BEIJING/NEW DELHI: Beijing has expressed its dissatisfaction with the Grammy Award to the Dalai Lama for the audiobook "Meditations: The Reflections of His Holiness the Dalai Lama." 

The ninety-year-old Tibetan Buddhist spiritual leader, who lives in exile, took the award over the weekend. 

His Holiness said in a statement on his website that he saw the award "as a recognition of our shared universal responsibility."

"I receive this recognition with gratitude and humility," he added.

Indian Sarod maestro Amjad Ali Khan and his sons, Amaan Ali Bangash and Ayaan Ali Bangash, provided the musical score for the audiobook, which was produced by Kabir Sehgal. 

The Dalai Lama, widely viewed as a symbol of Tibet's push for greater autonomy, has been living in exile in the Indian town of Dharamshala since 1959, after Chinese forces put down an uprising in Tibet's capital, Lhasa.

China was understandably furious. Foreign Ministry spokesperson Lin Jian said, "It is well known that the 14th Dalai Lama is not merely a religious figure but a political exile engaged in anti-China separatist activities under the guise of religion."

"We firmly oppose the relevant party using the award as a tool for anti-China political manipulation," he added.

China, which controls Tibet as an autonomous region, has often been accused of trying to weaken or erase the Tibetan language, culture, and identity.

Beijing and the Dalai Lama also disagree over who will become the next spiritual leader. Tibetan Buddhists believe each Dalai Lama is the reincarnation of a religious figure whose line began in 1391.

China says the next Dalai Lama must be born in Tibet and approved by the Communist Party, while the Dalai Lama insists his successor will be born in a free country and that China should have no say in the decision.