In Hinduism, Brahma is a creator god, one of a trinity along with Vishnu, the preserver, and Shiva, the destroyer. In Buddhism, Brahma is also understood as a powerful god, although not an enlightened deity, who presides over a heavenly realm and protects the Buddhist teachings. Buddhists often depict Brahma together with Indra, as patrons and supplicants to the Buddha or Buddhist deity, or trampled underfoot, representing negative forces to be overcome.