Roshi Joan Halifax/Danny Brooks

Roshi Joan Halifax is one of the most respected spiritual teachers you will meet. Thomas Berry called her a "masterwork of an authentic spirit person". Andrew Weil says she's an "explorer, scholar, wild woman, visionary."

Nearly 20 years ago, Roshi Joan founded the Upaya Zen Center in Santa Fe, New Mexico, where she teaches Buddhism and trains those who care for the dying. Her interest in palliative care began a long time ago when she was married to the brilliant psychiatrist Stanislav Grof. Together, they wrote a book: The Human Encounter with Death about the people they considered to be the least cared-for in the hospital system. Besides, the Roshi says, working with the dying is about the most life-affirming thing you can do. Roshi Joan's latest book is called Being with Dying: Cultivating Compassion and Fearlessness in the Presence of Death. It's published by Shambhala.

We present a musical profile of the singer-songwriter, Danny Brooks. Danny Brooks is a man who's been to hell and back.
He grew up in Toronto - you might say he was a lost soul in the big city. Back-alley drug deals. Convulsions when he tried to go clean. Violence. Divorce. Rehab. Jail. But all the way through, Danny kept playing the guitar. This was no mere soundtrack to his life. In his music, he found a new purpose. He's written a book describing his journey. It's called Miracles for Breakfast. His latest CD is "No Easy Way Out.