[Buddha-l] seeking a history of the origins of karma, reincarnation, samsara

[Richard Hayes]

On Apr 21, 2010, at 4:56 PM, Barnaby Thieme wrote:

> Can anyone recommend a good historical analysis in English about the origins of the doctrines of karma, reincarnation, and samsara in India? Not exclusively (or necessarily) focusing on Buddhism.

By far the best treatment of that topic I have seen is Wilhelm Halfass's entry on karma in the Routledge Encyclopedia of Philosophy. The article is accompanied by a good bibliography that will take you beyond the constraints of an encyclopedia article.

Richard Hayes