What are the core Mahayana and Vajrayana Sutras?
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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.
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