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At the 68th Grammy Awards
in Los Angeles, history was made when the Tibetan spiritual leader, the Dalai
Lama, won his first Grammy at the age of 90.
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The Tibetan spiritual
leader was honored for his spoken-word album Meditations, a rare moment when
spiritual philosophy met global popular culture.
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The Dalai Lama, also
known as Tenzin Gyatso, won the Grammy in the Best Audio Book, Narration, and
Storytelling Recording category.
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The winning project, Meditations:
The Reflections of His Holiness the Dalai Lama, blends his calm, steady wisdom
with a soothing Hindustani classical sound.
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The album combines his
tranquil narration with music rooted in Hindustani classical traditions.
Meditations is a spoken-word project that focuses on themes of compassion,
peace, mindfulness, and the interconnectedness of humanity.
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Musician Rufus
Wainwright, who collaborated on the project, accepted the award on his behalf.
He described working on the album as a privilege, emphasizing its spiritual and
artistic depth.
Dalai Lama
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He was born in 1935 in a
small village in Tibet and was named Lhamo Thondup. When he was just two years
old, monks believed he had identified personal items belonging to the 13th
Dalai Lama.
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He was awarded the Nobel
Peace Prize in 1989 for his commitment to non-violence and peace. Other honors
include the Templeton Prize, the Liberty Medal, and numerous honorary
doctorates from universities around the world.
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After a long journey from
his village, he was formally enthroned in Lhasa in 1940. He was just four years
old.
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When China invaded Tibet
in 1950, his life changed overnight. As a teenager, he was suddenly thrust into
a political role. He even traveled to Beijing to speak with Mao Zedong and
other leaders.
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Following a failed
uprising against Chinese rule in 1959, he fled Tibet at the age of just 23. He
came to India and settled in Dharamshala, which has been his home ever since.