Suffering is a buddha-seed

Every suffering is a buddha-seed, because suffering impels mortals to seek wisdom. But you can only say that suffering gives rise to Buddhahood. You can't say that suffering is Buddhahood. Your body and mind are the field. Suffering is the seed, wisdom the sprout, and Buddhahood the grain. The Buddha in the mind is like a fragrance in a tree. The Buddha comes from a mind free of suffering, just as a fragrance comes from a tree free of decay. There's no fragrance without the tree and no Buddha without the mind. If there's a fragrance without a tree, it's a different fragrance. If there's a Buddha without your mind, it's a different Buddha. ~ Bodhidharma's Wake-up Sermon

Source:
www.purifymind.com/Sutras19.htm