Fushan Fayuan

Fushan Fayuan was a Linji master who played a unique role in Chan history by serving as the custodian of the Caodong transmission entrusted to him by Dayang Jingxuan. When Dayang was unable to find a suitable heir within his own school, he asked Fushan to hold the transmission until an appropriate student appeared. Fushan honored this trust faithfully.

When Fushan encountered Touzi Yiqing, he recognized the student's capacity to carry the Caodong tradition and transmitted Dayang's teaching to him. This act of cross-lineage custodianship is one of the most remarkable episodes in Chan history, demonstrating that the boundaries between schools were more permeable than sectarian rhetoric suggested. Fushan's integrity in preserving and transmitting a rival school's teaching ensured the survival and eventual flourishing of the Caodong tradition.