Deities and Faith
Does calling deities extraterrestrials mean they are people living on Mars?
English translation draft · Based on the Chinese article. This is not a word-for-word translation approved by Master Shengyuan.
Saying 'like a child of extraterrestrials' uses comparison and symbolism to discuss origins. It does not mean deities live on Mars. First distinguish whether 'extraterrestrial' refers to an actual planet or is being used to describe another kind of world.
In my understanding of faith, the worlds of deities and Buddhas are often explained in terms of higher dimensions. Mars, however, is a planet we know within the same universe as Earth. We cannot treat these as the same simply because neither is the human world.
Whether there is life on other planets is a separate question. Too much in this area remains unverified, and I do not have a complete answer either. When discussing the worlds of deities and Buddhas, be aware of whether you are using a comparison, offering an understanding, or describing something that can already be confirmed.
I have not visited other planets myself, nor have I fully experienced my soul leaving the body and traveling to another world. There is still much I do not know about those worlds. Becoming involved in spiritual practice does not allow me to present imagination or other people's accounts as things I have personally witnessed.