At the age of 90, Tibetan spiritual leader the Dalai Lama has won his first-ever Grammy in the Best Audio Book, Narration & Storytelling Recording category at the 68th Grammy Awards held in Los Angeles on Sunday.
Reacting to the award, the Dalai Lama has said, “I view the award not as a personal triumph, but as a recognition of shared universal responsibility.”
He was awarded for his spoken-word album “Meditations: The Reflections of His Holiness the Dalai Lama”, a project that blends his recorded teachings with contemporary and classical music to convey messages of peace, compassion and environmental responsibility.
The album edged out other nominees in the category, including Fab Morvan of Milli Vanilli, US Supreme Court Justice Ketanji Brown Jackson, Grammys host Trevor Noah and actor Kathy Garver.
“Meditations” is not a conventional music album but an immersive audio experience built around the Dalai Lama’s reflections on humanity, non-violence and shared global responsibility.
Several tracks address contemporary concerns, including climate change and conflict. In the track “Water”, the Dalai Lama reflects on environmental changes he has witnessed since his childhood in Tibet, while “Peace” focuses on compassion as a necessity for human survival.
The project features contributions from internationally renowned artists such as Rufus Wainwright, Maggie Rogers and Andra Day. Indian classical music forms its core, with sarod maestro Amjad Ali Khan and his sons, Amaan and Ayaan Ali Bangash, playing a central role in the compositions.
Produced by Kabir Sehgal, the album was curated after extensive review of the Dalai Lama’s speeches and conversations. Sehgal has said that the intention was to present timeless spiritual teachings in a contemporary soundscape that could resonate with younger audiences worldwide.
Released in August 2025 to mark the Dalai Lama’s 90th birthday, the album was lauded worldwide.
The spiritual leader did not attend the Grammy ceremony due to age-related travel limitations.
The Dalai Lama’s office in McLeodganj has described the honour as a recognition of the message rather than the individual.
Nearly four decades after being awarded the Nobel Peace Prize, the Grammy win adds a rare cultural milestone to the Dalai Lama’s global legacy.
Dalai Lama is currently in Mundgod in Karnataka where he went on December 12, for a 45-day spiritual retreat and is expected to come back to McLeodganj in the third week of February.
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