Executive Briefing: The Sky-Clad and White-Clad
Around the 3rd century BCE, the Jain community divided into Digambara (“sky-clad” / naked monks practicing absolute non-possession) and Svetambara (“white-clad” monks wearing simple white cotton garments).
1. Mallinatha: The Dispute over Female Enlightenment
Svetambaras hold that 19th Tirthankara Mallinatha was a woman who attained full liberation, while Digambaras maintain women must be reborn as men to attain final Moksha due to clothing requirements.
2. References
- Jaini, P. S. (1991). Gender and Salvation: Jaina Debates on the Spiritual Liberation of Women. University of California Press.