Jeffrey Liu (劉瑋) is originally from Kaohsiung, Taiwan. He is a PhD candidate in Chinese Buddhism at the University of Arizona. He received his B.A. in International Business from Yuan Ze University, and his M.A. in Buddhist Studies from Fo Guang University. He is also getting a M.A. in GIST (Geographic Information System Technology) at the University of Arizona. Jeffrey is now a junior fellow for the Center for Buddhist Studies.
His dissertation project, titled "The Making of a Sacred Space in Ming Dynasty Hangzhou: A Study of the Buddhist Monastic Gazetteer Wulin Fanzhi," analyzes the making of a sacred space in Ming dynasty (1368-1644) Hangzhou 杭州 by examining how Buddhist temples are constructed as hierophanies (i.e., the manifestation of the sacred). Relying on exploring the genre of Buddhist monastic gazetteers, this research attempts to identify the creation of a sacred space via examining the historiography, social history, and political history of Hangzhou Buddhism recorded in gazetteers. Based on a close investigation of the Wulin Fanzhi, this dissertation builds on methodological concerns in regional studies, sacred geography, and historiography in the study of Chinese Buddhism to illustrate the interdisciplinary nature of gazetteer studies. The goal of this research is to use the genre of gazetteers such as the WF to unveil the creation of the sacred.