Grammy Awards 2026: Dalai Lama Bags His First-Ever Win, Dedicates It To Global Well-Being

Grammy Awards 2026: The musical night opened with BLACKPINK's ROSE and Bruno Mars setting the stage on fire with their song APT. It was followed by the announcement of big categories. However, even before the show went on-air, several categories were announced during the pre-telecast ceremony, which was live-streamed on YouTube. Among all the winners, the Dalai Lama found his name on the winner's list. Yes, the Tibetan spiritual leader won his first-ever Grammy at the 68th edition, held on Sunday, February 1 (ET).

Dalai Lama adds another award to his long list of global milestones

The Dalai Lama, 90, was honoured at the 68th Grammys in the Best Audiobook, Narration, and Storytelling Recording category for Meditations: The Reflections of His Holiness the Dalai Lama. The Tibetan leader was nominated alongside notable names, Grammys host Trevor Noah, U.S. Supreme Court Justice Ketanji Brown Jackson and Fab Morvan of Milli Vanilli.

The award was accepted by Singer-songwriter Rufus Wainwright, who collaborated with the Dalai Lama on the project. Accepting the award on behalf of the Dalai Lama, he said, "Okay, I am not the Dalai Lama, obviously," and thanked the organisers for the opportunity.

Dalai Lama dedicates Grammy win to global well-being

The Dalai Lama took to his official X handle to react to his first-ever win at the Grammys. He wrote, "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."

Meditations: The Reflections of His Holiness the Dalai Lama is an English album released in 2025. There are a total of 10 songs in the album. The songs were composed by talented musicians, the Dalai Lama, Ustad Amjad Ali Khan and Kabir Sehgal.

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