森羅万象(しんらばんしょう)

しんらばんしょう
noun, expression
all things in the universe; all of creation; everything
literary
1. all things in the universe
Everything that exists in the universe, all phenomena and entities without exception.
仏教(ぶっきょう)では森羅万象(しんらばんしょう)は無常(むじょう)であると説(と)く。
Buddhism teaches that all things in the universe are impermanent.
自然(しぜん)は森羅万象(しんらばんしょう)の源(みなもと)である。
Nature is the source of all things in existence.
森羅万象(しんらばんしょう)に命(いのち)が宿(やど)ると信(しん)じられていた。
It was believed that life dwells in all things in the universe.

Etymology

森羅(しんら) (dense, countless things) + 万象(ばんしょう) (myriad phenomena)

  • 森(しん): forest, dense
  • 羅(ら): net, to spread out
  • 万(ばん): ten thousand, myriad
  • 象(しょう): phenomenon, form

The phrase appears in early Chinese Buddhist texts.

Usage

Used in philosophical, religious, or literary contexts to refer to the totality of existence. Common in discussions of Buddhism, Shinto, or nature.

Cultural note

Relates to the Japanese concept of 万物(ばんぶつ) (all things) and the Shinto belief that spirits (神(かみ)) inhabit all natural phenomena.

Similar words

Related Words

Compare: 万物(ばんぶつ) (all things)
Compare: 宇宙(うちゅう) (the universe)
Compare: 天地万物(てんちばんぶつ) (all things in heaven and earth)
general
Added 2026.1.17 13:09 · Revised 2026.10.11 4:52
06000/06149_shinrabanshou