Doma-chan
1. What
is Buddhism? I know its more of interpretation but what is Buddhism
reallyA philosophy/religion created by Siddhartha Gautama (Buddha) over 2500 years ago, founded on Hindu beliefs. There are two major divisions: Mahayana and Theravada, and many subdivisions (Ch'an, or Zen, Buddhism is not really one of these). Fundamentally, Buddhists believe that one must rise above desires, to reach a state of enlightenment. Buddha was idolized, and subsequently deified, but he never claimed to be anything more than a man.
Doma-chan
2. Why is there no god/goddesses? Maybe the Christian in me hasn't totally died but I would think that there would be something on those lines.
One of the biggest misconceptions about Buddhism centers around the idea that it's a religion. It isn't. It is a philosophical system which does not address the issue of God/dess for a very good reason. If God
does exist, then things will still be as they are. If God
doesn't exist, then things will still be as they are.
The existence or absence of a God in Buddhism is irrelevant to the realization of Enlightenment. Since Buddhism doesn't address the issue of God, that is why many people are Christian
and Buddhist at the same time. Or some other religion.
Doma-chan
3. Is there a Buddhism holy book or something of the sorts? I've been looking everywhere I can think of and haven't seen anything. Am I searching for something that isn't there or is there a book with guidelines, rules, etc on Buddhism?
There are the many, many sutras which are supposed to be the discourses that the Buddha gave to his disciples. The most pervasive sutra in Chinese Buddhism is the Heart Sutra. These books are not seen as being holy, but rather as simply being the words of the Buddha - he himself cautioned us against accepting his words blindly.
He said that we must examine and test what he has said to ensure that it is true for ourselves. Only then are we encouraged to uphold those teachings and follow them.
Doma-chan
4. What is the underlining sense of meditation? Is it to rid youself of evil, bad crap or deepen your faith in Buddhism?
Meditation has several purposes. The main purpose is to settle the mind and keep it in the present moment. To be mindful. Since the past and future do not have any objective reality, the present moment is all that really exists, yet we constantly think about these two places in "time."
We also tend to be distracted at all moments of the day. When we eat, we think about what we will do. We don't
just eat. When we work, we think about what we will do after work. We don't
just work. Seldom are we fully present in the moment. Meditation helps to cultivate this.
Meditation also helps to focus the mind - whether it's on compassion, or on the illusory nature of samsara, or on our own troubles. It gives a way to think completely about a single topic or issue and explore it fully.
Doma-chan
5. What are Prayer Wheels? I've seen the mentioned but haven't go a cluse as to what they are.
In Tibetan Buddhism, also called Vajrayana, people place rolls of paper upon which is written a mantra (a phrase or blessing) into the prayer wheel. The wheel is then spun, and believed to vibrate the essence of the mantra out into the cosmos.
There are hand-held prayer wheels, and there are table-top prayer wheels. Then there are the massive prayer wheels in Tibet which are always kept spinning just by people walking by and giving them a spin (it's speculated that these wheels have never once stood still).
Your questions are not stupid, they are valid and we are happy to answer them. Sometimes it's difficult to find the answers one is looking for, and that is where the help of others comes in. Never be afraid to ask for help.
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