Dalai Lama wins first Grammy Award for best audio book

The Dalai Lama has added an unexpected first to his long list of global honors. At 90, he has won his first Grammy Award, taking home the prize for Best Audio Book, Narration, and Storytelling Recording. The award was accepted on his behalf by musician Rufus Wainwright during the ceremony, which was streamed on YouTube.

The Nobel Peace Prize winner was up against a diverse group of nominees, including Milli Vanilli’s Fab Morvan, US Supreme Court Justice Ketanji Brown Jackson, comedian and television host Trevor Noah, and actress Kathy Garver. His winning work, Meditations: The Reflections of His Holiness the Dalai Lama, blends spoken-word reflections with innovative musical elements rooted in Hindustani classical traditions.


The album weaves together recordings of the Dalai Lama’s thoughts on mindfulness, compassion, harmony, and physical and mental well-being, captured over several years. Reacting to the win, he said the recognition was not about personal achievement, but about a shared responsibility toward humanity. He added that peace, compassion, care for the environment, and a sense of global unity are essential for the well-being of the world’s eight billion people, and expressed hope that the Grammy would help carry those messages further.

"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," the Dalai Lama posted on X.


The award comes against the backdrop of a life shaped by exile and resilience. Sixty-six years ago, the 14th Dalai Lama fled Tibet disguised as a soldier, escaping from the Norbulingka Palace after a dangerous 14-day journey following the Chinese crackdown on the 1959 uprising. Since then, he has lived in India, where he has often spoken of enjoying the freedom to pursue his mission of promoting human values, interfaith harmony, and the preservation of Tibetan language and culture.

After initially staying in Mussoorie, he eventually settled in Dharamsala, which remains the center of the Tibet. Today, around 100,000 Tibetans live in India.

(With inputs from IANS)