Uncertainty about Location

This is a reprinting from 2003 of then director Johanna Demetrakas' letter summarizing Eva Wong's visit and recommendations:

Dear SMCLA Members & Friends,

This past weekend marked the beginning of an exciting phase in our search for a new space. Fulfilling the wishes of Sakyong Mipham Rinpoche, expressed during his recent visit to Los Angeles, SCLA extended an invitation to noted k'an-yu (feng-shui) consultant Eva Wong to visit LA and advise us on the intrinsic qualities of the land in our area.

Over the past few years—also at the request of the Sakyong—Eva Wong has visited all of our Shambhala practice centers, and many urban centers as well, and applied the wisdom of her lineages to assess the energies of each site. Eva Wong spent April 4-6 in Los Angeles, looking at topographical maps and driving around various areas accompanied by Council and Search Committee members. On Sunday evening, she gave a public talk and presented her assessment. For those of you who were unable to attend this presentation, the following is a brief summary.

• Traditionally, k'an-yu is used first to select land that has an optimal energetic structure. For example, places with mountain energy are more beneficial for spiritual kinds of practice than water energy sites which are more connected with commercial activities.
• The most ideal areas for mountain energy—and thus for the location of our new Shambhala Center—are south of the San Gabriel Mountains and north of the Hollywood Hills! This would include Glendale and Sherman Oaks and sections of Silver Lake, North Hollywood, Burbank, Studio City, Valley Village and Atwater Village. In this area, Eva Wong pointed out that energy flows off the San Gabriels and then "pools" because the Hollywood Hills trap it and keep it from rushing past toward the ocean.
• The best placement for receiving this mountain energy is to look out from a window of the center and see a particular formation in the high mountains of the San Gabriels that is characterized by two peaks rising between a notch in the mountain ridge.
• The second best arrangement is to be able to step outside the center and see the notch.
• The third best arrangement is to be in the area where the mountain energy "pools"—even if the notch in the mountain cannot be seen.

In her talk, Eva Wong pointed out that for thousands of years the people of the Asian cultures, as well as other cultures, have selected particular places to situate their shrines, monasteries, temples and sacred spaces. These places were not selected arbitrarily. They are where they are for a reason.

We are grateful that the Sakyong sent Eva Wong to us and, in doing so, removed one of our major obstacles to finding a new space—uncertainty about location. We now have a clear idea about the proper placement of our new center and can become more focused in our search. I encourage each of you to learn more about Eva Wong and the teachings of k'an-yu, an ancient practice of feng-shui that literally means "mountain-valley" and is concerned with the study of pathways of energy in various landforms. Her website is www.shambhala.com/fengshui/

Yours in the Vision of Shambhala Buddhism,

Johanna Demetrakas, Director

Marilyn Moore, Council Secretary

Shambhala Meditation Center of Los Angeles