As mentioned in Chapter 1:
Here you explore an ever-deepening recognition and claiming of your nature as Consciousness Itself. At 12:00 on the clock, the top node of the Mandala, there is that aspect of the spiritual life that is the realization of our Timeless nature. This has been given many names but it is ultimately beyond description.
∙ Unbounded Awareness
∙ The Self
∙ Consciousness Itself
∙ Spacious Awareness
∙ Buddha Nature
∙ Christ Consciousness
∙ The Conscious Principle
∙ Nature of Mind
∙ Intrinsic Awareness
∙ Unconditioned Awareness
There are many different names in the different traditions for this featureless Ground of Being and that can be a source of confusion unless you have directly experienced its nature for yourself. For instance, in some schools of Zen Buddhism, it is called “Mind,” or “Big Mind.” However, if you look carefully, you will see that they do not mean “mind” in the sense of thought, but rather the Space in which thought arises. In other schools of Zen, it may be called “no mind” or “mind without mind.”
The important thing about all these names is what they are pointing to, not the label. The Zen master Hui-Neng said:
“Truth has nothing to do with words.
Truth can be likened to the bright moon in the sky.
Words, in this case, can be likened to a finger.
The finger can point to the moon’s location.
However, the finger is not the moon.
To look at the moon, it is necessary to gaze beyond the finger.”
Red is the node of spiritual awakening into our nature as the Principle of Consciousness Itself, our Transcendental Divine Identity, our conscious nature as emptiness or formless Awareness.
Consciousness Itself is never an object that is known, but rather the underlying context and awareness of everything that arises within it. It never changes and is without apparent attributes. Consciousness is aware of everything, including the usual sense of one’s self.
Just as there are many shades of the color red, so there are many shades or types of teaching having to do with this node of life. Some teachings use the least amount of conceptual framework possible, while others use elaborate descriptions to make things easy to understand at first, but they then eventually coax you away from those concepts as well.
All the teachings of non-duality point to this Red area, the essence of which are direct teachings on Pure Awareness.
Examples of traditions that specifically focus on this node are the schools of Zen, Advaita Vedanta, Dzogchen, and Mahamudra. Other schools may provide instructions about this node but don’t put it at the center of their emphasis as these schools do. We are speaking here of what a school emphasizes. For instance, Zen emphasizes the Red node, and while it also offers guidance concerning the other nodes as well, the Red node is its raison d’etre.
(From The Tapestry of Being, Chapter 2 : You Are Freedom Itself)