The Dalai Lama has added a remarkable new accolade to his lifetime of honours, earning his first Grammy Award at the 68th edition of the annual awards ceremony on Sunday in Los Angeles.
At the age of 90, the Tibetan spiritual leader won in the ‘Best Audio Book, Narration & Storytelling Recording’ category for his spoken-word album Meditations: The Reflections of His Holiness the Dalai Lama.
He beat out other nominees, including Kathy Garver (Elvis, Rocky & Me: The Carol Connors Story), Trevor Noah (Into The Uncut Grass), Ketanji Brown Jackson (Lovely One: A Memoir), and Fab Morvan (You Know It’s True: The Real Story of Milli Vanilli).
The award was accepted on his behalf by musician Rufus Wainwright, who collaborated on the project and described it as an honour and a privilege to be part of the work.
Acknowledging the win, the Dalai Lama wrote on social media platform X, “I receive this recognition with gratitude and humility. I don’t see it as something personal, but as a recognition of our shared universal responsibility.”
“I truly believe that peace, compassion, care for our environment, and an understanding of the oneness of humanity are essential for the collective well-being of all eight billion human beings. I’m grateful that this Grammy recognition can help spread these messages more widely,” Dalai Lama added.
The audiobook ‘Meditations: The Reflections of His Holiness the Dalai Lama’ consists of short spiritual spoken-word meditations with music inspired by Hindustani classical traditions. This project brings the Dalai Lama’s teachings to life through an immersive audio experience that combines spiritual insight with musical elements.
Throughout the audiobook, the Dalai Lama focuses on universal human concerns like suffering, happiness, anger, fear, and love while offering gentle guidance on how to cultivate a calmer and more ethical life.
The audiobook has different tracks named water, peace, and compassion. Across different tracks, the spiritual leader reflects on humanity’s relationship with nature and one another.
ALSO READ: The institution of the Dalai Lama will continue, says Tibetan spiritual leader Dalai Lama
Although this is the Dalai Lama’s first Grammy win, it is far from his first major recognition. Over the decades, the 14th Dalai Lama, born Tenzin Gyatso, has been honoured with numerous prestigious awards for his advocacy of peace, nonviolence, and cross-cultural understanding.
