1. My Childhood

Born in 1897 in the small village of Rerukana, Sri Lanka, the author grew up in a pious family as the eldest of six siblings. His formal education ended after the second grade, which he admitted to passing only by copying a classmate's slate. In 1906, a visiting Burmese monk inspired his father, leading to the author's ordination and a subsequent journey to Burma in 1908 to study the Dhamma.