<p>According to <a href="http://www.accesstoinsight.org/lib/authors/ariyesako/layguide.html#novice" rel="nofollow noreferrer">The Bhikkhus' Rules
A Guide for Laypeople</a></p>
<blockquote>
<p><strong>Becoming a Novice</strong></p>
<p>The first part<sup>[16]</sup> of the ordination<sup>[17]</sup> procedure for bhikkhus is known as the Going Forth into Homelessness (pabbajjaa). If it finishes with just that — without going on to the Questioning of the candidate and the Acceptance of him by all the gathered bhikkhus into the Bhikkhu Sa&quot;ngha — the candidate is known as a saama.nera or novice. This is usually the case when the candidate is less than the twenty years of age necessary to become a bhikkhu. A very young boy is not allowed to become a novice either, but the minimum age will vary according to place.<sup>[18]</sup></p>
</blockquote>
<p>Footnote:</p>
<blockquote>
<p><sup>[18]</sup> &quot;One under 15 years of age, unless he can scare crows (i.e., is mature) should not be given the pabbajaa for becoming a saama.nera (Vin.I,79). After receiving their parent's consent (Vin.I,83), they were to shave their head and beard, put on the ochre robe and, paying respects to the bhikkhu, receive the Three Refuges and the Ten Training Precepts.&quot; (HS ch.19)</p>
</blockquote>
<p>See the Wikipedia article <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/%C5%9Ar%C4%81ma%E1%B9%87era" rel="nofollow noreferrer">Śrāmaṇera</a> for a description of Buddhist novices.</p>

CC BY-SA 3.0
2015-01-22T00:14:40.303Z
lolled @ "unless he can scare crows"... so the exact limit is 15 correct otherwise one is a sramanera correct? I think it should be increased to 24. One isn't mentally fully mature until at least that age..
Med
CC BY-SA 3.0
2015-01-22T00:27:18.923Z
@Ahmed I think he needs to be 20, and have spent at least a year as a novice, to be ordained. If he's less than 20 (older than 15) he can be a novice. If he's not even 15 he can still be a novice, provided he can at least scare crows from a field (e.g. about age 7).
ChrisW
CC BY-SA 3.0
2015-01-21T13:49:44.680Z
2015-01-21T13:49:44.680Z
2020-06-17T09:56:10.877Z
ChrisW
<p>According to a precept it is forbidden to integrate a person under 20 years of age into the Sangha. Is that correct? So are the young monks, not monks, but something different?</p>

CC BY-SA 3.0
2015-01-20T14:16:03.290Z
Maybe some useful information under this related question: http://buddhism.stackexchange.com/questions/140/can-someone-explain-about-children-monks
Robin111
CC BY-SA 3.0
2015-01-21T03:13:47.507Z
Are they old enough to scare birds?
MatthewMartin
CC BY-SA 3.0
2015-01-21T17:00:29.473Z
They are called samaneras.
Monk
<vinaya>
Are people younger than 20 forbidden to ordain?
# Are people younger than 20 forbidden to ordain?

(Asked by: username_0 on 2015-01-20)

According to a precept it is forbidden to integrate a person under 20 years of age into the Sangha. Is that correct? So are the young monks, not monks, but something different?

**Tags:** vinaya

> **Comments:**
> **username_1**: Maybe some useful information under this related question: http://buddhism.stackexchange.com/questions/140/can-someone-explain-about-children-monks  
> **username_2**: Are they old enough to scare birds?  
> **username_3**: They are called samaneras.  

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## 1 answers

### Answer by username_4 on 2015-01-21. Score: 2

According to [The Bhikkhus' Rules
A Guide for Laypeople](http://www.accesstoinsight.org/lib/authors/ariyesako/layguide.html#novice)

> **Becoming a Novice**
>
> The first part[16] of the ordination[17] procedure for bhikkhus is known as the Going Forth into Homelessness (pabbajjaa). If it finishes with just that — without going on to the Questioning of the candidate and the Acceptance of him by all the gathered bhikkhus into the Bhikkhu Sa"ngha — the candidate is known as a saama.nera or novice. This is usually the case when the candidate is less than the twenty years of age necessary to become a bhikkhu. A very young boy is not allowed to become a novice either, but the minimum age will vary according to place.[18]

Footnote:

> [18] "One under 15 years of age, unless he can scare crows (i.e., is mature) should not be given the pabbajaa for becoming a saama.nera (Vin.I,79). After receiving their parent's consent (Vin.I,83), they were to shave their head and beard, put on the ochre robe and, paying respects to the bhikkhu, receive the Three Refuges and the Ten Training Precepts." (HS ch.19)

See the Wikipedia article [Śrāmaṇera](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/%C5%9Ar%C4%81ma%E1%B9%87era) for a description of Buddhist novices.

> **Comments:**
> **username_5**: lolled @ "unless he can scare crows"... so the exact limit is 15 correct otherwise one is a sramanera correct? I think it should be increased to 24. One isn't mentally fully mature until at least that age..  
> **username_4**: @Ahmed I think he needs to be 20, and have spent at least a year as a novice, to be ordained. If he's less than 20 (older than 15) he can be a novice. If he's not even 15 he can still be a novice, provided he can at least scare crows from a field (e.g. about age 7).  

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