The Universe in One Atom: Science and Spirituality in the Service of the World. 2. My encounter with science
I was born into a simple peasant family. My parents used yaks to plow the fields, and later, when the grain was ripe, the same yaks threshed the ears with their hooves. Probably the only objects in the world of my early childhood that were related to technology were rifles, which local warlike nomads brought from British India, and perhaps even from Russia or China. At the age of six, I was enthroned as the fourteenth Dalai Lama in the Tibetan capital of Lhasa and began studying all aspects of Buddhism. I had personal tutors who gave me daily lessons in reading, writing and the basics of Buddhist philosophy; under their guidance, I memorized various texts and rituals. There were also several tsenshabs always near me , which literally translates as “philosophy assistant.” Their first priority was to hold debates with me on various topics of Buddhist philosophy. In addition, I had to take part in hours-long prayer rituals and learn meditative concentration. Under the guidance of my mentors, I went on long retreats and did two-hour meditations four times a day. This is how the training of a high reincarnation lama usually takes place in the Tibetan tradition. But I did not receive any knowledge in the field of mathematics, geology, chemistry, biology or physics and did not even know about the existence of these sciences.