KOUN-AN DORU CHIKO DAISHI (Brigitte D'Ortschy) belongs to the 85thgeneration of Shakyamuni Buddha in the lineage of generations through the Indian, Chinese and Japanese masters and patriarchs, and to the 35th generation in the Japanese lineage from Dogen Zenji on until today. She passed on the essence of Zen to the West.
An architect (student of Frank Lloyd Wright), town planner, translator and author, she left Germany in 1963 in order to subject herself to almost 30 years of Zen-training in Japan. As a translator she contributed to the publication of the book The Three Pillars of Zen, 1965. She was the sole translator of this book into German (Die drei Pfeiler des Zen, 1969/72).
As a Zen master and Dharma successor of Hakuun Ryoku Yasutani Roshi she lead her Zendo in Munich during the summer practice periods from 1975 on until her death in 1990. She is regarded as the first Zen master in the West. She always talked with deep reverence of her three masters Daiun Sogaku Harada Roshi, Hakuun Ryoku Yasutani Roshi and Yamada Kyozo Koun Roshi.
Her original translations and "Dharma talks" (Teisho) which she gave during
intensive periods of practice (Sesshin) are now being made available to the
general public in the form of CD, MP3, DVD and printed texts in the German
language.
In this website the complete "HEKIGAN ROKU" and "MUMON-KAN" are introduced, each of them with corresponding MP3-CDs.
In the following a selected bibliography of her extensive work is presented. These and other texts are intended for publication in the near future:
- more koan translations: Denko-Roku, Shoyu-Roku, Sosan-no hanashi, Go-I
- Hakuin Zenji Zazen Wasan
- "Dharma talks" about Christian Feasts
- Exegesis of the Bible
- Platform Sutra of the 6th patriarch
- Shobogenzo Texts
- Meditation Instructions
- Diaries and Essays
- Correspondence with a Carthusian Friar, DOM Marianus Marck / Friedrich Alfred
Prinz von Sachsen-Meiningen, 1921-1997, over a Period of 15 Years
- Memorials and Quotations
At some stage in the future, the whole range of manuscripts will be translated into the English language so that they will be available to a much wider audience.
On
this DVD-Video one can see the last 5 Teisho of her earthly life during the
Sesshin in Sept./Oct. 1989. This first and last video footage is a precious
treasure that is preserved on a copy of the original recording.
The corresponding manuscripts are also included along with many photos (80 pages) .
In the Dharma succession line of SHAKYAMUNI-BUDDHA (565-487 BC) KOUN-AN DORU CHIKO Daishi (Brigitte D'Ortschy) became the 85th successor in the lineage, while in the Japanese transmission line of Dogen- Zenji she inherited the Dharma as the 35th successor.
KOUN-AN Roshi was a member of the Zen school SANBO KYODAN.
SANBO KYODAN (lit. transl.: 'Community of the Three Treasures - Buddha, Dharma, Sangha') is a relatively young Zen-school founded on the 8th of January 1954 by YASUTANI HAKU-UN Roshi who was the Dharma successor of HARADA DAI-UN Roshi (a master of the Rinzai school). YASUTANI Roshi combined the koan practice of the Rinzai school with the teachings of the Soto school introduced from China to Japan by Dogen-Zenji (1200-1253). In his new school he brought together the most important elements of both schools, that is the experience of enlightenment on the one hand and the integration of this experience into daily life on the other. He adjusted his new school in such a way that modern life could be accommodated and as a result new opportunities were created for laypeople to engage in monastic practice without actually becoming a monk or nun as such.
In
1950 YAMADA KO-UN Roshi received the Buddhist Vows from HARADA DAI-UN Roshi
and on that occasion he met YASUTANI HAKU-UN Roshi for the first time. After
having completed his Zen training under ASAHINA SOGEN Roshi at the Engakuji
Temple in Kamakura and under HANAMOTO KANZUI Roshi at Mokusenji in Ofuna,
YAMADA KO-UN Roshi became the disciple of YASUTANI Roshi. He was later to
become the Dharma successor of YASUTANI HAKU-UN.
In 1967 YAMADA KO-UN Roshi was appointed Zen master (Shoshike). He, together with his wife Dr. YAMADA KAZUE MYO-EN Daishi, then built the SAN-UN-ZENDO (that is 'The Zendo of the Three Clouds) in Kamakura. In Japanese 'SAN' meaning 'three', 'UN' 'clouds' - representing Harada, Yasutani and Yamada.
The SAN-UN-ZENDO is the central Dojo of the SANBO KYODAN School.
