Understanding the ending is driving me crazy!

Rating: 10/10 (22 September 2005)

MAJOR SPOILERS I have watched the trilogy over a dozen times, and Revolutions perhaps twice that. I understand what drives the characters, what makes them who they are, the complete how and why. What I don't understand is how NEO Defeats SMITH. So I will give you my opinion which is still has a few holes.
Smith knocks Neo to the ground. He then speaks of his vision of having seen this, "this is the end, and I am supposed to say" Now lets go back a step to the oracle who smith had taken control of, and what the Merlinjian said "The eyes of the oracle can only be given, not taken" Smith says "Everything that has a beginning has and ending" This was not Smith speaking to NEO but instead the Oracle telling him it is time to act. After The Smiths are Destroyed it is the oracles body that appears in the ditch where the final battle ended.
So the question that remains, how did Neo kill smith. And is Neo in fact Dead. I don't believe he is, I think that the Neo & The Oracle as a team with the Machine defeated Smith. Smith could not destroy Neo because Neo was un able to be destroyed in The Matrix, hence the first movie. Neo can also co exist in the Matrix and the real world, separate mind and body.
Now to another opinion. I believe Trinity & Neos love accompanied by what the Architect said in Reloaded about Neos love, compassion, and loyalty to the Human race, was the driving force behind his actions. The comment was made that he unlike the one's before him possessed this Love for another (Trinity) and that flaw would cause him not to return to the source. He could not sacrifice Trinity nor could he allow the entire human race both inside and outside of the Matrix be destroyed, according to the Architect if he did not return to the source then all would be lost and an alternate means of survival for the MAchines would have to be sought.
My opinion? Brilliant trilogy, but simply complex. All must be considered to develop an understanding. This puts a historic end to kill the bad guy and save the day shootem up movies that an infant could understand.