India (Commonwealth Union)_ At 90, the Dalai Lama has reached a milestone few would expect from a life devoted to quiet reflection rather than awards ceremonies. The Tibetan spiritual leader has won his first Grammy Award, earning the prize for Best Audio Book, Narration, and Storytelling Recording for ‘Meditations: The Reflections of His Holiness the Dalai Lama’. The honour places the Nobel Peace Prize laureate on one of music’s most visible global stages, though those close to the project stress it was never about personal recognition. Instead, the recording aims to share messages the Dalai Lama has repeated for decades: compassion, mindfulness, harmony, and a sense of responsibility toward one another and the planet.
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The Grammy-winning album blends the Dalai Lama’s calm, measured voice with carefully arranged musical landscapes inspired by Hindustani classical traditions. Rather than functioning as a conventional music release, Meditations unfolds as a series of ten reflective pieces, each pairing spoken insights with sound. Together, they form a gentle but persistent call for peace, kindness, and unity in an increasingly divided world. The reflections were recorded over several years and touch on themes that have shaped the Dalai Lama’s public life since his early years in Tibet.
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In the audiobook, the Dalai Lama speaks about inner peace, the importance of compassion in daily life, environmental stewardship, and the idea that humanity is bound together by shared hopes and vulnerabilities. Musician Rufus Wainwright accepted the award on his behalf during the ceremony, which was streamed online. At the 68th Grammy Awards, Meditations won in a competitive category, surpassing recordings by figures including Trevor Noah, US Supreme Court Justice Ketanji Brown Jackson, Kathy Garver, and Fab Morvan. The win surprised many viewers, raising curiosity about how a Buddhist monk known for spiritual teachings found his way onto music’s most prestigious platform.
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Released in August 2025, shortly after the Dalai Lama marked his 90th birthday, the project arrived during a period of reflection on his legacy. It compiles decades of lessons into an intimate audio experience meant to be listened to slowly rather than digested all at once. Hence, the result is a piece that feels highly relevant to the major global problems and political uncertainties. Additionally, individual tracks address several topics. Water track draws on the Dalai Lama’s personal experience with environmental change to highlight the critical need to conserve natural resources. The peace track is based on compassion, which is depicted as both a spiritual ideal and a practical necessity for humanity’s long-term existence.
Furthermore, Indian classical music forms the backbone of the album. Accordingly, the Dalai Lama collaborated with renowned sarod player Amjad Ali Khan and his sons, Amaan and Ayaan Ali Bangash, whose contributions bring depth and continuity to the sound. Their work ensures the music supports the words without overpowering them. In a statement following the win, the Dalai Lama said he accepted the recognition with humility. He described the award not as a personal achievement, but as an acknowledgement of a shared human responsibility. He added that peace, compassion, care for the environment, and recognition of humanity’s oneness are essential.
