Ingen was born on December 7, 1592, in Fuqing, Fujian, during China's Ming dynasty.

At age 20, while searching for him, Ingen arrived at Mount Putuo off Zhejiang province, where he served tea to monks.

His second term as 33rd abbot of the temple began in 1646 and at this time he is credited with helping Mount Huangbo to develop into a thriving Buddhist centre.

In 1654, after repeated requests of Itsunen Shoyu, he went to Nagasaki, Japan with around 30 monks and artisans, including his disciple Muyan.

Ingen's published writings encompass 35 works in 46 publications in 4 languages and 226 library holdings.