The way the author portrait the origin of Mahayana is an eye opener to me: "pointing to a path which circled back to the beginning".
After the passing away of the hero and his followers who reached the oasis, the enthusiasm to reach the oasis began to fade away. Contrary to the hero’s advice of “one should leave the desert without any delay,” some of his later followers began saying, “We will also become a hero in a distant future rebirth. That is a greater going than this lower going shown by the hero.” They went on to establish another sign post called “greater going”—with a different set of instructions—pointing to a path which circled back to the beginning. Many lazy followers gathered around this new sign saying, “We will also reach the oasis with a future hero.”