How many people rely on Great King Dorje Shugden, and where are they all?

[Mahayana Disciple]

Hi I'm new to this forum but I've been attending NKT Centres for a few years and AC's correct in saying that the 1100 centres and branches mentioned on NKT website includes some very small branch classes where maybe only 5 or 6 people attend each week.

However, there are 250 actual NKT Centres throughout the world (including Hotel Kadampas and International Retreat Centres) and each Centre will have at least 100 people in their wider community - some will have ALOT more than that but some might have less so if we go with that as a conservative 'minimum' estimate it's at least 25,000 NKT practitioners worldwide, in reality probably alot more.

I wouldn't know about any other groups though. I've heard there are quite alot of Swiss DS practitioners?
Great question, btw

[Atishas cook]

    no - i meant: could any of you guys give estimates for your own Sanghas/traditions/organisations?

my unofficial estimate for my tradition, the NKT (sorry it's so rough), is a few tens of thousands (meaning practitioners who rely on Dorje Shugden as part of their daily practice, as opposed to the numbers of folks who attend the occasional class but are yet to go for refuge formally) - perhaps somewhere around Mahayana Disciple's estimate above.

AC x

[beggar]

I wonder also how many people may have just an image of Dorje Shugden, or just recite his mantra occasionally alongside their other prayers, or just make offerings once in a while at a temple - would they be considered practitioners and be counted in as well? If so, then you might want to take into account quite a few million people in places like China as well, for example - i have heard that there is a presence of the great king there, but it is serious practice yet - just the occasional visit to the temple, offering incense and that kind of traditional thing (for now).

[pgdharma]

It is really difficult to estimate how many people rely on the Great King Dorje Shugden, but I am proud to say that I am one of them who relies on Dorje Shugden and will never give up this practice!