

Because he is the "king" of First Heaven (Catumaharajika, the Realm of the Four Great Kings, spanning the quadrants of the cardinal directions) and because those regents are called kings (rajas), Sakka is also called the "King of Kings."

Because he is not a human, although he can assume human guise at will, but has left this world and been reborn among the devas (beings of light), he is a devaputra (literally, "Son of God"). This does not mean God had a son; it merely means that the word "god" is being used as a loose translation for deva, and putra (lit. "son") indicates birth among devas.

He is an "archangel," one reborn in heaven (sagga, the deva loka or "world of devas," any of numerous space worlds in Buddhist cosmology).

Celestial devas do not give birth. Rather, one appears "spontaneously" (fully formed without parents) in proximity to them by the workings of karma, more or less as their offspring, children, ruler, or in some cases servants. We are all potential devaputras, capable of being born among devas.

Catholic and Christian conceptions of wars in "heaven," rooted in biblical texts derived from ancient Sumerian lore, are not as preposterous as they first sound (turnbacktogod.com).

Vedic Brahmanism, the ancient Indus River Valley Civilization traditions inherited by Hinduism (created by Adi Shankara only a few centuries ago), called Sakka "Indra." He had other titles such as Indo and Maghavant, but only came to be called "Sakka" by the Buddha. He was at war in "heaven" (near Earth space) with the Titans (demonized Asuras).

The Buddha told us more about Indra/Sakka than was known before. Sakka appears in numerous sutras, with a whole section (the Sakka Samyutta consisting of 25 discourses) dedicated to stories about him. One of the most touching and educational is about HOW Sakka got to be Sakka.

• Sakka famously asked questions of the Buddha and entered the first stage of enlightenment, stream entry, as a result (Sakkapañha Sutta). This weaves Buddhism into ancient Indian mythology/history but with innovations.
  

In Buddhism many names are stations in the world system more than individuals. There have been many Sakkas, many buddhas (enlightened rediscoverers and proclaimers of the Dharma), many maras (destroyers), and brahmas (creators), and others. The sutras speak mostly of those in "office" now, but mention is made of others in the past.

Chariots (vimanas) of the gods (devas) in ancient Asian conception, heavenly platforms capable of flight (Thailand-Delights.com)

In the past, Magha of Macala (also Maghavā, Maghavant) is called Archangel "Michael," the mythological figure famous in the West via Bible stories of his feats tossing Lucifer (Vepacitti, chief of the Asuras) out of "heaven" (Tavatimsa) because of his rebellious nature in the sight of the divine (Maha Brahma).

Magha's karma led to his rebirth as chief of the space shining ones (akasha-devas) in two worlds. The Buddha explained that the future Sakka had vowed to make merit by engaging in particularly good acts (karma, actions, deeds).

Sakka as St. Michael the Archangel subduing a Naga, a "dragon" or reptoid alien (catholictradition.org).

These are recorded by Buddhaghosa and Burlingame as seven lifelong vows, which having made him famous in the "heavens" are echoed in the Judeo-Christian Bible as being of preeminent importance to getting in up there, literally in advanced space worlds:

1. supporting mother and father
2. honoring elders
3. avoiding backbiting
4. living free of avarice, generous in renouncing (not clinging to but sharing) what is mine, with open hand, delighting liberality, attentive to requests for help, delighting in distributing alms
5. speaking the truth (honesty)
6. remaining free of anger
7. and, if anger should arise, quickly getting rid of it

Nearby space worlds "heavens" are not true paradises of glorious cherubim, seraphim, and Amazon warrior goddesses, but ETs have those elements

What does Sakka do now?

The nicest thing about lore regarding Sakka (St. Michael) is that as he defends two heavens, he also keeps a protective eye on humans.

There are space beings among us, light beings other traditions call "angels." Sakka rules in Second Heaven and oversees First Heaven of the 31 Planes of Existence.

