Abstract
<jats:p>The purpose of the study is to identify the peculiarities of the mental state of the protagonist of the novella “The Death of Ivan Ilyich” in the “threshold” situation of transition from earthly attachment to death. The article establishes and reveals the religious foundation that served Leo Tolstoy as a value-based perspective in depicting the inner transformation of the protagonist before his death. Scientific originality lies in the fact that for the first time the protagonist’s liberation from the fear of death is understood in the context of two religious and philosophical traditions, Russian and Indian. As a result of the research, firstly, it was established that Leo Tolstoy, when solving a thanatological problem, refers both to the Old and New Testament experience of understanding death as transfiguration, and to the spiritual practices of Hinduism and Buddhism, in the light of which death is perceived as liberation. Secondly, specific sources have been identified that influenced Leo Tolstoy’s conceptualization of death: the Paschal Homily of St. John Chrysostom on the ontological victory over death and the spiritual sermons of the books of the Upanishads. Thirdly, it is proved that in his later period Tolstoy moved towards religious syncretism, through which he sought to establish universal spiritual values that bring all people of the earth closer together.</jats:p>