By Spencer Parts

PRINCETON The brightly colored sand, intricately arranged, has been drawing crowds at all hours of the day.

While two Buddhist monks applied the sand using a steel cone and an antler horn, another explained to passing Princeton University students and faculty what was happening: The monks were creating a mandala, a symbol of Buddhism, outside the Chancellor Green Library. They worked on it all week and finished it Thursday.

It was one of a number of campus events in the weeks leading up to the visit of the 14th Dalai Lama on Tuesday. There were meditation sessions as well as talks intended to help community members understand the pre-eminent spiritual figure of Buddhism.

The Dalai Lama and all the Dalai Lamas are incarnations of a single consciousness, Jonathan Gold, professor in the universitys religion department said, explaining the function of the Dalai Lama in Buddhist tradition.

Gold mentioned that the Dalai Lama is significant not only as a religious figure, but also as a political one.

The Dalai Lamas are considered special protectors of Tibet, he said, adding that the role is significant because the country is engaged in a struggle with the Peoples Republic of China by which it is governed with limited self-rule for cultural preservation and political autonomy.

Retaining cultural customs in Tibet is a major priority for Tibetan Buddhists in their relationship with China, Gold explained, but they have also made strides to create worldwide awareness of the culture. Creating mandalas in public spaces, like the one at Princeton, serves that purpose.

The monks who are building the mandala come from the Do Ngak Kumphen Ling monastery in Redding, Conn., and have created them across the country, exposing passers-by to their cultural traditions.

All of the people Ive talked to have seemed very impressed, said Lobsang Sherab, one of the monks, of his experience at Princeton so far.

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Monks create mandala of sand ahead of Dalai Lama's visit to Princeton

Iraqis celebrate the Islamic New Year outside a mosque in Samawah(Getty Images)

Today marks the beginning of the Islamic New Year, otherwise known as the Hijri New Year. Starting on the evening of the 24 October and ending on the 25 October, it is observed on the first day of Muharram the first month in the Islamic calendar.

The Islamic lunar year is shorter than the solar Gregorian year, usually by 11 or 12 days. Therefore, the Islamic New Year does not coincide with the same day of the Gregorian calendar 2014 is the year 1436 AH.

AH, the Latin for "Anno Hegirae" or "After Hijrah" which means "emigration", is a reference to the first Islamic year beginning in 622 AD. It marks the emigration of Muhammad from Mecca to Medina, known as the Hijra.

The Hindu New Year also falls on 24 October, on the same week as Diwali the "festival of lights". Today marks the beginning of the year Vikram Samvat 2071.

Vikram Samvat is the calendar believed to be established by emperor Vikramaditya of Ujjain in central India in 56 BC. It uses lunar months and the solar sidereal year, the time taken by the Earth to orbit the Sun once with respect to the fixed stars, and is the official calendar of Nepal.

Based on ancient Hindu tradition, the Vikram Samvat calendar is 56.7 years ahead of the solar Gregorian calendar,(also known as the Western calendar).

Candles are lit at the Madan Mohan Malviya stadium in Allahabad, India, on Diwali(AFP)

According to the Hebrew calendar, the year AM (Anno Mundi) 5775 began at sunset on 24 September 2014. The calendar has evolved throughout history, with Babylonian influences.

The Hebrew lunar year is about eleven days shorter than the solar cycle and uses the 19-year Metonic cycle to coincide with the solar cycle. It also has the addition of an intercalary month every two or three years, for a total of seven times per 19 years.

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Islamic New Year 1436 AH: What Year is it in Hinduism, Judaism and Buddhism?

"Walk the walk," we are often told by shallow thinkers. They presume this to be a metaphor for sincerity. They forget the footless. They neglect the legless. The rebuke the bottomless. The topless? "You can stay," says the horny fool, shallowly.

The koan: "The Most Valuable Thing in the World"

Sozan, a Chinese Zen master, was asked by a student: "What is the most valuable thing in the world?"

The master replied: "The head of a dead cat."

"Why is the head of a dead cat the most valuable thing in the world?" inquired the student.

Sozan replied: "Because no one can name its price."

The enlightenment: The price of a head of a dead cat is $55.

Imbecile.

This has been "Zen koans explained." A lover, not a friend.

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Zen Koans Explained: "The Most Valuable Thing in the World"