Dalai Lama Wins First Grammy for Spoken-Word Album on Compassion and Peace

The Tibetan spiritual leader His Holiness the Dalai Lama won his first Grammy Award on Sunday at the 68th Annual Grammy Awards, securing the honor in the Best Audio Book, Narration & Storytelling Recording category for his spoken-word album "Meditations: The Reflections of His Holiness the Dalai Lama". The 90-year-old Nobel Peace Prize laureate received the prestigious recognition for an audiobook that blends his reflections on compassion, peace, inner wellbeing, and universal responsibility with original musical compositions.

The award-winning audiobook features a remarkable collaboration with renowned sarod maestro Ustad Amjad Ali Khan and his sons Amaan Ali Bangash and Ayaan Ali Bangash. The project also includes contributions from a diverse group of international artists, including Andra Day, Maggie Rogers, Tony Succar, Ted Nash, Debi Nova, and Rufus Wainwright, with production handled by multi-Grammy Award-winning producer Kabir Sehgal.

Singer-songwriter Rufus Wainwright accepted the Grammy on behalf of the Dalai Lama at the ceremony. "OK, I am not the Dalai Lama, obviously," Wainwright joked from the podium before describing the project as a "privilege" and an honor to accept the award on behalf of the spiritual leader, "whose wisdom is at the heart of this work".​

Reacting to the recognition, the Dalai Lama expressed gratitude and humility, emphasizing that he did not view the award as a personal achievement. "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," he stated. He added that he truly believes peace, compassion, care for the environment, and an understanding of the oneness of humanity are essential for the collective well-being of all eight billion human beings, expressing hope that the Grammy recognition can help spread these messages more widely.​

The win comes after the album was released in August last year. Indian actor Kamal Haasan was among the prominent figures who congratulated the Dalai Lama on his historic Grammy win. However, China criticized the decision to award the Grammy to the Dalai Lama, who has lived in exile in India since 1959.