A Sunlit Absence expands on Laird's first book Into the Silent Land by answering questions on boredom, depression, anger, and other passions which distract us from the practice of contemplation. There are a couple of abstract chapters which deal with the contemplative's recognition of God's being within her, though, of course, Laird reiterates, the distinction between Creator and creation does remain. So you won't find the quasi-Vedantic "all is God and God is all and all religions are the same" talk here, thank heavens. Laird's contemplative practice is firmly rooted in Scripture and the Christian tradition. Every chapter is filled with quotes from Evagrius, St. John of the Cross, St. Augustine, the Desert Fathers, etc. and not the Dalai Lama.