The first Buddhist monk to take up the role of chaplain at an Australian university has been appointed by the University of Technology, Sydney.

The Venerable Mahinda will be working with the many UTS international students and staff who come from a Buddhist tradition in Malaysia, Singapore, Thailand, Hong Kong and Taiwan. Also, many Australian students from Vietnamese and other Asian backgrounds have strong Buddhist traditions.

The Venerable Mahinda said he welcomed the opportunity to help the students adjust to their new life and their studies.

"Many of the international students are a long way from home for the first time in their lives and having a Buddhist chaplain available on campus can provide a sense of continuity and stability," he said.

"These students often see a need to come together to study the philosophy of their religion to enable them to see where it fits in a different culture and how they can explain it in Western terms."

The Acting Director of Student Services, Mr Chris Hepperlin, said with the Venerable Mahinda joining UTS's Inter-Faith Chaplaincy, almost all of the major faith traditions of students and staff at UTS were now represented.

"This wide representation of faiths reflects the University's commitment to equity and diversity and to encouraging a tolerant, multicultural environment within UTS," he said.

The Venerable Mahinda, born in Malacca, Malaysia of Chinese descent, undertook basic Buddhist studies and training in Sri Lanka at the Paramadhamma Buddhist Institute, and practical Buddhist meditation under several well-known masters in Sri Lanka, India, Burma and Thailand. He was ordained under the Theravada Buddhist order in 1976 under the tutelage of the Venerable Dr K Sri Dhammananda Nayaka Thera.