Choose a couple of these and read them; you can also find numerous commentaries by just Googling the name of the sutta

• Sattipatthana Sutta: Pali for "Swiss Army knife." Okay, not really, but this single sutta encompasses an incredibly elaborate framework that, for example, Analayo has already written three books on (as well as teaching a hugely oversubscribed 12 week course on], and we sense he is just getting started. It's also foundational to the entire Insight approach. https://www.accesstoinsight.org/tipitaka/mn/mn.010.than.html
• Anapanasati Sutta: Mindfulness of Breathing. In terms of Theravada practice, probably second only to the above. https://www.accesstoinsight.org/tipitaka/mn/mn.118.than.html
• Dhammacakkappavattana Sutta: Setting the Wheel of Dhamma in Motion. Nominally the Buddha's first sermon after his enlightenment; more likely a masterpiece of public-relations during the early institutionalization of Buddhism as a religion https://www.accesstoinsight.org/tipitaka/sn/sn56/sn56.011.than.html
• Kalama Sutta. Which we may be misinterpreting as a beautiful exposition of modern individualistic rationalism when it isn't. https://www.accesstoinsight.org/tipitaka/an/an03/an03.065.than.html

  Bikkhu Bodhi's commentary: https://www.accesstoinsight.org/lib/authors/bodhi/bps-essay_09.html

• Karaniya Metta Sutta: we'll get more into metta next week but the interesting point is how different this is than the Vishuddhamagga version. https://www.accesstoinsight.org/tipitaka/kn/snp/snp.1.08.amar.html
• Dhammapada: almost certainly one of the earlier works, eloquent, and decidedly easier to read, as it is essentially a list of proverbs organized by topics. https://www.accesstoinsight.org/tipitaka/kn/dhp/dhp.intro.budd.html
• Bahiya Sutta: https://www.accesstoinsight.org/tipitaka/kn/ud/ud.1.10.than.html
• Sallatha Sutta: The two arrows. https://www.accesstoinsight.org/tipitaka/sn/sn36/sn36.006.than.html<
• Abhaya Sutta: To Prince Abhaya: Right speech.https://www.accesstoinsight.org/tipitaka/mn/mn.058.than.html
• Dana Sutta: I don't expect anyone to read this but as former treasurer… https://www.accesstoinsight.org/tipitaka/an/an07/an07.049.than.html

Commonly encountered Mahayana sutras

• Lotus Sutra: Lion's Roar commentary by Donald S. Lopez: https://www.lionsroar.com/what-happens-in-the-lotus-sutra-unpacking-the-events-in-this-famous-buddhist-scripture/
• Diamond Sutra: commentary by Thich Nhat Hanh: https://plumvillage.org/sutra/the-diamond-that-cuts-through-illusion/
• Heart Sutra: Lion's Roar commentary by Karl Brunnholzl: https://www.lionsroar.com/the-heart-sutra-will-change-you-forever/

Link to slides from talk (PDF)

Other resources

• Analayo. Satipatthana. (2013) [this is the first of what I now believe are four books by Analayo on the sutta itself and meditation based on it]
• S.N. Goenka. Satipatthana Sutta. (1998) [earlier treatment by another major figure in modern Theravada]
• Gil Fronsdal. The Buddha before Buddhism: Wisdom from the Early Teachings (2016). Fronsdal's translation and commentary on the Atthakavagga, or Book of Eights, in all likelihood some of the earliest Buddhist texts, much of this prior to the later institutionalization of Buddhism
• Bikkhu Bodhi. In the Buddha's Words (2005) [a decidedly more digestible version of a number of core suttas from the Pali Canon, with extensive commentary, though also gives a good flavor of the complexity of many of the originals, and I don't mean "complexity" in a good way]
• Web based compendium of suttas in English translation with commentaries: https://www.accesstoinsight.org/tipitaka/: Primarily Thanisarro Bhikkhu