Table of Contents

Preface 1. The Problem of Action 2. Action and Origins in the Vedas, the Upanisads, and the Samkhya Karika 3. Primacy of Mind According to the Upanisads, the Yoga and Lankavatara Sutras, and the Yogavasistha 4. Effort in theMahabharata and the Yogavasistha 5. Karma and Creativity Appendix 1: A Translation of Mahabharata XIII:6 Appendix 2: Three Chapters from the Mumuksuprakaranam of the Yogavasistha Notes Bibliography Glossary and Index of Sanskrit Terms General Index

About the Author

Christopher Chapple is Assistant Professor of Theology at Loyola Marymount University, Los Angeles.

Reviews

"This book deals with the Indian experience of karma in a fresh way--yet one which is in harmony with the tradition. Too often karma is simply dismissed by both Western and Indian readers as 'fate' or determinism. By stressing the 'creativity' aspect of karma, and tracing it from the RVeda through the Upanis, SamYogavasis and the Gita, a clear vision of karma as non-deterministic is presented. This is a welcome redress to the stress on karma as deterministic presented in earlier treatments of Hinduism." -- Harold G. Coward, University of Calgary "A gentle, original, synthetic theological examination of some of the central concerns of the Hindu tradition." -- Harvey P. Alper, Southern Methodist University