There he has ordered the Four Great Sky Kings of the four directions and their UFO fleets (vimana craft) to keep an eye on the human world (D.ii.207f; iii.194f). These kings and their retinues are:

1. Dhatarattha, East, deva messengers (Gandhabbas)
2. Virūlhaka, South, dwarves (Kumbhandas)
3. Virūpakkha, West, dragons (Nāgas)
4. Vessarana, North, nature protectors (Yakkhas)

They report back their finding regarding our general moral state at regular bimonthly meetings in a spaceport called the Hall of Truth. Such concern with virtue and restraint (sila) is characteristic of anyone who attains the first stage of enlightenment, because such individuals recognize the supreme value of virtue, which leads to the mind collecting (and a serene heart), which makes liberating-insight possible. The truth -- as hard as it is to believe -- is what sets one free.

These kings are mentioned (D.ii.257f) as protectors of the Buddha and his followers (DhA.ii.146; iii.96) in the Atānātiya Sutra.

Indo-Island (the formerly Buddhist nation of Indonesia) was the site of this anomalous security cam footage of a light being descending to Earth (scottcwaring blog).

Sakka is, of course, a devoted follower, incapable of taking another teacher, having directly realized the Truth the Buddha made known. Sakka referred to Maha Moggallana as "brother" when the latter visited his Vejanta mansion in space and stirred partiers their to consider their transient enjoyments, the danger in craving, and their unsatisfactory life of luxury (Cula-tanha-sankhaya Sutra).

The Four Kings are recorders of the proceedings in the assemblies of the protective devas (D.ii.225). On the eighth day of the lunar half-month, they send council members into the human world to discover if humans are cultivating righteousness and virtue. On the 14th day they send their sons (putras), and on the 15th day they themselves appear in the world.

All of these visits having the same purpose: At the assembly of the devas, they submit their report to the lords of the Realm of the Thirty-Three, who rejoice or lament depending on whether humans prosper in virtue or not (A.i.142f.; more details at AA.i.376f).

• Beings in Buddhist Heaven
  
• Saint Michael in Catholic tradition
  
• What do "dragons" (reptoid aliens) look like?
  
• Catholics tell a new story (liturgy)
• Dharma Forest: Deep roots, ancient wisdom
  

The Anger-Eating Demon (Buddhist story)

Updated tale retold by Ven. Nyanaponika Thera (author of the Buddhist Dictionary)

"Demon" (asura) on Sakka's throne eating anger of the sky-devas (mooligaisidhan)

The Anger-Eating Demon (retold)

Ven. Nyanaponika, Wisdom Quarterly edit, SN 22 (Grouped Discourses)
Once there lived a "demon" (asura) who had a peculiar diet: He fed on the anger of others.

His feeding ground was the human world. And there was no lack of food for him. For he found it easy to provoke a family quarrel, or national even racial hatred. So to stir up a willingness for combatants to fight was not very difficult.

Whenever he succeeded, he could gorge himself during a war without much further effort. Once war is started, hate multiplies by its own momentum and affects even normally friendly people.

The demon's food supply became so rich that he sometimes had to restrain himself from overeating, being content with gnawing on a small piece of resentment here and there.

Spaceport 33 (the Tavatimsa akasha-deva world)

But as often happens as a result of success, he became overbearing. One day feeling bored he thought: "Shouldn't I try it with the devas [shining ones]?"

Reflecting on where best to feed, he chose Tavatimsa, the Space World of the 33 Devas, ruled by Sakka, King of the Devas. He knew that although they were far above petty and selfish quarrels, only a few of the beings there had entirely eliminated the fetters of ill-will and aversion.

So by a psychic feat he transferred himself to that space realm. He was lucky enough to come at a time when King Sakka was away. There was no one in the large audience hall. So the demon seated himself on Sakka's empty throne. He waited quietly for things to happen, which he hoped would bring him a sullen feast. Soon some of the celestial inhabitants came to the hall.

They could hardly believe their eyes to see this disgusting monster sitting on the throne, squat and grinning. Recovering from their initial shock, they began to shout and lament:

"Oh, demon! How dare you sit on the throne of our ruler? What gall! What a crime! You should be cast headlong into the lowest hells, straight into a boiling cauldron! You should be quartered alive! Get out! Get out!"

