A is a bamboo staff which curves slightly, approximately 15 inches (or half a metre[1]) long, which is used as a "symbol of a Zen master's authority" in Zen Buddhism.[2] In contrast to the keisaku, the shippei was often used as a disciplinary measure for meditating monks. It can often be found at the side of a Zen master in a zendo and is also "one of seven items that make up a Zen monk's equipment."[1] It is fashioned out of two pieces of bamboo that are shaped into the form of a spatula (or short bow), wound with rattan, and lacquered.
Sometimes curved in the shape of an S, the shippei may be elaborately decorated with a silk cord or have carvings. It is still "sometimes employed to hit monks".[3]
. Helen J. Baroni . The Illustrated Encyclopedia of Zen Buddhism. The Rosen Publishing Group, Inc.. 2002. 0-8239-2240-5. 42680558.
. Nyogen Senzaki . The Gateless Gate: The Classic Book of Zen Koans . Wisdom Publications . 2008 . 185 . 978-0861715596.