Reddit mentions of The Buddha and His Teachings

Here's a link to an updated version

A list of contributors:

Ajahn Chah, Pema Chödrön, The Second Dalai Lama, Dogen, S.N. Goenka, Dainin Katagiri, Hakuyu Taizan Maezumi, Milerepa, Padmasambhava, Reginald Ray, Shunryu Suzuki, Nyanaponika Thera, Thich Nhat Hanh, Chögyam Trungpa, Bhikkhu Bodhi, and Burton Watson.

EDIT: this was my intro to Buddhism, I've read it probably 3 or 4 times, and it explains why I'm a bit of a syncretist.

For introductory books for Zen, I'd recommend Robert Aitken's 'Taking the Path of Zen' (only about 170 pages), and a book you will enjoy reading every few years.

Suzuki Roshi's classic 'Zen Mind, Beginner's Mind' is another book that you will want to keep in your collection, since as you progress in your practice, the book will change with you and give you deeper insights.

I would not recommend diving into the sutras until you have a solid basic understanding of Buddhism, as you will likely just get confused. An exception being The Dhammapada (Sayings of the Buddha), which although it is part of the Khuddaka Nikaya, is quite approachable. It will leave you with questions certainly, but also with a good deal of understanding. I recommend Gil Fronsdal's superb 2005 English translation, which you can actually listen to him reading here: http://www.insightmeditationcenter.org/books-articles/dhammapada/

A general introductory book would also be helpful. 'The Buddha and His Teachings,' Bercholz/Kohn has essays from Zen practitioners, as well as distinguished practitioners from other schools, which can help you to see what approach to learning the dharma you might want to take.

Good luck with your practice!

Before starting on the Tibetan Book of the Dead, you might want a survey book of Buddhism. Although not at all complete, I do think the book The Buddha and His Teaching is a great academic survey covering many foundations of Buddhism including the Buddha's story, Karma, the eightfold path, ego, attachment, and meditation. It mainly follows the Tibetan model in organization: Part 1: Hinayana, Part 2: Mahayana, Part 3: Vajrayana, excluding focus on schools like Zen and Theravada. All in all, though, an excellent read.

There are also a number of contemporary readings that will explain Dharma through a modern lens. What Makes You Not a Buddhist? was recommended to me awhile back.

Also, if you'd like to get to the heart of it, start meditating. You only need 10 minutes a day of basic shamatha and vippasana practice to start becoming a student of your own mind.

Good luck

EDIT: it just dawned on me that Shamatha and Vippasana might be foreign terms to you. You can do a google search, or you can PM me and I'd be happy to help

The Buddha and His Teachings by Samuel Bercholz and Sherab Chodzin Kohn was my first real introduction to Buddhism. It has a great biography of the Buddha and covers the core Buddhist teachings, as well as information on the different schools and traditions that exist in the world.

A great book that I've just finished reading and can't recommend highly enough is Indestructible Truth by Reginald A. Ray, which is a very comprehensive introduction to Tibetan Buddhism's history, theory, practise and philosophy.