In our daily lives, when we hear words like "everything" or "the universe," we usually picture a vast, objective reality out there: galaxies, planets, atoms, and the physical environment we inhabit. But when Buddhism speaks of "everything," it points to something radically different, intimate, and profoundly practical for the sake of liberation.
This concept is 一切法 (Yiqiefa), translated as "All Dharmas" or "All Phenomena." It is the cornerstone of understanding how we construct our world and, consequently, how we can untangle ourselves from its suffering. Let us explore this concept deeply, not as a dry dictionary entry, but as a living framework for awakening.
### 这个概念在说什么 (What is this concept talking about)
To understand 一切法 (All Phenomena), we must look at how it evolves from the earliest teachings to the profound expanses of the Mahayana sutras.
1. The Boundary of Experience (The Agamic Foundation) In the *Samyukta Agama* (雜阿含經), the Buddha gives a breathtakingly precise and exclusive definition of "All Phenomena." He states that it is entirely limited to the sum of a sentient being’s sensory and cognitive experience. It consists strictly of: * The Six Sense Bases (六根): Eye, ear, nose, tongue, body, and mind. * The Six Sense Objects (六境): Form, sound, smell, taste, touch, and mental objects (the latter being called 法境 or 第六諸法 - the sixth class of dharmas). * The Six Consciousnesses (六識): Visual, auditory, olfactory, gustatory, tactile, and mental consciousness. * The Six Contacts (六觸): The coming together of the base, the object, and the consciousness. * Feeling (受): The pleasant, unpleasant, or neutral sensations arising from that contact.
The Buddha explicitly warned that anyone who tries to define "All Phenomena" outside of this perceptual loop is engaging in empty, delusional talk (但有言數). Why? Because a universe independent of your ability to perceive or conceive it is beyond your boundary of lived reality (非其境界故).
2. The Tapestry of Existence (The Prajnaparamita Expansion) As the teachings expand in the *Mahaprajnaparamita Sutra* (摩訶般若波羅蜜經), the scope of "All Phenomena" is categorized into every conceivable facet of existence: wholesome and unwholesome phenomena (善法不善法), worldly and supramundane (世间法出世间法), conditioned and unconditioned (有为法无为法). Yet, the ultimate revelation here is that despite their immense variety, all phenomena share a core nature: they are fundamentally "unobtainable" (不可得) and "empty of inherent characteristics" (自相空). Because they cannot be grasped as independent entities, they are ultimately pure (一切法净).
3. The Illusory Nature (The Ratnakuta Metaphors) If all phenomena are just cognitive events arising from contact, how should we view them? The *Maharatnakuta Sutra* (大寶積經) provides four profound, one-to-one metaphors to describe the nature of 一切法: * Like a dream (如梦): The phenomena feel entirely real and immersive while you are experiencing them, but upon awakening, they leave no tangible trace. * Like an illusion (如幻): Like a magician’s trick (幻师所化), phenomena deceive the senses; they appear to have substance and narrative, yet they are mere projections of conditions. * Like the moon in water (如水月): Phenomena appear localized and bright, drawing our attention, but they are just reflections; you cannot reach into the water and grab the moon. * Like a reflection in a mirror (如镜像): Phenomena have no independent existence; they only appear dependently (缘和合) based on what stands before the mirror of the mind.
### 生活里的走查 (Walkthrough in daily life)
Let us walk through this concept using a very contemporary scenario: lying in bed late at night, endlessly scrolling through short videos on your smartphone.
Step 1: The Encounter (Sense Bases and Objects) Your physical Eye (眼根) meets the glowing pixels of the screen, which is the Visual Object (色境). *Common Mapping Error*: We tend to think "All Phenomena" refers to the physical smartphone, the glass, the microchips, and the servers miles away. But in the Buddhist framework of liberation, the "phenomenon" is *only* the color and light hitting your retina at this exact second.
Step 2: The Spark of Awareness (Consciousness and Contact) Because the eye meets the light, Visual Consciousness (眼识) arises. The triad of eye, screen-light, and visual awareness coming together is Contact (眼触).
Step 3: The Reaction (Feeling) From this contact, a Feeling (受) arises—perhaps a quick hit of pleasant amusement (a dopamine rush) from a funny video.
Step 4: The Mental Proliferation (Mind Base and Mental Objects) Now, your Mind (意根) takes that visual data and interacts with a Mental Object (法境 / 第六諸法)—the *idea* or *concept* of the video. Your Mental Consciousness (意识) arises, judging it: "This is hilarious, I should send this to my friend."
Applying the Metaphors: In this moment, the entire world of the video feels incredibly real. But look closer: it is like a dream (you lose track of time, absorbed in a narrative that vanishes when you swipe up), like an illusion (the people on screen aren't really in your room, it's just a trick of pixels), like the moon in water (you feel an emotional bond with an influencer, but it's a completely ungraspable reflection), and like a mirror image (the algorithm reflects your own past clicks and desires back at you).
The tragedy is that we grasp at these digital ghosts as if they are solid, objective realities, generating endless craving and exhaustion.
### 当代人为什么需要它 (Why do contemporary people need it)
Contemporary life is defined by information overload and material exhaustion. We are constantly chasing "things" out there—status, wealth, the perfect lifestyle—believing them to be objective realities we must conquer.
Understanding 一切法 radically shifts our center of gravity. It tells us that the "world" is not a heavy, solid thing crushing us from the outside; it is an ongoing, fragile event happening at the intersection of our senses and consciousness.
We might draw a loose analogy to contemporary neuroscience or cognitive science, which suggests our brains are essentially enclosed in darkness, creating "predictive simulations" of the outside world based on electrical sensory inputs. However, we must be careful: science stops at describing the biological mechanism. The Buddha’s teaching goes much further. It says that because the world is constructed in this dependent, illusory way, we do not have to be bound by it. By practicing the Four Foundations of Mindfulness (四念处) observing the body, feelings, mind, and dharmas—we transform these phenomena from sources of entanglement into the very objects of meditative insight.
We need this concept to realize that the anxiety of modern life is "unobtainable" (不可得). By recognizing phenomena as dependently originated (一切法無入，但說緣和合), we can finally stop fighting ghosts, let go of grasping (不著一切法), and reach the shores of liberation (一切法彼岸).
### 常见误读与澄清 (Common misunderstandings and clarifications)
Misunderstanding 1: Translating "Dharma" (法) simply as "Buddhist Teachings." When reading sutras, many contemporary readers see "All Dharmas" (一切法) and assume it means "all the teachings of the Buddha." *Clarification*: While "Dharma" capitalized often refers to the Buddha's path, in the context of *Yiqiefa*, the word *dharma* means "phenomenon" or "thing" (literally: that which holds its own mark). It encompasses everything you can experience: a tree, a headache, a joyful thought, the sound of traffic, and a mathematical equation.
Misunderstanding 2: "All phenomena are unobtainable" means nothing exists (Nihilism). Because the sutras say all phenomena are empty, like illusions, and essentially markless (皆悉無相), people mistakenly believe Buddhism teaches that the world is a giant void and nothing matters. *Clarification*: Emptiness does not mean non-existence. The *Ratnakuta Sutra* clarifies that phenomena arise through dependent origination (缘和合). The video on your phone *does* appear, and the laugh it triggers *does* happen. It is just that they lack a permanent, independent, solid core. They are "unobtainable" precisely because they are in constant, fluid motion. To see all phenomena as empty is not to become dead to the world, but to engage with it fully, playfully, and compassionately, without the heavy burden of attachment. It is the realization that "All Dharmas are the Buddha Dharma" (一切諸法悉歸佛法), pointing us directly toward awakening.