The KÃÂà Âyapëya (Sanskrit: à ¤Âà ¤¾à ¤¶à ¥Âà ¤¯à ¤ªà ¥Âà ¤¯; Pali: Kassapiyàor KassapikÃÂ; ) was one of the early Buddhist schools in India.
The name KÃÂà Âyapëya is believed to be derived from KÃÂà Âyapa, one of the original missionaries sent by King Ashoka to the Himavant country. The KÃÂà Âyapëyas were also called the Haimavatas.
The KÃÂà Âyapëyas are believed to have become an independent school c. 190 BCE. According to the TheravÃÂdin MahÃÂvaá¹Âsa, the KÃÂà Âyapëya were an offshoot of the SarvÃÂstivÃÂda. However, according to the MahÃÂsÃÂá¹Âghika account, the KÃÂà Âyapëya sect descended from the VibhajyavÃÂdins.
Xuanzang and Yijing note small fragments of the KÃÂà Âyapëya sect still in existence around the 7th century, suggesting that much of the sect may have adopted the MahÃÂyÃÂna teachings by this time.
In the 7th century CE, Yijing grouped the Mahëà ÂÃÂsaka, Dharmaguptaka, and KÃÂà Âyapëya together as sub-sects of the SarvÃÂstivÃÂda, and stated that these three groups were not prevalent in the "five parts of India," but were located in the some parts of Oá¸Âá¸ÂiyÃÂna, Khotan, and Kucha.
Between 148 and 170 CE, the Parthian monk An Shigao came to China and translated a work which describes the color of monastic robes (Skt. kÃÂá¹£ÃÂya) utilised in five major Indian Buddhist sects, called Da Biqiu Sanqian Weiyi (Ch. 大æ¯Âä¸Âä¸ÂÃ¥ÂÂå¨ÂÃ¥ÂÂ). Another text translated at a later date, the à ÂÃÂriputraparipá¹ÂcchÃÂ, contains a very similar passage corroborating this information. In both sources, members of the KÃÂà Âyapëya sect are described as wearing magnolia robes. The relevant portion of the MahÃÂsÃÂá¹Âghika à ÂÃÂriputraparipá¹Âcchàreads: "The KÃÂà Âyapëya school are diligent and energetic in guarding sentient beings. They wear magnolia robes."
In Vasumitra's history SamayabhedoparacanaÃÂakra, the Haimavatas (KÃÂà Âyapëyas) are described as an eclectic school upholding doctrines of both the Sthaviras and the MahÃÂsÃÂá¹Âghikas.
According to the KathÃÂvatthu commentary, the KÃÂà Âyapëyas believed that past events exist in the present in some form.
According to A. K. Warder, the KÃÂà Âyapëya school held the doctrine that arhats were fallible and imperfect, similar to the view of the SarvÃÂstivÃÂdins and the various MahÃÂsÃÂá¹Âghika sects. They held that arhats have not fully eliminated desires, that their "perfection" is incomplete, and that it is possible for them to relapse.
Some tentatively attribute the GÃÂndhÃÂrë Dharmapada to the KÃÂà Âyapëya school.
An incomplete translation of the Saá¹Âyukta ÃÂgama (T. 100) that is in the Chinese Buddhist canon is believed to be that of the KÃÂà Âyapëya sect. This text is different from the complete version of the Saá¹Âyukta ÃÂgama (T. 99), which came from the SarvÃÂstivÃÂda sect.