Individual and Universal Self from the Point of View of Buddhist Philosophy Regarding the Interpretations of Leo Tolstoy’s Reasons for Leaving Home

Abstract

The development of Buddhist thought is characterized by the existence of many schools and a variety of approaches while maintaining ideological integrity. The doctrine of no-self (Skt. anātman) is considered one of the key tenets of the Buddhist worldview. However, this idea needs significant clarification. Due to the fact that initially the Buddha’s sermons did not contain dogmatic principles, but were addressed to different people in relation to different circum­stances, the doctrine of anātman received many interpretations – from the com­plete denial of the Self to the consideration of the individual Self as a “small self”, which must be harmonized with the “universal self”. The article examines the differences in understanding of the Self, in particular conceptions about the individual and “universal self” using the example of reflections on the rea­sons for Leo Tolstoy’s escape from his home, put forward by thinkers who expressed the points of view of various branches of Buddhism – Hinayana and the Far Eastern schools of Mahayana. The author focuses on the fact that Buddhism carries enormous potential for the development of philosophical thought, since its very basis contains a polemical impulse and the possibility of discussing problems at different levels with the involvement of heterogeneous cultural and historical experience