I read your consultation. That's a very important question.
Buddhism began when Gautama Siddatta, who is a real person, awakened to the truth and became Buddha (meaning the one who woke up), and furthermore, he was not the only one who stayed with the truth, but also preached teachings and became a nyorai (meaning of one who came to convey the truth as fact).
In other words, Gautama, the Buddha, has been archaeologically proven as an actual person in history. But whether it feels real to you is another matter.
In other words, “What is a Buddha?” That's the problem.
For example, can you believe Oda Nobunaga actually exists? I think it's like we've never met...
But by knowing historical sites and episodes of feats related to Oda Nobunaga, I think we can somehow imagine Oda Nobunaga's presence there. As for the Buddha, it is important to first know about its existence.
However, in order for a Buddha to be a Buddha, it is not enough just a human figure. The Buddha was one person who woke up to the truth and became a Buddha. The truth is important.
That truth is not an idea or concept invented by humans; it is a law that existed even before the Buddha woke up to it. Just as gravity existed even when Newton did not discover it, the law the Buddha woke up to existed even before its discovery, and it is true precisely because it is a law that applies anytime, anywhere, and to everyone.
This truth is the basis for making a Buddha, and it has come to be understood as a “legal body,” which is the body of an invisible Buddha.
The true Buddha isn't something you can see with your eyes, is it? But it certainly works there as a law.
However, there aren't many clues from our side, and people aiming to become Buddha don't know where to turn and what they can put their hands on.
Therefore, as we dare to understand, what the Buddha gave us its appearance is a figure that can be seen as a Buddha statue in temples and the like. This is called a “convenient corporation.”
There is a saying “lying is convenient,” but that is a lie, and the meaning of “convenient” is “means or procedure.”
The Pure Land of Paradise after death is also “convenient.” All of the Buddha's teachings in words to awaken us to the truth are “convenient.”
Therefore, while we receive the Pure Land of Paradise after death as a story, we can accept it as a function of truth that allows us to surrender ourselves to it. So we can go beyond the contradiction, right?