Within the Jain tradition, the great historical division is between two principal sects: Śvetāmbara and Digambara. Śvetāmbara, literally “white-clad,” designates those monastics who wear simple white garments and maintain that complete nudity is not essential for spiritual advancement or liberation. They affirm that women can attain moksha and accept a canon of scriptures (Āgamas) preserved through a lineage of teachers, with their canonical texts transmitted in Ardhamāgadhī Prakrit. Digambara, “sky-clad,” upholds the ideal of renouncing all possessions, including clothing, so that the most advanced monks practice nudity as a symbol of complete non-possession. Digambaras traditionally hold that women cannot attain liberation in a female body and must be reborn as men, and they differ from Śvetāmbaras in their scriptural tradition, regarding much of the Śvetāmbara canon as not authoritative.

Over time, each of these two main streams has given rise to further sub-sects, which can be seen as different emphases within a shared spiritual vision. Among Śvetāmbaras, three major sub-sects are often noted. The Mūrtipūjaka, or image-worshippers, focus on temple worship and veneration of icons of the Tīrthaṅkaras, and they are numerically the most prominent Śvetāmbara group. The Sthānakavāsī reject image worship, emphasizing instead meditation halls (sthānak), scriptural study, and a more inwardly focused practice. From within the Sthānakavāsī current arose the Terāpanth (Terāpanthī), a reform movement that is non-image-worshipping, marked by strict, centralized discipline under a single ācārya and a pronounced stress on ethical conduct and inner self-discipline.

The Digambara fold, while united on core doctrinal principles, also contains several noteworthy sub-traditions and lineages. Historically important monastic orders include the Mūla Saṅgha, one of the oldest lineages, with branches such as Nandi Saṅgha and Sen Saṅgha, and the Kāṣṭhā Saṅgha, once especially significant in parts of North and Central India. There are also reformist or distinctive movements such as the Tāraṇapanth (Tāraṇ Svāmī Panth), a small Digambara group that is non-image-worshipping and places strong emphasis on scriptures and inner realization. In addition, regional and community-based groupings, such as the Bīsa Panth and Terā Panth, reflect differences in ritual and social practice more than in fundamental doctrine.

Across these diverse sects and sub-sects, a shared spiritual core remains remarkably consistent. All uphold the primacy of ahiṃsā, non-violence, as the guiding light of conduct, together with non-possessiveness (aparigraha), the workings of karma, and the ideal of liberation from the cycle of birth and death. The various paths—whether image-worshipping or non-image-worshipping, clothed or sky-clad—can be understood as different disciplines through which practitioners seek right faith, right knowledge, and right conduct. In this way, the multiplicity of Jain sects does not so much fracture the tradition as reveal its subtle capacity to accommodate varied temperaments, while keeping the quest for inner purity and freedom at its heart.