The Dalai Lama will mark his 85th birthday on July 6th with the release of his first album, the 11-track Inner World, which will feature music and mantras.
The Tibetan spiritual leader has already released a track called Compassion, which he says is to help people to feel love and compassion through wisdom.
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Speaking about the launch of his album on his website, the 14th Dalai Lama of Tibet said: "Music has the potential to transcend our differences. It can return us to our true nature of warm-heartedness,"
He added: "The very purpose of my life is to serve as much as I can. Music can help people in a way that I can't."
The album came about after longtime student, New Zealand musician Junelle Kunin, urged him to release a collection of his mantras set to music.
Speaking to the AP news agency, Kunin said:"The entire purpose of this project is to try to help people. It’s not a Buddhist project, it’s to help everyday people like myself, even though I am Buddhist,"
The Dalai Lama is no stranger to the entertainment world having appeared as a guest judge on Masterchef Australia in 2011, when he said he would not rate one meal over another as it was against his principles.
The Nobel Peace Prize winner was asked what his career choice would have been if he was not the Dalai Lama and responded that he would have liked to have been a tractor driver on a farm in his village.
