), which includes wearing monk's or nun's robes. After that, one can become a samanera or samaneri "novice" (Skt. sramanera, sramaneri, ). The final step is to take all the vows of a bhikkhu or bhikkhuni "fully ordained monastic" (Sanskrit: bhiksu, bhiksuni, ).

Monastics take their vows for life but can renounce them and return to non-monastic life and even take the vows again later. A person can take them up to three times or seven times in one life, depending on the