Disclaimer: This translation does not guarantee complete accuracy, please confirm with the original page text.
40
Those who do not know history often believe that the Acharya or Digambara tradition only considers nakedness as an essential aspect of monkhood or can only accept it; apart from nakedness, the practice of clothing does not hold any place in the Digambara ideology. Furthermore, since the Terapanth sentiment gained strength within the Digambara tradition, and the Khijja Digambar sect either became extinct or dissolved under the influence of Terapanth, the assertion of those with such a limited view has been further reinforced: that the only aspect of monkhood is nakedness, and that even clothing cannot be part of it; thus, the concept of humility cannot be considered valid in the context of making one a rightful monk. Those with such limited insight cannot truly reconcile the mentioned inconsistencies, and hence they are left with two possibilities: either to claim that all texts supporting such notions are from the Svetambara sect, or that they were produced by scholars influenced by the Svetambara tradition, or to assert that their interpretation represents the true Digambara monkhood. Yet, despite stating this, they cannot free themselves from myriad difficulties. Therefore, for them, finding true answers to the questions is challenging.
However, for those studying and reflecting upon various aspects of the history of Jain traditions, such challenges do not exist. The history of Jain tradition states that even within the so-called Acharya or Digambara factions, there have been many sects or groups that accepted the ultimate renunciation of clothing as a monk's attribute.