From spiritual leader to Grammy winner: How the Dalai Lama struck a chord at 68th Awards

Tibetan spiritual leader Dalai Lama attends a Long Life Prayer offering ceremony at the Main Tibetan Temple in McLeod Ganj, near Dharamsala on September 10, 2025. (Photo by Sanjay BAID / AFP)

The Dalai Lama won a Grammy for Best Audiobook, Narration and Storytelling Recording for "Meditations: The Reflections of His Holiness the Dalai Lama," highlighting his message of compassion and mindfulness. Rufus Wainwright accepted the award on his behalf.

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The Dalai Lama has added an unexpected honour to his global legacy by winning a Grammy Award, marking a rare moment where spiritual reflection found recognition on music’s biggest stage.

At the 68th Grammy Awards held in Los Angeles on Sunday, the Tibetan spiritual leader won the Best Audiobook, Narration and Storytelling Recording award for Meditations: The Reflections of His Holiness the Dalai Lama. The win placed him ahead of a diverse field that included Trevor Noah, Ketanji Brown Jackson, Kathy Garver, and Fab Morvan of Milli Vanilli.

Responding to the recognition, the Dalai Lama struck a note of humility. Writing on X, he 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.”

His Holiness the Dalai Lama Receives Grammy Recognition Highlighting Universal Responsibility and Compassion Grammy Award Best Audiobook Narration - Meditations: The Reflections of His Holiness the Dalai Lama. I receive this recognition with gratitude and humility. I don’t see… pic.twitter.com/YhK5zlyhem

— Dalai Lama (@DalaiLama) February 2, 2026

A meditative work rooted in compassion

The Grammy-winning audiobook reflects the Dalai Lama’s long-standing message of inner peace and ethical living. Now 90, he lends his voice to a series of short spoken reflections accompanied by music inspired by Hindustani classical traditions. The format blends contemplative narration with gentle musical arrangements, creating an immersive listening experience.

Rather than offering a linear narrative, the audiobook is structured around themes such as suffering, happiness, anger, fear, and love. The Dalai Lama returns repeatedly to the idea that lasting happiness does not come from material success or external circumstances, but from inner discipline, mindfulness, and compassion.

Several tracks are titled around elemental and moral ideas such as water, peace, and compassion. Across these sections, he reflects on humanity’s bond with nature, the interdependence of people, and the responsibility individuals share in shaping a more ethical world. The passages are brief and prayer-like, often designed to prompt quiet reflection rather than instruction.

Acceptance on his behalf

The Dalai Lama did not attend the ceremony, and the award was accepted on his behalf by Rufus Wainwright, who participated in the project.

“OK, I am not the Dalai Lama, obviously,” Wainwright said as he began his acceptance speech, drawing laughter from the audience. He then added, “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.”

The audiobook also features contributions from Maggie Rogers and Andra Day, adding contemporary musical voices to the spiritual reflections.

Not the first global figure to win a Grammy

The Dalai Lama joins a small but notable list of global leaders and political figures who have been recognised by the Recording Academy, largely in spoken-word categories.

Former US President Jimmy Carter won three Grammys and received ten nominations over the years, most recently earning a nomination for Last Sundays in Plains: A Centennial Celebration. His 2019 win came for Faith: A Journey For All.

Barack Obama won Grammys for the audiobook versions of Dreams from My Father and The Audacity of Hope, while his memoir A Promised Land was nominated in 2022. Michelle Obama won for Becoming in 2020 and again in 2024 for The Light We Carry.

Other political figures to receive nominations include Bernie Sanders, while Bill Clinton won a Grammy in 2004 for narrating Peter and the Wolf: Wolf Tracks.

With this latest win, the Dalai Lama’s message of compassion and mindfulness has found a new audience, and a rare place, within the world of popular culture and global music awards.