Question: How many disciples do you have?

Sri Chinmoy: Right now about a thousand students all over the world. These are my actual disciples — those who have outwardly and inwardly accepted me as their spiritual Master. But I also have followers. Followers are those who read my writings and try to get some inspiration and wisdom from my writings. The difference between the followers and the disciples is that the disciples try to follow certain spiritual disciplines regularly. They pray, they concentrate or meditate, they try to follow my advice as sincerely as possible. The followers are not as strict as the disciples. They are also trying to make progress, but in their own way. So altogether I have about a thousand disciples in about fifty Centres all over the world.