/lit/ - Literature

I'm having a hard time determining if I should follow the Theravada or Mahayana (including Vajrayana/Dzogchen) path. Is there comparative literature that can help me make an informed decision? I already know the concrete differences between the two branches but am drawn to aspects of both.

>Here are the blessed Arhants of the Buddha, they devoted their whole lives to the Dhamma and they will happily reach nibbana because the current Buddha will delay his death until they perfect his teaching
>Ackshually it turns out the Arhants did not master the Dhamma and they reached an inferior state of nibbana
>Akshually the true Buddha is a trinity of bodies and the Mahayana sutras were revealed through the universal body of the Buddha
>But if you chant this mantra 10000000 times, you can obtain the final nirvana and become a buddha here and now, yes I meant YOU, you are better than these pious disciples!
Why are Mahayanas so retarded and why do their doctrinal retcons reach astronomical levels of autism? How can anyone take Mahayana seriously after reading the Pali Canon?