Hello,

> I have found some information about dhamma which I thought would be of some
> use to the present discussion.
>
> 1. A book on the subject is John Ross Carter, Dhamma. Discusses the concept
> from every conceivable angle.

The link to article by John Ross Carter is the first one given in the
reference I posted recently:

http://www.lioncity.net/buddhism/index.php?showtopic=20247

'Jiva' is originally a Jain term. Thus by mentioning 'jiva' Buddha
referred to Jain (Niggantha) beliefs of his time.

"In Hinduism and Jainism, a jiva is the immortal essence of a living
being, subject to maya. A jiva that is free of maya, i.e. is not tied
to a body or earthly existence in any way, is called ãtmã .
The vedic concept of jiva is analogous, but by no means identical, to
the concept of soul as presented in abrahamic religions, and the
Sanskrit word "jiva" is therefore best left untranslated."

See: http://www.economicexpert.com/a/Jiva.htm

With metta, Dmytro