The True Master.

[Farael]

I was saying that, since Sauron cannot remain when the Ring is destroyed, it seems that the One is more pertinent to the existance of both. I don't know if Sauron can be truly defeated without destroying the Ring

Perhaps it'd be possible to kill Sauron, but there is no one in Middle Earth who is powerful enough to do so... or at least, is allowed to try (as Gandalf was not). Therefore the only way out was to destroy the ring, which could be destroyed by just about anyone.... brave and strong enough to carry that burden all the way to Mt. Doom and toss it in there

And this is essentially what I was/am saying. Knowing that Sauron and the Ring are the same (will), the Ring possesses more dominant characteristics than Sauron himself. Making it the Master.

Does it? The only characteristics the Ring seems to have is the ability to corrupt anyone who wears it (but Sauron himself) and that it wants to go to Sauron as badly as Sauron wants to find it. In those aspects they are equal. Then I just argued that it might have been possible to destroy Sauron through other means, but there was no one powerful enough who was allowed to try, so we will never know what would have happened then. It is likely that Sauron would have always been able to return to "life" as long as The Ring was not destroyed, as it was a bit of a "savings account" for his will.

I'm not sure if The Ring had more dominant characteristics, if anything they were equal yet The Ring was Sauron's creation and it contained his will, not a true will of its own (I know I have said before it had a will of its own but on second thought, it's Sauron's will expressed on the Ring). Still, I believe they are so closely related and interconected that they are the same thing. Neither can achieve its full potential without the other and neither would exist if the other is destroyed.