Tibetan spiritual leader the Dalai Lama has won a Grammy Award for his spoken-word audiobook Meditations: The Reflections of His Holiness the Dalai Lama, marking a notable moment at the 68th Grammy Awards.
The album earned the top honor in the spoken-word category, beating out a diverse field of nominees that included US Supreme Court Justice Ketanji Brown Jackson for Lovely One: A Memoir, Trevor Noah for Into The Uncut Grass, Kathy Garver for Elvis, Rocky & Me: The Carol Connors Story, and Fab Morvan for You Know It’s True: The Real Story of Milli Vanilli.
The Dalai Lama did not attend the ceremony. Singer-songwriter Rufus Wainwright accepted the award on his behalf, drawing laughter from the audience when he quipped during his speech, “I am not the Dalai Lama.”
The Dalai Lama had collaborated with sarod maestro Amjad Ali Khan and his sons, Amaan Ali Bangash and Ayaan Ali Bangash, on the album, blending spoken word and music to celebrate universal values of peace, compassion, kindness and hope.
In a statement following the win, the Dalai Lama said, “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 joined a list of first-time Grammy winners this year that also included K-pop artists and acclaimed filmmaker Steven Spielberg.