Reincarnation could have you born off planet. You could be born as a little green alien on a planet in a far away galaxy.

What if they have never heard of the Buddha?
Are aliens on the human plain of existence?
Do they suffer?
Can they be enlightened?
Why would the Buddha not talk about aliens or incorporate them into the plains of existence?

Green alien who are not satisfied with how enlightened they are can always put right effort to develop right mindfulness and become Buddha ;)


Buddha didn't mention anything he didn't think was beneficial.
Discussions about existence of aliens wouldn't be very beneficial for understanding of dharma...

Try the Vimalakirti sutra, it has many places of existence and Buddha realms described in it.

"Buddha didn't mention anything he didn't think was beneficial."

But doesn't that really mean buddha's scribes didn't write down anything *they* didn't think was beneficial?

I do wish these religious founders would would write things down properly for themselves. Surely being wise includes knowing that your biographers are going to mess things up one way or another so don't leave things to chance :-)

For example our man Ingram, his name's on the book, he gave the nod to any editing decisions, and there's no ambiguity.