Gongen is the worldly manifestation of Buddhist deities in the form of ancient Japanese gods to bring salvation to all living things and mankind.
In other words, it could be considered that the ancient gods of Japan were originally Buddhist deities that changed their forms. This idea is known as the manifestation theory, and the original Buddhist deities are known as their true forms. [The manifestation theory's Japanese name is "Honjisuijakusetsu", a combination of 'honji', a Buddha's true form, and 'suijaku', a Buddha's manifested form.]
This manifestation theory led to the establishment of a Buddhist true form for each of the Shinto deities, and conversely to the enshrinement of various deities in temples, thus fusing the gods of Buddhism and the ancient Japanese gods.
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