What Tolstoy taught - PDF ( 1913 ) by Bolton Hall

What Tolstoy taught 

What Tolstoy taught ( 1913 ) by Bolton Hall


Anyone may reject Count Tolstoy's teaching: no one can ignore it; his doctrine is dynamic, revolutionary, fatal if false, a message of peace if true. It has made a profound impression upon the world, and it would therefore behove us at least to know exactly what that doctrine is. 

It is strange that, notwithstanding his great popularity and great influence upon thought and feeling, indirect as well as direct, there is no book written by which we can show plain people just what he does teach. I have long been a student of Tolstoy, but only in writing this book did I see, myself, all that Tolstoy taught.

No idea has been, added to the text or modified since that letter was written. The ideas have only been elaborated in order that they may be plain and clear; that they are rightly elaborated is clear from their agreement with the extracts from Tolstoy's other books, which, arranged, as far as may be, in a logical order, form the second part of this volume.

Lest the reader should suspect that I have per- haps softened Tolstoy's dogmatic and unqualified assertions, or arranged his words so as to convey my own thought, I should say that there is much in Tolstoy's writings that I cannot agree with. I recognize that it may well be that he sees much deeper than I. Those who care for my own views will find them in my Life and Love and Peace, form the basis of most of which I am indebted to this great Teacher.

Contents:

PART I
ON LIFE

I The Separate Life 23
II Delusions about Life 29
III Attempts to Explain Life ... 36
IV The Search for Truth .... 43
V The True Law of Life .... 48
VI The Good of Life 54
VII The Life Universal ..'... 62
VIII Desire 69
IX Unity of Our Lives 75
X The Dual Nature 81
XI The Selfish Love 87
XII Animal Love 93
XIII Real Love 98
XIV Love's Sacrifice 104
XV Life is Love 109
XVI The Pursuit OF Happiness . . . nS
XVII The Fear of Death 120
XVIII Life Everlasting 126
XIX The Terror from Ignorance. .133
XX Spiritual Life . . .,1. . . .138
XXI The Real Life I43
XXII The Use of Pain i49
XXIII The Balm for Suffering;. 155
PART II
ON ACTION
I Problems 163
II Religion 171
III The Church 180
IV The School 184
V Art 192
VI Science 205
VII What, then, Must We Do? . . .213
VIII WpMEN and Men 222
IX Alcohol and Tobacco . . . .231
X Government 235
XI A Great Iniquity 241
XII Human Rights 269
Index 277
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