Geya of the Bamboo Grove

Contents

The Geya of the Bamboo Grove is a work blending poetry and prose, a part of the Immaculate Texts.

In the Geya, the Immaculate of Wood Sextes Jylis stops a moment on his journey planting seeds across Creation, when his path crosses that of the Immaculate of Air Mela as she moves through a new-planted Bamboo grove. A single bamboo tree falls before Mela, but though one of Sextes Jylis’ followers reacts in horror the Wood Immaculate laughs at their concern.

The crack of more breaking wood is heard, followed at last by the beautiful music of a flute, and Sextes Jylis instructs that it is in this moment that truth can be found.

Lessons

The various descriptions and verses in the Geya can be seen to provide practical instruction in the planting of bamboo groves, and the construction of a number of bamboo wind instruments including the Ascending Flute and Dragon’s Wing Flute. Some of these lessons are conveyed not in visual description but sound and feeling.

The verses within the Geya, when interpreted as musical notes, provide a simple introductory melody often used when introducing wind instruments at Dynastic Primary Schools.

Interpretations

Orthodox interpretation of the Text within the Immaculate Order, in addition to accepting the lessons taught on harvesting and crafting bamboo, is that Sextes Jylis did not plant his seeds so they might be untouched and wild, but so all who came after might make full and proper use of them.

During the Shogunate Era, some including the monk Komuso argued (with much success, for a time) that the ‘truth’ of which the Wood Immaculate spoke was not the construction methods of woodwinds but the enlightenment of the soul. The message of Mela and Sextes Jylis seen hidden in the Geya was a warning, pointing to a better path from within the very Texts which represented the wrong way to spiritual advancement. This interpretation was the core principle behind the Melodic Insight Heresy, and has been referenced at times by other nonTextual Immaculate offshoots such as the Transcendent Heresy. The Palace Sublime is unbending in condemnation of such a deviant interpretation as heretical.