A transgression? (on Tolstoy and ahimsa)

[Jan E.M. Houben]

I thank those who reacted to my queries regarding "Tolstoy and ahimsa",
especially Yarosslav Vassilkov for his elaborate clarifications.
My source regarding the Buddhist influence on Tolstoy (Eric Hoogcarspels
question) was the one mentioned in my original posting, The Oriental
Renaissance of Raymond Schwab, 1984 (originally in French, 1950), chapter 22 on
Russian Orientalism and Nonviolence. On p. 451 a Markovitch is quoted:
"Although he turned towards the Gospels in the end, his was a Christianity
underpinned by the great Hindu doctrines, confirmed by the Buddha, from which
he drew." It is further said that, when Tolstoy had to be hospitalized at the
age of nineteen, a Buddhist lama "whose conversations he found edifying"
happened to be in the bed next to him. A more detailed answer was provided by
John Richards in his posting of 4 Feb 1998 07:57:39.
JH