Alexander Mayer

Alexander Mayer is an Associate Professor in the Department of East Asian Languages and Cultures at the University of Illinois' College of Liberal Arts & Sciences. He holds cross-appointments in Religion, Medieval Studies, and the Center for East Asian and Pacific Studies. His academic foundation includes a Habilitation from the University of Heidelberg (1999), a PhD in Chinese Studies (1989), and an MA (1985) from the University of Tübingen.

Mayer's research examines Chinese Buddhism through multiple lenses:

• Intellectual history of Buddhist traditions
• Biographical literature and 7th-century personhood representations
• Sutra exegesis and commentary traditions
• Yogācāra philosophy and textual transmission

His courses include RLST 132 (Zen) and RLST 484 (Buddhist Meditation).

Publications (2003-2017) demonstrate consistent focus on Buddhist textual analysis:

• Translations and studies of key commentaries (Cheng Weishi Lun)
• Critical engagement with Yogācāra phenomenology
• Historical-biographical work on figures like Xuanzang
• Cultural interpretations of sacred landscapes