Sahaj Marg! The SRCM(California-1997) Membership Statistics!

Taken from Alexis' Article: Effectifs: C'etait de l'intox... on Elodie's Blog in France: Pour Que Vive le Sahaj Marg.


The Membership: It was just the MEDICATION talking! ...

Since 2000, one hears everything and anything from Chari, from the SRCM(California-1997) and from others elsewhere. Chari started the ball rolling by claiming that in three short years, to have multiplied by three the SRCM (California-1997) membership in India. The SRCM (California-1997) continued by announcing a membership of 200 to 300,000 abhyasis, others have even mentioned the number 600,000. After all, when one is in excess, why limit oneself ...

In fact, nobody knows exactly where the society's membership is at. Chari, when he is honest with his lieutenants, must resolve to say only that the mission is present in a hundred countries, that it has around 2,600 preceptors with over 50,000 people attending the important ceremonies (bandharas) it organizes. That cannot be denied, but it does not really tells us much!

Fortunately, the more time passes, the more we learn about the mission and the less the intoxicating rumors initiated by Chari can hold for long. Latest example: the SRCM Center, Chennai, headquarters of the Chari Mission (SRCM California-1997). In 1998-99, there were 1,500 contributors and, after a major reorganization effort, it rose to 2,500 the following year with 65 preceptors. Today, it has reached 8,500 people registered and 92 preceptors, or a record of 30% per year, the number of contributors. Except that by the admission of the Mission itself, the abhyasis who regularly attend the Sunday satsangh at Manapakkam are not more than 2,500, or less than 30% of the registered contributors and hence, the need to introduce three people for one single membership attending Sunday satsangh ...

Let us agree on the definitions. For the SRCM, the number of regular practitioners of Sahaj Marg has been estimated in a worldwide census ordered by Chari, because he wanted to better understand the status of his troops. It corresponds to the number of people who attended the satsangh of Sunday April 30, 2008. The registered abhyasis are those who have contributed to the SRCM (California-1997) during the year, knowing that it is a mandatory for anyone who wishes to attend the important ceremonies of the Mission to be a registered member. Finally, people who have been introduced are those who have had the first three introductory sittings (initiation), no one knows if they continued their practice after their "intitiation". Basically, these abhyasis know roughly what the method of Sahaj Marg is and they constitute the "nebula" that revolves around the Mission, and therefore what I call a little lightly: "supporters".

Let us extrapolate to India with the data collected from the Chennai Center. With approximately 1,500 preceptors and at one preceptor for nearly 30 abhyasis, we would therefore get 40 to 45, 000 members, which represent themselves not quite 30% of the genereral contributors. That would mean 140 to 160,000 abhyasis, themselves three times less than those introduced (initiated). The nebula around Sahaj Marg (SRCM California-1997) therefore is 417 to 477,000 people in India.

In the rest of the world, things are somewhat different. And the number of contributors and the number of regular practicants are closer. As for "supporters", in France, they represent 25% of the membership. Extrapolating again. This gives us 10 to 12,000 regulars, 12 to 15,000 contributors and therefore 15 to 19,000 members, including "supporters".

Recapping! Globally, we would therefore have a "nebula" of just under 500,000 people who were introduced to Sahaj Marg (SRCM California-1997) in the world (from 430 to 500,000), with just over 150,000 subscribers (150 to 175,000) and 55,000 regulars practicants (50 to 60,000). But what is an abhyasi? Surely not all those who have been introduced to Sahaj Marg, otherwise I, myself, would be a member. Surely not all the contributors, including Indians, otherwise we would have to count among them those who pay their dues just to attend Chari's birthday party. But surely also, not only those identified at Sunday satsangh. The reality is somewhere between these two figures, between 50 and 175,000 abhyasis. The range is great, but these extrapolations are still much more refined and accurate than all the announcements affected by Chari. It is probably not far below 100,000 abhyasis. This is not so bad, but still far below what we've been led to believe ...

There remains the question of why this brainwashing? And destined for whom? A priori not the detractors! Rather probably for his troops to better galvanize them. Perhaps also for his competitors, including those in India, to better make them believe in his supremacy without sharing the nebula around Sahaj Marg ...

But from this nebula of about 500,000 people, how many have given up on this spiritual path and how many are now close to Kasturi, Navneet, Narayana or others? Chari truly does not keep watch! But do all the others?

Alexis

Addentdum by Alexis, Mar 12, 2009

Our dear SRCM France treasurer, who consults this blog regularly, found it useful to reassure her flock, and perhaps herself a little too ...

So, on March 4, 2009, the day of the publication by elodie of my comments on the contributions, she made the point that 50% of 2008 contributors have paid their 2009 dues. But she immediately called on the preceptors to relaunch their efforts, with new personal calls, such as "to the new members", insisting that to pay the contribution is to show interest in the Mission (and by the same token, in Chari). She also adds and confirms that those involved in local functions have paid their dues, which means that it is not always the case. Besides the old refrain of spreading the payment of the dues over the year, and the possible solutions available on a case by case basis for those experiencing financial difficulties.

In total, a sentence as a reminder of the rules already made. As for the rest of the message on the "relaunching of efforts to collect the contributions", evidence that things are not so obvious this year.

Besides that, there is no word on the part of the local and national split of the contributions, a subject too heated to be addressed at this time?