&imwidth=800&imheight=600&format=webp&quality=medium "'Not purely a religious person': China criticizes Grammy Award to Dalai Lama")
Dalai Lama, Tenzin Gyatso, received his first Grammy Award for the spoken-word album Meditations: The Reflections of His Holiness the Dalai Lama at the 68th annual Grammy Awards held in Los Angeles on Sunday. But China was unhappy with the decision and criticized, saying it opposes the Tibetan spiritual leader using the international recognition to support what Beijing describes as “anti-China activities.”
China responds
The 90-year-old spiritual leader was honoured in the Best Audio Book, Narration and Storytelling Recording category. Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Lin Jian addressed the Dalai Lama's international recognition at a media briefing, saying, "The Dalai Lama is not purely a religious person."
Responding to a question on the award, Jian reiterated Beijing’s long-standing stance on the Tibetan leader. "He is a political exile committed to anti-Chinese separatist activities under the disguise of religion," Jian said. He added that China "firmly opposes relevant sides using the award as a tool to carry out anti-China activities."
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About the Dalai Lama’s Meditations
The Dalai Lama's album features the spiritual leader's views on peace, compassion, mindfulness, and universal human values, presented with music and narration.
Meditations was nominated alongside works by comedian Trevor Noah and US Supreme Court Justice Ketanji Brown Jackson.
Why China criticized the Dalai Lama
Since 1959, the Dalai Lama has spent his life in exile in Dharamsala, India, after leaving Tibet due to a failed uprising against Chinese rule.
Beijing claims him to be a separatist, but he has repeatedly denied the charges, saying that he seeks genuine autonomy for Tibet within China rather than independence.
He was honoured with the Nobel Peace Prize in 1989 for his consistent, non-violent struggle for the Tibetan cause.
Dalai Lama on receiving a Grammy
Reacting to the recognition, the Dalai Lama 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," he said in a statement. "I firmly 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."
