The Rabbit in the Moon (video)

Lisa Asanuma (Tales from the Hollow Tree); Wisdom Quarterly

The Rabbit in the Moon is clearly visible, perhaps explaining their connection (hollowtreetales blog).

The Jade Rabbit

A Buddhist legend (Sasa-Jataka 316) tells of a monkey, otter, jackal, and rabbit. All are hoping to do a good deed on the uposatha (Buddhist "sabbath"), believing that a good deed brings great rewards.

An old man passes by begging for food. So the monkey gathers fruit from high in the tree canopy; the otter catches fish for the man; the jackal -- less honorably -- pilfers for him a lizard and milk curds.

The rabbit, however, only knows how to gather grass, which he knows will not serve the man for food. So he offers himself by throwing his body on the man’s fire. But the rabbit does not burn.

The "man" reveals that he is in fact Sakka (King of the Devas), the Jade Emperor, the ruler of nearby space worlds in Buddhist cosmology. He is so touched by the rabbit’s unselfishness, that he lifts the smoke from his fire to leave an impression on the Moon of the rabbit for generations to come.

Quetzalcoatl
Interestingly, there is a very similar legend involving Quetzalcoatl. The ancient Aztec deity was starving by the roadside and had a rabbit offer himself up to save him.

There is an opposite tale also in Mesoamerican legend of a deity [deva] named Nanahuatl who offered himself freely as sacrifice to become the Sun... More

• A version of this story can also be found in the Japanese anthology Konjaku Monogatarishū, where the rabbit's companions are a fox and a monkey.

(History Channel: "Ancient UFO sightings")

Ancient Space Aliens
Wisdom Quarterly (EXPLANATION)
How do the ancient Asians and Mesoamericans tell the same story? They met. They were intimately associated. (See How the Swans Came to the Lake by Rick Fields). Who were these mythological "gods" (devas) in legends around the world? They were extraterrestrial visitors with great knowledge, technology, and abilities. They terraformed the Earth. They helped establish human groups. They ruled like dictators ("gods") until they were usurped by another extraterrestrial group. The new group demonized the old and established itself as the only true gods worthy of allegiance. They were the "ancient aliens." And as hard as it is to believe, they are still exerting influence through subtle form, sacred texts, and by manipulating governments.