Globally acclaimed spiritual leader the Dalai Lama, 90, has won his first Grammy Award for Best Audio Book, Narration, and Storytelling Recording. The Nobel Peace Laureate competed against Milli Vanilli’s Fab Morvan, US Supreme Court Justice Ketanji Brown Jackson, show host Trevor Noah, and actress Kathy Garver. Rufus Wainwright accepted the award on the Dalai Lama’s behalf during the ceremony streamed on YouTube.
Dalai Lama wins 86th Grammy Award
Meditations: The Reflections of His Holiness the Dalai Lama is the entry from the world’s foremost Tibetan Buddhist—an album of innovative collaborations with Hindustani classical influences.
Atop the music are collages of his remarks on themes like mindfulness, harmony, and health, captured over the last few years. Responding to the award, His Holiness 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. 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,” he said.
Globetrotting the Dalai Lama, who is considered a living Buddha of compassion, in his latest book, In Voice for the Voiceless, offers insights into his decades-long dealings with China. In the book, the Dalai Lama, a reincarnation of past Dalai Lamas, reminds the world of Tibet’s unresolved struggle for freedom and the hardship his people continue to face in their homeland.
The book captures his extraordinary life, uncovering what it means to lose your home to a repressive invader and build a life in exile; dealing with the existential crisis of a nation, its people, and its culture and religion; and envisioning the path forward.
About Grammys 2026
At the 2026 Grammy Awards, Kendrick Lamar leads with nine nominations. Other Album of the Year nominees include Bad Bunny, Justin Bieber, Lady Gaga, Tyler, The Creator, and more. Bruno Mars, the 16-time Grammy Award winner, performed at the 2026 Grammy Awards.
The show featured performances from other major names, including Rose, Lady Gaga, and Sabrina Carpenter, as well as an In Memoriam tribute to influential musicians such as Ozzy Osbourne and Roberta Flack.
The Grammys 2026 are being broadcast live on CBS and are also streaming on Paramount+.
