Digambra is one of the 2 major sects of Jainism, the other being Svetambra. The split seems to have occurred when Sivabhuti solely decided to abandon his clothes in imitation of the “ford-makers”, a group of 24 teachers who achieved omniscience.
There are 5 main issues of contention between the 2 divisions of Jainism:
Svetambra monks and nuns wear clothes, whereas Digambra monks do not.
Svetambra followers use a bowl for begging and eating, whereas Digambra followers cup their hands.
With the Svetambra, women can attain deliverance, whereas the Digambra say that women must first be reborn as men in order to attain deliverance.
The Svetambra accept ancient writings as scripture whereas the Digambra say that scriptural truth has been lost with time.
In addition the Svetambra believe that those who are omniscient require food whereas the Digambra believe the omniscient do not require food.
The Digambra believe that for their own safety, women cannot go about publicly naked but that in order to achieve enlightenment, nudity is necessary. It goes to follow that they believe women cannot achieve enlightenment but that they can work toward a more advantageous rebirth. Also, the monks of this sect are allowed only 2 possessions, a feather and a brush, to push away insects rather than accidentally killing them.