In
1963, shortly after her arrival in Japan, the architect Brigitte D'Ortschy
met YASUTANI HAKU-UN for the first time and in April 1964 she commenced her
Zen practice in the "Fukusho-ji" in Tokyo and in the "Mokuso-in"
in Kamakura. She lived in Kamakura and in addition to her lecturing in the
department of German at the Waseda- and Yokohama- University she gave a great
many guest lectures (architecture and philosophy of religion) at other universities
and institutes. She also worked as journalist, translator and writer. During
this period of time she subjected herself to the koan training which she completed
on the 24th of November 1972. On the 28th of October in 1973 she received
the Hassansai ceremony.
In 1964 Brigitte D'Ortschy also met Philip Kapleau who was working on his book "The Three Pillars of Zen" (1965) and she designed the cover of this book. At the same time she started translating it into the German language. While doing so she decided to retranslate into English the old original Zen-texts which had been partly transmitted in Kanbun. She then translated them into German. YAMADA KOUN Roshi and YASUTANI HAKU-UN Roshi helped and advised her in the translating process. Philip Kapleau conveyed to her his explicit approval and grateful appreciation for her new translations of the old primary text sources as well as for her suggestions for revisions of the English editions to follow. Eventually, in 1969, the German version of his book, "Die drei Pfeiler des Zen", was published for the first time.
Under the pseudonym of "Michael Müller" she wrote a Teisho about the koan "MU" from the koan collection "Mumon-Kan" and compiled the text of the book "ZEN" (1984, 1997) with pictures by Eberhard Grames published by Ellert & Richter.
(In 2001 the www.wolkenverlag.de began publishing her translations of all the koan collections that were prescribed by YASUTANI HAKUUN Roshi for the completion of her Zen practice, as well as her respective Teisho. Additional translations of the core texts of Buddhist literature and her own extensive Christian and Buddhist writings are being published.)
On the 1st of February 1983 YAMADA KO-UN Roshi formally
confirmed Brigitte D'Ortschy as an authentic Zen master (Shoshike) of the
SANBO KYODAN school and she inherited his Dharma.
YASUTANI HAKU-UN Roshi bestowed on her the Dharma name KO-UN AN DORU CHIKO Roshi (KO = shining, beaming, radiant, UN = cloud, AN = hermitage, title for female Zen master, DORU = clearing away, to wash, to flow, CHIKO = light of wisdom, ROSHI = old master).
From 1972 onwards she led the first series of Sesshin in Germany together with YAMADA KO-UN Roshi and in 1975 she established her own Zendo in Munich and in 1982 Grünwald near Munich.
Until her death in 1990 Koun An Roshi spent the winter
months in Kita-Kamakura in her Hanare (garden house). With the assistance
of YAMADA KO-UN at the SAN-UN Zendo she kept translating essential Zen texts
fundamental to the understanding of Zen-Buddhism (i.e. 'The Sutra spoken from
the High Seat by the Sixth Patriarch', 'Sosan no hanashi', ..) as well as
koan texts. From the spirit of the universality of genuine, true expression
emerged her own extensive writings, among them the famous exchange of letters
between 'East' and 'West'. Right through that time she relentlessly continued
to subject herself to Zen training. (A publication with the title "The
secret Zen teaching" containing excerpts from an exchange of letters
(comprising about 3000 pages) with a Carthusian monk (DOM Marianus Marck /
Friedrich Alfred Prinz von Sachsen-Meiningen) is expected to be published
in 1-2 years. Similarly, Teisho about Christian themes are being compiled
for publication.)
After the death of YAMADA KO-UN Roshi in 1989, KUBOTA JI-UN Roshi became the 3rd abbot of the SANBO KYODAN line. He was a disciple of YASUTANI HAKU-UN Roshi under whom he had commenced his Zen training in 1949. In 1983 he had been confirmed as Zen master (Shoshike) of the SANBO KYODAN. He was holding the position as 3rd abbot until 2004.
In the year 2004, the son of YAMADA KO-UN, YAMADA RYO-UN Roshi, followed as the 4th abbot of the SANBO KYODAN.
At the age of 16 years (1956) YAMADA RYO-UN Roshi had become the disciple of YASUTANI HAKU-UN. He completed his koan training in 1978 and became the Dharma successor of his father in 1985. He vigorously continues the Dharma work of his lineage with great success in many countries of the world.
While YASUTANI HAKU-UN Roshi is considered to be the pioneer of Zen in the USA where he traveled a lot, KO-UN AN DORU CHICO DAISHI is viewed to be the first Western Zen master with disciples from all over Europe and USA.
She passed away on the 9th of July 1990 after a short illness.
Brigitte D'Ortschy at Wikipedia: Brigitte
D'Ortschy
Sanbô-Kyôdan Home Page
Zen Buddhism: Sanbo Kyodan Harada-Yasutani School
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