China Criticises Grammy Award for Dalai Lama

Beijing: China on Monday deplored the Grammy Award awarded to the Dalai Lama and said it was “strongly opposed” to Tibet’s spiritual leader using the award to carry out “anti-China activities”. Dalai Lama Tenzin Gyatso won his first Grammy in the best audiobook, narrative and storytelling category for his spoken-word album Meditations: The Reflections of His Holiness the Dalai Lama at the 68th Annual Grammy Awards in Los Angeles on Sunday.

Asked for the Dalai Lama’s reaction to winning the award, Chinese foreign ministry spokesman Lin Jian reiterated China’s claim that the 90-year-old octogenarian spiritual leader was carrying out separatist activities in the name of religion.

The Dalai Lama is not a purely religious person, Lin said at a media briefing here.

“He is a political exile committed to anti-China separatist activities under the guise of religion,” he said.

Beijing has said it is firmly opposed to relevant parties using the award as a tool to carry out anti-China activities.

The Dalai Lama, who has lived in exile in Dharamsala since leaving Tibet in 1959, was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize in 1989 for his consistent and non-violent struggle to liberate Tibet.

He beat out other nominees at the Grammys; these included Kathy Garver in Elvis Rocky & Me: The Carol Connors Story, Trevor Noah in Into The Uncut Grass, Ketanji Brown Jackson in Lovely One: A Memoir, and Fab Morvan in You Know It’s True: The Real Story of Milli Vanilli.

Reacting to the prestigious international recognition, the Dalai Lama expressed his gratitude and humility, saying that he did not consider the award a personal achievement.

“I accept this recognition with gratitude and humility. I do not see it as anything personal, but as recognition of our common universal responsibility,” the Dalai Lama said.

“I firmly believe that peace, compassion, care for our environment, and an understanding of the unity of humanity are essential to the collective well-being of eight billion people. I am grateful that this Grammy award can help spread these messages more widely,” he said.