He started to ooze a smoky-red-glowing aura

While the devas grew angrier and angrier, the demon was delighted in his feast. Moment by moment gorging, he grew in size, in strength, in power. But the anger he absorbed into his system started to ooze as a smoky-red-glowing aura. This vexing mist kept the devas at a distance and dimmed their natural radiance.

Suddenly a bright glow appeared at the other end of the hall. It grew into a dazzling light from which the deva-king Sakka emerged.

Sakka, because he had entered the undeflectable stream that leads to nirvana, was unshaken by what he saw. The smoke screen created by the anger of the devas parted when he slowly and politely approached the usurper of his throne.

"Welcome, friend! Please remain seated, relax. I can take another chair. May I offer you a drink out of hospitality? Our timeless Amrita (nectar) is good. Or if you prefer a stronger brew, some [entheogenic] Soma?"

While Sakka spoke these genuinely friendly words, the demon rapidly shrank and finally disappeared, trailing behind a whiff of malodorous smoke which likewise soon dissolved.

Anger-Eating Demon (original)
Wisdom Quarterly translation based on sacred-texts.com (Section 93, SN xi.3.2)
Thus have I heard. On one occasion the Buddha was staying in Savatthi at Jetavana monastery in Anathapindika's Park. There the Blessed One addressed the monastics:

"Bhikkhus!" "Bhagwan (lord)!" they replied. Then he told this tale:

"Once upon a time, O monastics, a certain sickly and decrepit demon took his seat on the throne of Sakka, the leader of the [Tavatimsa- and Catumaharajika- world] devas. The devas, O monastics, of the Suite of the Thirty-three [Tavatimsa spaceport] were angered, annoyed, and spoke indignantly:

" 'O wonderful! O marvellous! Here this sickly looking and decrepit demon has taken his seat on the throne of Sakka, the leader of the devas!"

Now, O monastics, as the devas of the Suite of the Thirty-three were angered, annoyed, and spoke indignantly, in that same proportion did the demon grow handsomer, better looking, and more pleasing.

Then, O monastics, the devas of the Suite of the Thirty-three drew close to Sakka, the leader of the devas. Having drawn near, they spoke to as follows:

"Sir, a sickly and decrepit demon has come here and taken his seat on your throne. And the devas of the Suite of the Thirty-three, sir, are angered, annoyed, and speak indignantly: 'O wonderful! O marvellous! Here this sickly and decrepit demon has taken his seat on the throne of Sakka, the leader of the devas.' And, sir, as the devas of the Suite of the Thirty-three are angered, annoyed, and speak indignantly, in that same proportion does the demon grow handsomer, better-looking, and more pleasing. Sir, surely now, it must be an anger-eating demon."

Then, O monastics, Sakka leader of the devas approached the anger-eating demon. He threw his upper garment over his shoulder and, planting his right knee on the ground, stretched out his joined palms to the demon, and three times announced himself:

"Sir, your obedient servant, Sakka, leader of the devas! Sir, your obedient servant, Sakka, leader of the devas! Sir, your obedient servant, Sakka, leader of the devas!"

The more, O monastics, Sakka leader of the devas, proclaimed his name, the more sickly and decrepit the demon became and soon disappeared. Then, O monastics, Sakka leader of the gods, resumed his seat and used the occasion to induce in the devas a more fitting frame of mind, by means of the following stanzas:

"My mind is not so easily cast down,
Nor does it lightly swerve from its own course;
And, O, long angry can I never be,
For anger finds no dwelling place in me.

"I never in anger utter harsh words,
And never proclaim my virtue's fame;
Instead myself I seek to keep subdued
In the interest of my future weal."

• Are we emotionally what we eat? (2medusa.com)
• Buddhism and Anger (urbandharma.org)
• FemininePower.com (women leading the way)
• BradleyManning.org (opposing the use of force)