Buddhism isn't a religion, I think. I read it somewhere that it was some form of something that I can't remember(wow that came out well...).
It's been called more a philosophy then a religion due to its lack of any claims about gods or lack thereof (The Buddha saw 'The One' through the lens of the Hindu gods, but he and all Buddhist-respected sources said that to see it as such was ultimately optional as, if you're doing it right, it all gets you to the same state of understanding 'ultimate truth') and also Buddhism lacks any prophets in the sense of Jesus or Mohammed - the Buddhas are seen are seen as perfect but it's believed that simple words are inherently unable to communicate ultimate truth, therefore anything any Buddha says in a lesson is seen more as a riddle that you can only figure out through experiencing yourself the lesson - no one Buddha or Buddhist text is seen as more valid or as having precedence. The Buddhists do, in fact, think that many non-Buddhist texts are valid too - the Hindu texts like the Rg Vedas or Bhagavad Gita are still considered as valid texts for 'ultimate truth' as basically Hinduism is a form of Buddhism with a more set-path to enlightenment.
Buddhism as a whole is more general; it says the same thing as teh Hindus but is more insistent in the concept of 'many path, one enlightenment'.
It isn't like the major religions, it's more along the lines of meditation/uncomplicated life kind of thing?
An uncomplicated life is optional. All that is really important to them is that you don't confuse the 'important things' with the 'unimportant things'. A buddhist should think that the search for ultimate truth is infinitely more important than more worldly and 'mentally destructive' things like focusing on financial success, carnal pleasures, carnal pain, attachments, etc.
Like there's different 'ranks' at which you can be devoted or what ever you wanna call it. Most people stay at the regular person level.
Eh, sort of. A Christian would think a man of the cloth more likely to espouse Jesus and get into heaven but that belief doesn't in the slightest mean that Christians think if you aren't a priest you're a horrible Christian. By the same token a monk that elects to dedicate all their time to achieving enlightenment would be seen as having an edge but not necessarily seen as having the only way to move up the 'ladder' to enlightenment.
It's not like the bible etc where they seemed to want to just list a whole lot of stuff that would make you burn in hell or some rediculous shite.
Well the think if you really bungle this life up you can try again next time of course, but there is a list of things you shouldn't do - that said the list is far more generic. The bible says don't pick up sticks on the sabbath, the buddhist canon says things like:
The greatest achievement is selflessness.
The greatest worth is self-mastery.
The greatest quality is seeking to serve others.
The greatest precept is continual awareness.
The greatest medicine is the emptiness of everything.
The greatest action is not conforming with the worlds ways.
The greatest magic is transmuting the passions.
The greatest generosity is non-attachment.
The greatest goodness is a peaceful mind.
The greatest patience is humility.
The greatest effort is not concerned with results.
The greatest meditation is a mind that lets go.
The greatest wisdom is seeing through appearances.
But still it's a basic tenent of buddism that you can't be given the ultimate truth, you must find it. Any rules you see are meant to help you find the truth yourself, not themselves be ultimate truths.