At age 90, Tibetan spiritual leader, the Dalai Lama, won his first Grammy, a global award for his spoken-word album, Meditations: The Reflections of His Holiness the Dalai Lama.
Tibet’s spiritual leader, the 14th Dalai Lama, collaborated with sarod artists Amjad Ali Khan and his sons, Aman Ali Banga and Ayan Ali Bangash on the album, blending spoken word and music to celebrate the universal values of peace, compassion, kindness and hope. (ht file image)The album won in the Best Audio Book, Narration and Storytelling Recording categories 68th Annual Grammy Awards Held on 1 February 2026 in Los Angeles, USA.
In the category, other nominations include Kathy Garver (Elvis, Rocky and Me: The Carol Connors Story), Trevor Noah (Into the Uncut Grass), Ketanji Brown Jackson (Lovely One: A Memoir) and Fab Morvan (You Know It’s True: The Real Story of Milli Vanilli).
The Dalai Lama collaborated with sarod player Amjad Ali Khan and his sons, Aman Ali Banga and Ayan Ali Bangash on the album, blending spoken word and music to celebrate the universal values of peace, compassion, kindness and hope.
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Reacting to the award, the Dalai Lama said, “I receive this recognition with gratitude and humility. I do not see it as something personal, but as a recognition of our shared universal responsibility. I truly believe that peace, compassion, caring for our environment and understanding the oneness of humanity are essential to the collective well-being of these eight billion people. Recognition can help spread these messages more widely.”
Musician Rufus Wainwright accepted the award on behalf of the Dalai Lama at the ceremony.
About the album, an official from the Dalai Lama’s office told HT: “They have used key messages of His Holiness the Dalai Lama taken from various talks he has given on compassion, peace, oneness of humanity and the environment.”
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Announcing the nomination, Amjad Ali Khan posted on social media, “Our album, Meditation: Reflections of His Holiness the Dalai Lama, is a project close to our hearts. It combines the spoken wisdom of holiness with original music that invites reflection, stillness and compassion. Throughout this life we have been allowed by our pir to create something that is created with our compassion. It carries his message of peace and hope in a new way. does.”
“Working with His Holiness was a profound privilege. We are grateful to every artist who contributed their voice, creativity and spirit to this vision,” he added.
Produced in association with Glassnote Records, the album reflects the Nobel Peace Prize laureate’s meditations on Indian classical music and contributions from global artists across diverse traditions.
