[StivRichardOff]

While I was writing my previous post, I remembered, "Who sees me, sees the Dhamma. Who sees the Dhamma, sees me (i.e., to reach liberation through the Buddha is precisely the same as to reach it through the Dhamma, or, for me, the Canon)." But, you are right, Kaarine, it is better to make clear precisely what one means. Re your second para: "my" Buddhism is a skeleton of liberating concepts that deliberately carries as little extra flesh as possible. I prefer it that way, not the least because I have never found myself able to give credence to the various concepts you have listed.