An account of his life from the Wudeng Huiyuan (Compendium of Five Lamps), and early 13th century collection of Buddhist biographies, claims he left his parents at the age of seven to study Buddhism at Miaoxing Temple, which was part of the Consciousness-only Sect.

[2] Touzi Yiqing is a significant figure in the lineage of Caodong/Sōtō Zen because he did not actually study under the man commonly regarded as his predecessor, namely Dayang Jingxuan.

This is a unique exception to an otherwise steadfast rule that a lineage must involve direct teacher-to-student dharma transmission in order to be considered valid.

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

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