Dalai Lama wins his first Grammy award. How Tibet’s spiritual leader became big winner at music’s biggest night

The Dalai Lama has added a new title to his long list of global honours - he is now a Grammy winner. On music's biggest night, the 68th Grammy Awards, which took place in Los Angeles on Sunday, the Tibetan spiritual leader won big.

He won the Grammy Award for Best Audiobook, Narration and Storytelling Recording for Meditations: The Reflections of His Holiness the Dalai Lama. He beat out other nominees including Kathy Garver (Elvis, Rocky & 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).

Acknowledging the win, the Dalai Lama wrote on social media platform X, "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."

Here's a look at the win.

The audiobook behind Dalai Lama's win

The 90-year-old was honoured for his audiobook Meditations: The Reflections of His Holiness the Dalai Lama. It consists of short spiritual spoken-word meditations with music inspired by Hindustani classical traditions. This project brings the Dalai Lama’s teachings to life through an immersive audio experience that combines spiritual insight with musical elements.

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Throughout the audiobook, the Dalai Lama focuses on universal human concerns like suffering, happiness, anger, fear, and love while offering gentle guidance on how to cultivate a calmer and more ethical life.

The audiobook has different tracks named water, peace, and compassion. Across different tracks, the spiritual leader reflects on humanity’s relationship with nature and one another.

Central to the book is the idea that true happiness comes not from external circumstances, but from inner discipline, mindfulness, and compassion toward others.

The reflections are organised as brief passages, often resembling prayers or contemplative prompts. Topics include the importance of kindness, the impermanence of all things, the interdependence of humanity, and the need for responsibility in a shared world. Thus, the theme throughout the book is compassion, not only for others but for oneself.

The Dalai Lama won despite stiff competition

Some of the other nominees in the category included Grammy Awards host Trevor Noah, US Supreme Court Justice Ketanji Brown Jackson, and Fab Morvan of Milli Vanilli.

Grammy show host Trevor Noah speaks on stage during the 68th Annual Grammy Awards in Los Angeles, California, US. Reuters

Musician Rufus Wainwright accepted the award on behalf of the Dalai Lama at the Grammys. He is a singer-songwriter who has been part of Meditations along with the spiritual leader.

Wainwright began the acceptance speech, "OK, I am not the Dalai Lama, obviously." He went on to say, "It was a privilege to participate in this project. It's an honour to accept this recognition on behalf of His Holiness the Dalai Lama, whose wisdom is at the heart of this work."

Alongside Wainwright, the album includes contributions from Maggie Rogers and Andra Day.

Other political personalities who have won Grammys

The Dalai Lama isn't the first world leader to be awarded the prestigious award. Former US President Jimmy Carter won the award three times and was nominated a total of 10 times. In 2019, he won for the recording of his book Faith — A Journey For All. This year, Carter was nominated for Last Sundays in Plains: A Centennial Celebration.

The recordings of former US President Barack Obama's books Dreams from My Father and The Audacity of Hope: Thoughts of Reclaiming the American Dream also won him the Grammys in 2006 and 2008. Meanwhile, his audiobook memoir, A Promised Land, received a nomination in 2022.

Former US President Barack Obama was awarded the Grammy in 2006 and 2008. File image/Reuters

US former first lady Michelle Obama won the award for her memoir audiobook Becoming in 2020. She took home another win in 2024 for recording her latest book, The Light We Carry.

US Senator Bernie Sanders was nominated for the best spoken-words album for Our Revolution: A Future to Believe In along with actor Mark Ruffalo, who narrated parts of the audiobook. Sanders received a nomination in the same category in 2024 for his audiobook, It’s OK to Be Angry About Capitalism.

Former US President Bill Clinton's narration of the children's book Peter and the Wolf: Wolf Tracks earned him a Grammy in 2004.

With inputs from agencies