Experiencing Life Like a Child – Directly – Not Mitigated by Concepts

A conversation with Christina Lehnherr about studying with Charlotte Selver, the relevance of her work for our lives, the imaginary self that we create, being a householder monk, opportunities and traps in a student-teacher relationship, and about some of the more challenging aspects of Charlotte's personality.

Christina Lehnherr was born 1947 in Zurich, Switzerland where she lived, trained and worked as a physical therapist and as a clinical psychologist. She moved to the US in 1988 to study and practice Zen Buddhism in residence at the San Francisco Zen Center. She was ordained as a priest in 1993 and received Dharma Trans-mission in 2005 by Tenshin Reb Anderson who gave her the Dharma name Kiku Hoetsu (Loom of Emptiness, Dharma Joy). Christina lives with her partner Marsha Angus in Mill Valley. She practices and teaches in Marin County and San Francisco. Christina first studied with Charlotte Selver in the early 80s in Europe and later attended several Sensory Awareness Study Groups at Green Gulch Farm Zen Center near San Francisco.

Supporters of the project can also read the transcript of this interview on the Members Pages.

This interview was conducted by Stefan Laeng-Gilliatt at Christina’s home in Mill Valley, California, on April 18, 2011. *

*These interviews are not only an important source of information for my work on an extensive biography of Charlotte Selver. They are a fascinating collection of voices in their own right of people who's lives have been touched by her. I am collecting these memories for us to learn from and enjoy now and for future students of Sensory Awareness as a source of information and inspiration.