Sahaj Marg India has Fewer than 100,000 Adepts

Translation of an article by Alexis: "Moins de 100,000 Abhyasis en Inde",  on his blog in Europe: Le Projet Sahaj Marg


Feb. 10, 2014

Sahaj Marg has Fewer than 100,000 Abhyasis in India
 
Chari and SRCM had habituated us (intoxicated?) to the idea that there could be as many as 200 to 300,000 abhyasis.  In September 2012, I stood up against this idea by prognosticating some 65,000 contributors for 2007 and 74,000 in 2011!  Here at last, some elements that will make it possible to share the true state of affairs ...

Indeed, under the pretext of sorting the Indian meditation centers according to their size, SRCM has engaged in an extensive survey of  the abhyasis at the end of 2013.  For each center, were identified the total number of holders of a SRCM identity card, the number of participants attending the group Sunday meditation and that of Wednesday.

Results: in the long long list of meditation centers identified (over 2,500), less than 1,300 are open for group meditation on Sunday and 250 of them receive less than 10 people.  The figure of a thousand true centers seems quite correct: nearly 800 of them have less than 50 meditators, a hundred of them between 50 and 100, 65 between 100 and 200, 31 between 200 and 500, 17 between 500 and 1,000 and finally 7 major centers have more than 1,000 participants.

The number of Indian Abhyasis present at Sunday meditation (what I would call the "regular attendees") is 71,000. Those who also participate in the Wednesday (meditation) are only 34,000 (or 48%).  As holders of a SRCM card, there are 94,000 (which is the closest to my category of "contributors" and to the definition of an abhyasi, not necessarily practicing on a regular basis), or 25% more than the Sunday meditators.  It is a long long way from 200 to 300 thousand followers ...

Another revolution in the current preconceived notions: Manapakkam, Chennai and Tamil Nadu come in at the top of abhyasis numbers due to the presence of Chari and the Babuji Memorial ashram? Not so! Andhra Pradesh has nearly a quarter (25%) of the abhyasis, Uttar Pradesh a little over a 1/5th (20%), 1/10th (10%) for Karnataka, etc..  And Tamil Nadu lags far behind with only 5%, or less than 5,000 abhyasis ...

Do not forget that Andhra Pradesh and Uttar Pradesh are the historic strongholds of Babuji, Kasturi and Ragavendra Rao.  The census conducted includes centers where many dissidents of Chari attend. Those who are loyal to him are not so many.
 
In his communications, Chari and SRCM voluntarily confused the abhyasis and their supporters ...




See also (in French):  

- Sahaj Marg in its Indian cradle

- Digital and geographical Importance

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