Tolstoy's Reading of Eastern Traditions

Tolstoy's deep engagement with the New Testament does ultimately result in some beliefs that when expressed in a certain way would seem very Eastern. In one of our lectures for War and Peace, we broke down the Lord's Prayer which we get from Jesus during the Sermon on the Mount. And this is like expressing intent, thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven. So we look around at this earthly realm, and we see all this heartache and trauma and pain. But yet there is a heavenly realm within us. This prayer is appealing to the Lord of that realm which is within us," writes Tolstoy.