During his life, he was apparently the only living teacher representing Caodong/Sōtō school, and he was the last monk of that tradition to be mentioned in the influential Transmission of the Lamp, compiled in 1004.

He studied with Yuanjiao Liaoyi for a time, but eventually moved on, finally settling on Liangshan Yuanguan as his teacher.

Juefan Huihong's biographical compilation of 1119, the Chanlin sengbao zhuan (Chronicle of the Sangha Treasure in the Groves of Chan), suggests that Touzi Yiqing was the "true son", or student, of Dayang.

The scholar Morten Schlütter notes that this form of lineage transfer "has no real parallel in early Chan literature".

Schlütter further interprets Huihong's likely embellished account as an attempt to strengthen the rather weak link between Touzi and the last Caodong monk recorded in the Transmission of the Lamp in order to solidify the legitimacy of the lineage.