also: きょうさく · こうざく · きょうしゃく
noun
Zen stick; warning stick; encouragement stick
A flat wooden stick used in Zen meditation to strike or alert a sitter who is drowsy or unfocused. Called けいさく in Rinzai Zen and きょうさく in Soto Zen. Abbreviation of 警覚策励.
座禅中に眠気を感じたので、警策で肩を打ってもらった。
During zazen I felt drowsy, so I had the Zen stick applied to my shoulder.
noun
horsewhip
Only with reading けいさく
Rare, archaic meaning; restricted to reading けいさく. Not commonly used in modern Japanese.
古文書には、警策を馬鞭の意味で使った例がある。
In old documents, there are examples of 警策 used to mean a horsewhip.
警策は修行者を励ますために使われる。
The keisaku is used to encourage practitioners.
Rare reading; lists it without further context.
Obsolete kana usage; it is out-dated.
The full term from which 警策 is abbreviated; means 'to awaken and encourage' in Zen context.
Abbreviation of 警覚策励 (keikaku sakurei), a Zen term meaning 'to awaken and encourage'. The exact historical derivation of the readings is uncertain.