Is Mahayana Buddhism a form of idealism? Do Mahayana Buddhists believe that the whole world and all objects are created by the mind? For example, my friend and I see a train. Do I and my friend see the same train?
Tell me if it is correct to say that Mahayana Buddhists believe that the people they see in front of them have consciousness and sensations (individual mindstreams) and exist independently of the imagination of Buddhists, but all of us and our whole world are dependent on all people and their minds, that is, we co-create our world together?
And what about the Yogacara school, which is considered idealism?
Mahayana Buddhists do NOT believe that the whole world and all objects are literally created by the mind.
Yogacara and especially Mahayana is not a form of subjective idealism, that's a popular urban myth/misunderstanding.
&quot;the people they see in front of them have consciousness and sensations (individual mindstreams)&quot; - yes of course.
&quot;but all of us and our whole world are dependent on all people and their minds, that is, we co-create our world together&quot; - maybe but that's beside the point.
The way I would put the mainstream Mahayana view is: each person's subjective reality is a projection of their mind which in turn is a result of their background and choices. Different backgrounds&amp;choices give rise to different minds which project different subjective realities. Subjective realities overlap to the extent the backgrounds/choices/minds are alike.
Your friend and you see similar trains to the extent your minds are alike. To the extent your backgrounds are different you will pay attention to different aspects of the train, your interpretations will differ etc. - to that extent your respective trains will be unique.