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When starting a more in-depth study of the Dharma from a Mahayana and Vajrayana perspective, what are the core (3 most recommended) Sutras (or texts), and the reasons why they are considered important, to have on your reading list in each of those traditions?

Devindra
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I think your question is much larger than can be answered with just three texts. Mahāyāna is not one thing, it is many Prajñāpāramitā, Madhyamaka, Pure Land, Yogacāra, Chan/Zen, Huayen etc. Similarly Vajrayāna is not one thing either.

For the Mahāyāna a comprehensive guide would have dozens of texts. At a minimum:

  • Aṣṭasāhasrikā Prajñāpāramitā Sūtra
  • Mulamadhyamikākārikā śastra
  • Abhidharmakośabhāsya śāstra
  • Yogacārabhumi Sāstra
  • Sukhāvativyūha Sūtra (x2)
  • Sūtra of Huineng
  • Saddharmapuṇḍarikā Sūtra
  • Avataṃsaka Sūtra

For Vajrayāna the situation is different. Tantras cannot be read on their own. For Shingon the two main texts are

  • Mahāvairocana Sutra (aka Mahāvairocana Abhisaṃbodhi Tantra)
  • Vajraśekhara Sutra (aka Sarvatathāgata-tattvasaṃgraha)

A good introduction can be found in Kūkai: Major Works by Yoshito Hakeda. Tibetan Tantra includes many more texts, such as:

  • Guhyasamāja Tantra
  • Hevajra Tantra
  • Kālacakra Tantra

But most teaching is done through commentaries. Many of these texts cannot be understood without a commentary. Some of them require specific initiations.

Crab Bucket
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Jayarava
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    Thanks for this. Great first post! Welcome to the site Jayarava. Look here put together by @Robin111 for some tips and suggestions for using the site. – Devindra Aug 15 '15 at 11:15
  • I remember you :) – Andriy Volkov Aug 15 '15 at 13:16
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    Welcome, Jayarava! Hope you stick around! –  Aug 16 '15 at 16:17
  • We'll see how my contributions are received. – Jayarava Aug 16 '15 at 18:30
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    They're good contributions. Welcome. And thank you, I see you've been finding and answering previously-unanswered questions. You seem to know how to use StackExchange already even though you're a new user. Perhaps you've noticed that the site is designed less for discussion/dialog and more for simple Q&A. One way in which answers are received is with votes (explained e.g. here and here). – ChrisW Aug 17 '15 at 07:10
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    IMO if your answers aren't more highly upvoted than they are, that's because they are expert-level answers which many other users aren't able to confirm (i.e. upvote) using their own knowledge. Nevertheless I hope you're assured that your answering is welcome here. I also note that you have been answering questions about Mahayana texts, which not very many other people on this site have been expert at answering: so twice-welcome. You may (please) post on the meta-site if you have any questions (or suggestions) about how this site functions. – ChrisW Aug 17 '15 at 07:19
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    Can I also add a belated welcome to the site. I'm browsing your answers now and they are really helpful and put an academic slant on some of the harder questions which I think we lack. Also personally i notice you are part of Triratna. So am I (mitra in Leeds) so it's especially good to bump into you on the site. Welcome and thanks for your contributions so far. – Crab Bucket Aug 17 '15 at 11:27
  • Thanks for the welcoming comments. My views are not always welcomed by more traditionalist Buddhists, but I do base what I say on years of studying Buddhist texts. I've been a Buddhist for 21 years now. – Jayarava Aug 17 '15 at 11:46
  • Personally, I'd ditch Huineng for the Lotus Sutra. You'd end up hitting more traditions. I also think you might be a little Yogacara heavy. The Vasubandhu alone is like four books! In addition to the tantras, I also think you should mention the koan collections like the Hekiganroku and the Mumokan. After all, they fill a similar canonical place for Zen as the tantras do for Vajrayana. All in all, though, great list! –  Aug 17 '15 at 15:29