Paul Marshall,
(i think this corresponds to #3, #4, #5)
due to my geeky proclivity, i wish i knew more about Buddhism from a historical academic perspective so that i could've chosen my practice with more information at hand. also, i could've avoided the confusion i've had with the different schools/lineages and various philosophical debates among the multi-faceted dimensions of the Buddhist tradition.
the good thing is, thanks to the internets, i can now catch up with this information online via Buddhist scholars like Lewis Lancaster. check out this scholarly summary of the spread of Buddhism.
Burke Lecture: Buddhism in a Global Age of Technology ~http://bit.ly/11gTct
if i knew this information way back, then i'd probably had much bigger, more balanced, and more appreciative perspective of Buddhism from the start.
that said, i now have a good idea that i resonate more with Theravada with a hint of Zen

~C