The Dalai Lama, leader of Tibetan Buddhism, won a Grammy Award on Sunday night for narrating an audiobook featuring his reflections.
The Dalai Lama, the leader of Tibetan Buddhism, won a Grammy Award on Sunday night for narrating an audiobook featuring his reflections.
While the spiritual leader celebrated with humility, and Tibetans saw the award as a recognition of their persecuted culture and religion, the Chinese Communist Party responded with ire, warning the academy responsible for the awards not to indulge in “anti-China activities.”
Tibet has been occupied by the Chinese Communist Party for 60 years. While the Han Chinese communists have not succeeded during that time in eliminating the ethnic Tibetan community from the region nor in destroying Tibetan Buddhism, they have consistently endeavored to do so since the establishment of what China has tried to rename with the colonialist Mandarin name “Xizang.” China recently celebrated the 60th anniversary of the conquest of Tibet in August, throwing a massive parade featuring a rare visit by genocidal dictator Xi Jinping.
Part of that oppression has been the exile of the Dalai Lama since 1959. The Tibetan Buddhist leader has lived in India since then, often publishing works with his interpretations of Buddhist principles and issuing public statements on world affairs. The Chinese government considers the Dalai Lama a “separatist” enemy and actively pressures states and other world entities not to engage him.
The Dalai Lama won his first Grammy on Sunday for an audiobook titled, “Meditations: The Reflections Of His Holiness The Dalai Lama.”
“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,” the Dalai Lama said in a statement after being notified of the award. “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.
