Indian Philosophy: Women's Enlightenment in Jainism

Jainism, an important Indian religion, has contributed significantly to the crucial issue of women's access to enlightenment and liberation from the cycle of rebirths. Its two main sectarian trends, which emerged in the first century ce , have held opposite positions in this regard. The Digambaras consider that nakedness is a prerequisite for liberation because nakedness means total detachment from all possessions and worldly bonds, but that the physiology of the female body prevents it from being nude. As a consequence liberation as a woman is impossible. One must be reborn as a man first. The Śvetāmbaras, on the other hand, consider that wearing clothes is a means, just like food, and does not imply attachment which they do not understand literally. This contrasted attitude is mirrored in Jain mythology through the figure of the nineteenth Jina, Malli. The Digambaras consider that he gained enlightenment as a man, whereas the Śvetāmbaras publicly state in the narrative of Malli included in their canonical scriptures that Malli gained enlightenment as a woman.