None of them are creator gods, and they are neither omniscient nor omnipotent. With the spread of Buddhism, different cultures have also integrated or syncretized local deities into their pantheon of devas. For example, Chinese Buddhism venerates the Twenty-Four Protective Devas, which include both originally Indian deities, such as Mahesvara (Shiva), Sakra (Indra), Brahma, Sarasvati, Laksmi, Marici and Hariti, as well as a few deities integrated from Taoism, such as the Emperor Zi Wei and Leigong. Guan Yu, who is regarded as a god of war in Taoism, is also regarded as both a bodhisattva and a deva. In Japanese Buddhism, Shinto gods were also syncretized into the pantheon under the honji suijaku theory by being conflated with the Indian deities imported from Buddhism, such as Ugajin and Ōkuninushi. Cāturmahārājakāyika devas These are the lowest level of divinity. The name refers to the Four Heavenly Kings (Cāturmahārāja) who rule over this world along with the assemblage or multitude (kāyika) of beings that dwell there. The Four Heavenly Kings are the leaders of various beings who reside here: Dhṛtarāṣṭra - Guardian of the East. Leader of the gandharvas and piśācas. Virūḍhaka - Guardian of the South. Leader of the kumbhāṇḍas and pretas. Virūpākṣa - Guardian of the West. Leader of the nāgas and pūtanas. Vaiśravaṇa - Guardian of the North. Leader of the yakṣas and rākṣasas. The Twenty Four Dharmapalas In Chinese Buddhism, there is a list of Twenty-Four Protective Deities (Chinese: 二十四諸天; pinyin: Èrshísì Zhūtiān). These dharmapalas (Dharma protectors) are seen as defenders of Buddhism and protectors of Buddhists against evil or harm. They are: Maheśvara (Shiva) Brahma Śakra (Indra) Lakshmi Sarasvati Vaiśravaṇa Virūḍhaka Dhṛtarāṣṭra Virūpākṣa Surya Chandra Guhyapāda Pañcika Skanda Pṛthvī Spirit of the Bodhi Tree Hārītī Mārīcī Sāgara Yama Kinnara King Emperor Zi Wei Emperor Dongyue Thunder God Yidam The yidam, or ishta-devata, is a personal meditation deity. The Sanskrit word or is defined by V. S. Apte as "a favorite god, one's tutelary deity." Though this term is used in many popular books on Buddhist Tantra, the term işţadevatā has not been attested in any Buddhist tantric text in Sanskrit. The unrelated Tibetan version of the term, possibly of entirely native origin, is yi-dam is said to be a contraction of Tib. yid-kyi-dam-tshig, meaning "samaya of mind"- in other words, the state of being indestructibly bonded with the inherently pure and liberated nature of mind. The ishta-devata