: The corporeal form is an irrelevance, a Maiar is spirit in essence, and the corporeal form it takes is not of the same intrinsic/essential quality as a Man or Dwarf or Hobbit (Elves are a little more complicated)
: The point is, when the ring was cut from the hand, Saurons spirit which inhabited it (that part of his spirit anyway) was torn from him, and his essence fled in pain and fear. Whatever if anything was left behind is irrelevant - it was not Sauron anymore in any way shape or form.

You are correct that to the overall scheme of ME that Saruon's corporeal form is irrelevant, but so too are dwarf wings and ent ears. ;)

It does, however, remain a question, and one worthy of discussion as Sauron seems to be impacted by the loss of his corporeal body, to the point that he did not, or could not, reform one of his fingers. Whether or not the body left behind by Sauron was "not Sauron anymore in any way shape or form" was never asked. What began this thread was what became of the body?

-RR