historically, was there ever a sect that allowed women to renounce their cloth or the closest thing to ites
Answer
Historically, within mainstream Jain tradition, there is no clearly established Jain sect in which women renunciants were permitted to renounce clothing in the same way as Digambara male munis.
The closest comparison is the Digambara tradition, where complete nudity is regarded as an essential mark of the highest male mendicant ideal. However, Digambara tradition generally holds that women cannot practice complete nudity, and therefore female renunciants wear simple white clothing and are known as āryikās.
Explanation
Jain traditions differ on the question of clothing and liberation:
- Śvetāmbara tradition: Monks and nuns wear white cloth. Women can become fully renunciant nuns and, according to Śvetāmbara belief, can attain liberation.
- Digambara tradition: The ideal muni renounces all possessions, including clothing. But this practice is traditionally applied only to male munis. Female renunciants wear white cloth and are not considered nude munis.
So if by “renounce their cloth” you mean complete nudity as a religious vow, then Jain tradition does not clearly preserve a recognized sect where women practiced that as an accepted norm.
Spiritual Understanding
In Jain Dharma, the deeper principle is aparigraha—non-possession and non-attachment. Clothing is discussed differently by different sects, but the spiritual aim is the same: reducing attachment, ego, and dependence on worldly possessions.
For Śvetāmbaras, wearing simple white cloth can still be compatible with complete renunciation. For Digambaras, the highest external form of renunciation for male munis includes nudity, while women āryikās follow strict renunciation with minimal possessions but retain clothing.
Takeaway
The closest historical parallel is the Digambara āryikā tradition, but they do not renounce clothing completely. A Jain sect that formally allowed women to live as nude renunciants is not clearly established within accepted Jain tradition.