Damiano Finizio was born in Italy in 1992. He began practicing traditional Japanese martial arts in 2012, where he met the Buddhist monk Seiun, who transformed his curiosity for Eastern disciplines and philosophies into dedicated practice. In 2014, he officially took refuge in the Dharma at Tenryuzanji Temple, receiving the name Seiryu, symbolizing his deep bond with his teacher and the temple. Since 2020, he has been living and working in Spain as a hostel owner, while also working seasonally in Italy and Croatia as a trip leader during the warmer months. Despite his commitments, he remains an active member of the Tenryuzanji community and continues to participate in its activities whenever possible.

For more information about Tenryuzanji Temple, please see the following link: https://www.tenryuzanji.org/

We talked about finding Buddhism through martial arts and how martial arts training cultivates self-development, foraging for local weeds and keeping a vegan diet at the temple, Tenryuzanji Temple's status as Italy’s only Tendai temple and its warm relationship with the nearby mountain village (Cinte Tesino), how Buddhist practice brings out your inherent compassionate energy, and the importance of finding a teacher and not giving up!