Buddhists Need Not Observe Sil

"Nahi seela watan hothu,

Uppajjanthi ththagatha,

Attakkara theenapada

Sambuddhena pakasitha,'

"Buddhas do not reccomend precepts.They preach a teaching with eight letters and three words.

Gothama Buddha : Udana

The three words are anicca ,dukkha and anatta ( impermanence, unsatisfactoriness,and non self).The letters are repeated when writing and thus only eight letters are there.

When prince Siddhartha conceived ,according to the scriptures the Queen Mahamaya was observing eight precepts.Thus Buddha cannot be the person who drafted the eight precepts.Scriptures never mention about Buddha proclaiming five precepts.That is because he never proclaimed it.But Buddha never condemned these.There is simply no imposed discipline in Buddhas teaching.But a real follower of Buddhas teaching will be more disciplined than demanded by five precepts or eight precepts.

Pathimoksha seela meant for Bhikkus with 252 precepts came out only after 10 years of Buddhahood.If precepts were an absolute necessity to follow his teachings declaring the precepts would have been the very first thing done by Buddha after enlightenment.But it was not so.Paathimokkha seela was declared to maintain discipline among the ever growing clan of of Bhikkhus ten years after enlightment. The only "seela" declared by Buddha for all followers of his teaching is dhittincha anupaganma seela mentioned in Karaneeya metta sutta. This means to be constantly aware that both world and self are illusions.