You say “my practice does this” and “my practice does that” and you are certainly entitled to follow whatever religious approach you want. However, I think it would be more honest to label the collection of practices you very deliberately chose as something you could be comfortable with from a contemporary skeptical perspective, as something different from Buddhism.
If that doesn't make me a buddhist, I'm not sure what would :}
Zen is certainly a 'back to basics' movement; but you're quite incorrect so think that zen is separate from historical traditions of buddhism. The buddha sat Shikantaza just as we, all the 'fluff' came later. We are perhaps a 'back to basics' movement, but one that has a several thousand year lineage. Unless you feel Bodhidharma was a dubious modernist? :}
I say 'my practice' as I do not wish to speak for others even inside my group, let alone buddhists as whole.
Believing certain stuff is “fluff” is precisely the dubious attempt at reconstruction that I was talking about.
In terms of their own practices, the Japanese practicing Zen in their own country, and the teachers who came to the West, had the excuse of being born into an existing cultural tradition that had evolved the way it had. First-generation Westerners taking on Buddhism, but only such things as they can feel comfortable with, and then claiming that what they put together is the authentic core Buddhism, just look like cultural appropriators.
Do you think the Indians accused the Chinese of cultural appropriation in the 5th century also?
Even more bizarre to think that chan buddhism (which later became zen) dropped a bunch of stuff they weren't comfortable with when buddhism arrived in china.
Is there some cut off date you think is the high water mark for authentic buddhism? Anything after 1260 need a new name? Buddhism-3? :}
For some; it is clearly the most compassionate action even assist with suicide.
We tend to lean towards compassion.