Complex sentence: Much to his surprise he is told that he is to be initiated into the group's inner ring and begins a bizarre program of training intended to cultivate absolute objectivity by relegating emotion to the status of a chemical phenomenon.
Split into simpler sentences: Much to his surprise he is now told that he is to be initiated into the group's inner ring. In preparation for this and begins a bizarre program of training intended to cultivate absolute objectivity by relegating emotion to the status of a chemical phenomenon.