Biography
Brigitte D'Ortschy grew up in Berlin. As a teenager she became intrigued by the reading of Angelus Silesius, Meister Eckhart, Teresa of Avila and Chuang-tzu. She completed her education by studying architecture and engineering in Berlin and Graz. The sociological and psychological aspects of architecture were one of the main fields of her studies. In 1945 she received her diploma in architecture. From 1947 to 1950 Brigitte D'Ortschy worked as a research assistant at the Technical University of Munich in the field of the building history and archaeology. 1950 she accepted an invitation by the Washington State Department and went to the US to gain experiences in urban and regional planning for the rebuilding of postwar Germany. She concluded her graduate studies at the University of North Carolina and worked for the Planning Commission of Philadelphia. During this time she met Frank Lloyd Wright. In 1951 Brigitte D'Ortschy became a founding member of the Bavarian Committee for Urban and Regional Planning. In 1952 she took the initiative to bring the exhibition "60 years of Living Architecture" on the work of Frank Lloyd Wright to Munich. In 1953 Frank Lloyd Wright invited her to work for him in his architectural atelier in Taliesin West (Arizona). Frank Lloyd Wright's concept of "organic architecture" resonated with Brigitte D’Ortschy. It also sharpened her awareness of physical form as "cultural language" and helped her later to grasp the characteristic features of Japanese culture. In 1954, on her return to Europe, she became the coordinator of the German section of the international "Triennale" exhibition in Milano. In the following years she organized exhibitions in Helsingborg (Sweden), Milano, Israel, Berlin and Munich. In addition she did design work, gave lectures, and wrote articles for the trade press. In 1960 she traveled to Israel to prepare the first exhibition about the Art and Craft of Israel in postwar Germany, setting it up in Munich and Berlin. Besides her professional life she engaged in intense discussions and exchange of letters with leading thinkers of her time on the many aspects of science and religious philosophy. During these years she read the book ''Zen and the Art of Archery'' byZen-training and teaching
Shortly after her arrival in Japan Brigitte D'Ortschy met Zen-Master Ryoko Roshi (1885–1973) and in April 1964 she began her rigorous Zen-training under him in the Fukusho-ji in Tokio and in the Mokuso-in in Kamakura. She earned a living as lecturer at the Waseda, Yokohama and Tokio universities, and being an articulate writer, she wrote many articles about traditional Japanese culture and its Zen schools of art. Brigitte D'Ortschy underwent the entire Koan-training which she completed in 1972 when she received Inka Shomei. Yasutani Haku'un Roshi bestowed on her the Dharma name Doru Chiko Daishi and she became his Dharma heir. In 1973Bibliography
Wolkenverlag Munich (www.wolkenverlag.de) now offers free downloads of its publications to date (see list below), all of which are translations, books or essays and articles by Brigitte D'Ortschy, plus already some as yet unpublished original manuscripts, i.e. "The 6th Patriarch's Rostrum (Platform) Sutra" (Hui-Neng) translated from Japanese into English and German, by Brigitte D'Ortschy. The Wolkenverlag library of free downloads will grow continuously as more essays, articles, teisho, notes and translations are being prepared for upload. Original manuscripts, written in German only, will be translated into English in due time. ;Books with Audio-CD (German) *Mumon Kan (Wu-men-kuan) Mumon Ekai (1183–1260). 1-48. (2001) (Translation from Chinese and Japanese) *Mumon Kan. Teisho 1–4. (2001) *Mumon Kan. Teisho 5–8. (2001) *Mumon Kan. Teisho 9–12. (2002) *Hekigan-Roku (Pi-yen-lu). Master Setcho (980-1052) and Master Engo (1063–1135). *1-100. (2001) (Translation from Chinese and Japanese) *Hekigan-Roku. Teisho 1–4.(2001) *Hekigan-Roku. Teisho 5–8.(2001) *Hekigan-Roku. Teisho 9–12. (2002) *Hekigan-Roku. Teisho 3,4,5,90,91.(2005) *Der Abendliche Spruch. 3 Teisho. (2002) ;MP3 CDs (German) *Mumon Kan Mumon Ekai. 1-48. Translation (2008) *Mumon Kan. Teisho 1-48. (2003) *Mumon Kan. Teisho 1–12. (2004) *Mumon Kan. Teisho 13–30. (2003) *Mumon Kan. Teisho 31–48. (2004) ) *Hekigan-Roku. Teisho 1-54. (2003) *Hekigan-Roku. Teisho 55–100. (2003) *Hekigan-Roku. Teisho 1–12. (2004) *Hekigan-Roku. Teisho 1-54 (2008) *Hekigan-Roku. Teisho 55–68. (2003) *Hekigan-Roku. Teisho 69–82. (2004) *Hekigan-Roku. Teisho 83–93. (2004) ;DVD: Hekigan-Roku. Teisho 3,4,5,90,91. (2005) Electronic publication (English) www.wolkenverlag.de: ''Denko-Roku'' Koan collection, ''Shoyo-Roku'' Koan collection. Translated from Chinese and Japanese into English, by Brigitte D'Ortschy, Koun-An Roshi. www.wolkenverlag.de: ''The Sixth Patriarch's Rostrum Sutra''. Translated from Chinese and Japanese manuscripts into English, by Brigitte D'Ortschy, Koun-An Roshi.Gallery
References
* Schuhmacher, S. 2001. Zen. Hugendubel, München. *Kapleau, Ph. 2000. ''The Three Pillars of Zen''. Anchor Books, New York. *Kapleau, Ph. 2004. ''Die drei Pfeiler des Zen''. Lehre – Übung – Erleuchtung. Barth, München.External links