At the ultimate, or noumenal level, afflictions and Bodhi are the same. In the Platform Sutra, second chapter, the Sixth Patriarch of Zen stated that "sentient beings are Buddhas, afflictions are Bodhi."A foolish passing thought makes one an ordinary man, while an enlightened second thought makes one a Buddha. A passing thought that clings to sense-objects is [defilement and affliction] while a second thought that frees one from attachment is Bodhi. ("The Sutra of Hui neng," p. 28 in A.F. Price and Wong Mou-Lam, tr. The Diamond Sutra and the Sutra of Hui Neng.)
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