Dalai Lama Wins Grammy for Spoken-Word Album With Amjad Ali Khan and Sons

At 90, Tibetan spiritual leader the Dalai Lama has won his first Grammy Award for his spoken-word album Meditations: The Reflections of His Holiness the Dalai Lama.

The album won in the category of Best Audio Book, Narration, and Storytelling Recording at the 68th Annual Grammy Awards, held in Los Angeles on February 1, 2026.

Other nominees in the category included Kathy Garver (Elvis, Rocky & Me: The Carol Connors Story), Trevor Noah (Into the Uncut Grass), Ketanji Brown Jackson (Lovely One: A Memoir), and Fab Morvan (You Know It’s True: The Real Story of Milli Vanilli).

The album features a collaboration between the Dalai Lama and renowned sarod maestro Amjad Ali Khan, along with his sons Amaan Ali Bangash and Ayaan Ali Bangash. It blends spoken-word reflections with music to promote universal values such as peace, compassion, kindness, and hope.

Tenzin Gyatso, the 14th Dalai Lama, joined other first-time Grammy winners this year, including filmmaker Steven Spielberg.

Reacting to the honour, the Dalai Lama said he accepted the award “with gratitude and humility,” adding that it represented a recognition of shared responsibility rather than personal achievement.

“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,” he said. “I’m grateful that this recognition can help spread these messages more widely.”

Singer-songwriter Rufus Wainwright accepted the award on his behalf at the ceremony.

An official from the Dalai Lama’s office told Hindustan Times that the album draws on key messages from his talks on compassion, peace, environmental responsibility, and the unity of humanity.

Amjad Ali Khan, announcing the nomination earlier, described the project as “close to our hearts,” saying it combined the Dalai Lama’s wisdom with original music that encourages reflection and stillness.

“Working with His Holiness was a profound privilege,” he added. “We are grateful to every artist who contributed their voice, creativity, and spirit to this vision.”

Produced with the involvement of Glassnote Records, the album features the Nobel Peace Prize laureate’s meditative reflections interwoven with Indian classical music and contributions from artists from diverse global traditions.