  The initial condition problem of inflation is examined from the perspective
of both spacetime embedding and scalar field dynamics. The spacetime embedding
problem is solved for arbitrary initial spatial curvature Omega, which
generalizes previous works that primarily treat the flat case Omega=1. Scalar
field dynamics that is consistent with the embedding constraints are examined,
with the additional treatment of damping effects. The effects of
inhomogeneities on the embedding problem also are considered. A category of
initial conditions are identified that are not acausal and can develop into an
inflationary regime.
