Jain monasticism Jain monasticism Jain monasticism refers to the order of monks and nuns in the Jain community. The term "nirgrantha" ("bondless") was used for Jain monks in the past. The monastic practices of two major sects ("Digambara" and "Śvētāmbara") vary greatly, but the major principles of both are identical. "Digambaras" use the word "" for male monastics and "aryika" for female monastics. "Digambara monks" are also called "nirgrantha" (without bonds). "Śvētāmbaras" use the word "sadhvi"s for female monastics. Historians believe that a united Jain "sangha" (community) existed before 367 BCE, about 160 years after the "moksha" (liberation) of Mahavira. The community
Digambara Patra Digambara Patra Digambara Patra is an Associate Professor of Chemistry at the American University of Beirut. Digambara earned a PhD degree in Chemistry working with Professor A. K. Mishra at Indian Institute of Technology Madras. Subsequently, he spent in University of Basel, Switzerland, Forschungszentrum Jülich, Germany and Waseda University in Tokyo, Japan for his postdoctoral studies before joining American University of Beirut. He is a recipient of Alexander von Humboldt Research Fellowship and JSPS Postdoctoral Fellowship. With Professor A. K. Mishra at Indian Institute of Technology Madras, Digambara discovered that Synchronous Fluorescence Scan are the easy, fast and sensitive approach