noun
Zen stick; keisaku; kyosaku
A flat wooden stick used in Zen meditation to strike drowsy or inattentive practitioners on the shoulders, helping them stay alert. Also known as 警策 (けいさく/きょうさく).
See also: 座禅
座禅中に眠気を感じたので、警覚策励で肩を打ってもらった。
During zazen I felt drowsy, so I received a strike on the shoulder with the keisaku.
More common term for the same Zen stick. 警覚策励 is a longer, more formal or explanatory variant.
Compound of 警覚 (alertness, awakening) and 策励 (urging, encouragement), reflecting its function in Zen practice.