At 90 years old, the Dalai Lama achieved a historic first, winning a Grammy for Best Audio Book, Narration & Storytelling Recording. His spoken-word album, Meditations: The Reflections of His Holiness the Dalai Lama, mixed his teachings with music from acclaimed artists, aiming to spread messages of peace and compassion to a global audience. Read on!
– by The Economic Times, 2 February 2026
Music’s biggest night unfolded today in Los Angeles, with the 68th Grammy Awards delivering plenty of headline-making moments. From Kendrick Lamar rewriting rap history to K-pop securing a breakthrough win, the ceremony celebrated global sounds in all their diversity. Amid these pop culture milestones, one unexpected name stood out. At the age of 90, the Dalai Lama won his first-ever Grammy, leaving many viewers curious about how a Buddhist spiritual leader found his way onto music’s grandest stage.
The Dalai Lama took home the award for Best Audio Book, Narration & Storytelling Recording for his spoken-word album Meditations: The Reflections of His Holiness the Dalai Lama. The project beat other nominees, including Milli Vanilli’s Fab Morvan, US Supreme Court Justice Ketanji Brown Jackson, Grammys host Trevor Noah, and actor Kathy Garver.
While the win itself was historic, it also sparked questions among fans unfamiliar with how such projects qualify for the Grammys.
How Dalai Lama got nominated for Grammys?
Meditations is not a conventional music album. Instead, it mixes spoken reflections by the Dalai Lama with carefully composed music, turning decades of his teachings into an immersive listening experience. The album draws from his talks on compassion, peace, environmental responsibility, and the idea of shared humanity, values that have defined his public life for over seven decades.
According to Rolling Stone report, several tracks stand out for their timely themes. On Water, the Dalai Lama shared the environmental changes he has witnessed since childhood in Tibet, pointing to the urgent need to protect natural resources.
Another track, Peace, revolves around compassion, which he describes as essential not just for spiritual growth but for human survival itself.
The project’s musical dimension plays a key role in its Grammy eligibility. The album features contributions from internationally acclaimed artists such as Rufus Wainwright, Maggie Rogers, and Andra Day, who lend their voices to selected tracks. Producer Kabir Sehgal explained that the choice of collaborators was intentional, as he wanted artists whose work or academic interests intersected with philosophy and spirituality. According to Kabir, the goal was to frame the Dalai Lama’s wisdom in a in a soundscape that feels contemporary while remaining respectful of its roots.
Indian classical music forms the backbone of the album. Sarod maestro Amjad Ali Khan and his sons, Amaan and Ayaan Ali Bangash, collaborated closely on the project, bringing depth and continuity to the compositions. The Bangash family has performed for the Dalai Lama multiple times over the past two decades, making their involvement deeply personal. Amaan Ali Bangash noted that the Dalai Lama’s office remained engaged throughout the process and offered its blessings at every stage.
Kabir Sehgal also revealed that shaping the album was an intensive process. He said he spent more than 100 hours listening to the Dalai Lama’s speeches and conversations to curate the final 10 tracks. The aim, he added, was to present messages of love, kindness, and peace in a form that resonates with modern audiences, especially at a time when global tensions feel particularly high.
More about Dalai Lama’s album
Released in August 2025, shortly after the Dalai Lama turned 90, Meditations arrived at a moment of reflection in his life and legacy. While the Dalai Lama didn’t attend the ceremony due to his age and limited travel, his office welcomed the recognition. According to those close to the project, the nomination, and eventual win, was seen less as a personal accolade and more as an opportunity for his message to reach younger generations.
Nearly four decades after receiving the Nobel Peace Prize, the Dalai Lama’s Grammy win adds another unexpected chapter to his journey.
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