The Seven Slips of a Cloudy Satchel

Seven Slips of Cloudy Satchel ( 《雲笈七簽》 Yunji Qiqian ) is a Daoist reference book compiled by Zhang Junfang during the Tianxi era (1017-1021) of the Northern Song Dynasty. After the Treasury Canon of the Heavenly Palace of the Great Song ( 《十宋天宮寶藏》 Da Song Tiangong Baozang ) was completed, Zhang selected its essence and compiled the 120-volumed Seven Slips of Cloudy Satchel. Cloudy Satchel means the box for storing Daoist books, and Seven Slips refer to seven sections, i.e. the Three Grottoes and the Four Complements of Daoist canon. It has the following main contents: the meaning of Dao and its merit, evolution of universe, origin of Daoism, lineages of scriptures and their transmission: biographies of immortals, inner and outer alchemy, rituals, grotto heavens and blissful realms ( 洞天福地 Dongtian Fudi ), Daoist instructions, etc. Mainly abstracts of original texts, they are compiled according to the subjects. The book is now collected in the Supreme Mystery Section of the Daoist Canon of the Zhengtong Era ( 《正統道藏》 Zhengtong Daozang ). As an influential large-sized reference book and thus known as the "minor Daoist canon", it provides precious material for the study of Daoism before the Northern Song. 雲笈七籤