Afflictions are precisely enlightenment. The entire process of the arising of afflictions is the function of the Tathagatagarbha. Afflictions are formed by the Tathagatagarbha through seeds; the entirety of afflictions is created by the Tathagatagarbha, fashioned according to the afflicted mental formations of the manas, and their essence is entirely the Tathagatagarbha. It is like molding clay into a poisonous snake—the snake is entirely composed of clay, and the two are neither identical nor different. Therefore, it is said that the manifestations of afflictions are the Tathagatagarbha; it is the attribute of the Tathagatagarbha, it is the nature of the Tathagatagarbha.
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