Śrāmaṇera

A śrāmaṇera is a young boy who wants to become a Buddhist monk when he grows up. To be a good Buddhist monk, he has to learn a lot of things first. So, he goes to a special school called a monastery, where he lives with other monks and learns how to follow the Buddha's teachings.

During his time in the monastery, he wears special clothes called robes that are different from what he wore before. He also has to follow many rules, like not talking too much, not eating after noon, and not playing with toys or other things that could distract him from his studies.

Once he has been in the monastery for a while, the śrāmaṇera can choose to become a full-fledged monk if he wants. This means taking more vows and dedicating his life to serving others and practicing Buddhism.

Even though it seems like a lot of hard work, many boys are excited to become śrāmaṇeras because being a Buddhist monk is seen as a very good and noble thing to do in their culture.