--- ai_generation_date: '2026-08-29' ai_model: gemini-3-pro-preview audiodharma: talks: - date: '2021-04-01' mp3_url: https://audiodharma.us-east-1.linodeobjects.com/talks/13223/20210401-Gil_Fronsdal-IMC-guided_meditation_67_sacred_absence_sacred_presence.mp3 speakers: - speaker_name: Gil Fronsdal speaker_url: https://www.audiodharma.org/speakers/1 talk_start_time_seconds: 0 title: Guided Meditation (67) Sacred Absence, Sacred Presence url: https://www.audiodharma.org/talks/13223 video_unavailable: false location_city: Redwood City, CA video_unavailable: false youtube: id: m34ANrj5EAY imprecise_upload_date: '2021-05-04' title: 'Guided Meditation: Sacred Absence, Sacred Presence' upload_date: null uploader_str: Insight Meditation Center uploader_url: https://www.youtube.com/@InsightMeditationCenter youtube_url: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=m34ANrj5EAY --- # Guided Meditation (67) Sacred Absence, Sacred Presence - [Gil Fronsdal](https://www.audiodharma.org/speakers/1) _This is an AI-generated transcript from auto-generated subtitles for the video above. It likely contains inaccuracies, especially with speaker attribution if there are multiple speakers._ ## [Guided Meditation (67) Sacred Absence, Sacred Presence](https://www.audiodharma.org/talks/13223) Warm greetings for our meditation time together. As I sit down to be here with you all, I'm thinking about two things: sacred presence—that which is present that feels deeply respect-worthy, inspiring, meaningful—and sacred absence—the absence which is special, respect-worthy, inspiring. In this practice, there's a very important role of absence, what I call today "sacred absence." To recognize the absence of clinging, attachment, hate, preoccupation, and to recognize that absence is special, respect-worthy, inspiring, really helps open up this path of meditation. And then with that sacred absence, the way that we are aware of what is present can have a sacred quality. Maybe not exactly because what we're attending to is sacred in some way, but the way that we're present for it, our sacred presence, our attention, has qualities that are sacred and special and not to be overlooked. There's always something here as we meditate which is absent. If you go back over your recent life, there have probably been things that you've been caught up in, reacting to, consumed with, driven by, troubled by. Those troubles and those preoccupations, maybe they've faded away and they're not here anymore. It's possible to somehow be aware of their absence, and in that absence to have more room for awareness, for attention. In that absence, to receive more fully the experience of breathing, to connect more fully to breathing. Even in the short term, if you're thinking about something in meditation and you're able to let go of it, there's the absence of that thinking. There might be the absence of the drive to think, or the desire, or the resentment, or whatever it was inspiring the thinking. To start recognizing the absence is a very important part of the deeper dimensions of this _anapanasati_[^1]. And then not just to recognize the absence, but recognize it as an opportunity to bring a sacred awareness, a greater awareness. And for the purpose of this meditation, for our breathing, simply aware and committed to breathing in and breathing out with awareness. So, assume a meditation posture and close your eyes. Here we are. There's a lot of things absent just being here to meditate[^2]. For the time being, the absence of maybe the busyness of the day, or the concerns that we have, things we have to do during the day. Physically, those things are not here now in our body. Maybe some other concerns that you have for the day you can put up on a shelf and put aside for now, and let them be absent, because they'll be picked up later. To help let go of things, to be here, take a few long, slow, deep breaths. Maybe three-quarters full as you breathe in, and four-fifths emptying the lungs as you exhale. As you exhale, relax the body, the whole frame. Letting your breathing return to normal, and relaxing some more on the exhale. And not only feeling the release of tension and holding, but appreciating the absence of that holding. So, soften the belly. Perhaps you can soften your chest. Relaxing and softening your shoulders. Calming the muscles of your face, and cooling down the agitation associated with thinking. Calming the thinking mind. And then appreciating absence, not so much that you have to think about what is absent, but maybe there's some way you could intuit the absence space, the absence, the freed-up time, the freedom from thinking, the freedom of attention that's not preoccupied with the things that you have been preoccupied with. And here, allow this absence to become fuller, letting go of thoughts, ideas. An absence which is related to the simplicity of this moment. Just here, now, in the sacred absence in which you make room for your body's breathing, allowing, in a sense, the experience of breathing to fill the space of awareness. A sacred absence that allows for sacred presence, a sacred attention. And when you find yourself thinking, and you let go of it, appreciate whatever absence of thinking that then follows, and allow the breathing into that absence. So breathing begins to fill more and more your field of awareness, as if awareness fills the universe. Just breathing. Keep filling the absence with your breathing, your body's experience of breathing, so that this sacred absence is not filled with something else, filled with thinking and wanting and fantasy. Whatever you're caught up in and thinking about, beyond the edges of it is also sacred absence. Let go of your thoughts and preoccupations, your tensions, your holdings. Let go into the great absence. Fill that absence with the experience of breathing. Allowing yourself to become very simple and quiet, just breathing. ## Metta And then as we come to the end of the sitting, one form of sacred absence is to make the heart as wide as the world. Make lots of space in your heart, in your care and your love and your good will, so there's a place inside of you for all beings. So to clear the space within, so that there's room for you to consider, relate to, hold in your care others, and for them to fill the space of your heart, means to be very simple, allowing them to be as they are. Maybe a sacred presence, that everyone is respect-worthy; everyone in some way may be, independent of even how they're behaving, deep inside something beautiful and inspiring, even if it's just a seed that's waiting to germinate. It is a sacred absence within you that allows you to receive and be present in a fuller, caring way for others. And you don't have to say these words, but maybe a care and a good will that these words express or touch on: May all beings be happy. May all beings be safe. May all beings be peaceful. May all beings be free. And may we live caring for the welfare and happiness of those around us. May this meditation practice provide inspiration and ability to walk through the world with care and good will. May all beings be well. --- [^1]: **Anapanasati:** A Pali term meaning "mindfulness of breathing," which is a core meditation practice in Buddhism. [^2]: Original transcript said "just being used to meditate," corrected to "just being here to meditate" based on context.