Dalai Lama expresses ‘gratitude and humility’ at first Grammy win

Original article by Hannah Ellis-Petersen in Delhi

His trophy cabinet already contains a Nobel peace prize, a presidential medal of freedom and the Gandhi peace prize.

And the superstar status of the Dalai Lama, the 90-year-old Buddhist spiritual leader, was given a further boost on Sunday night as he took home his first Grammy award.

The Dalai Lama, who lives in exile in India, was announced as the winner for the narration and storytelling category for his spoken word album, Meditations: The Reflections of His Holiness the Dalai Lama.

“I receive this recognition with gratitude and humility,” he said in a social media post after the awards. “I don’t see it as something personal, but as a recognition of our shared universal responsibility.”

The Dalai Lama is the most revered figure in Tibetan Buddhism and a tireless advocate for the rights of Tibetans since the region was annexed by China. Tibetan Buddhists believe he is the 14th reincarnation of a spiritual leader first born in 1391.

His Meditations audiobook featured recordings of him speaking on peace, compassion and mindfulness and was set to a score by the Indian classical musician Amjad Ali Khan and his sons.

“I truly believe that peace, compassion, care for our environment, and an understanding of the oneness of humanity are essential for the collective wellbeing of all 8 billion human beings,” said the Dalai Lama, in his statement after receiving his Grammy.

The audiobook also features artists such as Maggie Rogers and Rufus Wainwright, who accepted the award on behalf of the Dalai Lama at the ceremony in Los Angeles.

The Dalai Lama was 23 when he fled the Tibetan capital, Lhasa, in fear for his life after Chinese troops crushed an uprising in 1959. He has never been able to return, and in the years since he set up home in the Indian city of Dharamshala alongside fellow Tibetan exiles.

Over the decades, the Dalai Lama has become a globally revered figure with his messages of peace, harmony and non-violence garnering millions of devotees.

Though 90, he insists he has many more years to live. However, many Tibetans fear his death will trigger a tense succession battle between the Tibetan community and the Chinese government, which for decades has sought to control the institution of the Dalai Lama to secure their influence over Tibet. The Chinese have accused the Dalai Lama of being a separatist dissident and a “wolf in monk’s clothing”.

After his 90th birthday last year, the Dalai Lama pushed back at attempted Chinese interference in the Tibetan institution. He affirmed that, as per centuries of tradition, he would be reincarnated after his death but only his inner circle – a trust of closely allied monks – would have the “sole authority” to locate his successor.