"Broom"(Hoki)

The word "broom"--in the sense of a tool for sweeping away dust and trash--is used metaphorically in Tenrikyo's Scriptures, as in the following passages:

Throughout the world, God is the broom for the sweeping of the innermost heart. Watch carefully.

Ofudesaki III:52

The present path is covered with dust. Take up a broom and do the sweeping.

Ofudesaki III:145

Sah, the sweeping. I need brooms. I need many of them.

Osashizu, March 15, 1887

Sweep with a broom. God is the broom. I shall not say "fast" or "slow" about the truth of heaven. . . . There is no resisting the broom of God.

Osashizu, August 30, 1890

It is like doing a little sweeping with a broom. At first, you sweep, even when there is only a small amount of dust. Later, however, you say that you no longer need the broom. Sah, dust will collect and accumulate.

Osashizu, November 15, 1891

(This article was first published in the October 2008 issue of TENRIKYO.)