Author’s Note
To transition the archetypal spiritual journey from a man to a woman, I was partially inspired by the true story of three women who accused a Buddhist leader of a 2009 sexual assault in upstate New York. I was captivated by the betrayal of their pure, spiritual intentions and wanted to tell an alternative story of empowerment. The resulting tale of a woman-Buddha, Santiaga also loosely follows the plot line of two classic texts: Hermann Hesse’s novella, Siddhartha, and the first written account of a female Buddha from the 8th century Tibet: Yeshe Tsogyal.
The retelling of a spiritual journey from a man to a woman is not simple, for once you change the gender you have to change everything about the prophet’s experience. There is the issue of physical safety and risk to the vulnerable pilgrim, which Siddhartha never seems to encounter, and the omni-religious reality of sexual abuse by trusted spiritual guides.
There is also the difference for a woman in how parenthood affects the spiritual journey. For example, Siddhartha leaves Kamala’s compound without even knowing she is pregnant. He is therefore at liberty to continue his quest without the responsibility of fatherhood.
In addition, the original story of Buddha, which Hesse altered for his version, gives permission—and even praise—for the Prince to leave his wife and infant son to start his path to enlightenment. The untethering from his closest, earthly bonds demonstrates resilience, purity, sacrifice and focus of the mortal man and future prophet.
Women, as both the bearer and caretaker of children, can neither be ignorant of their own labor nor dismissed outright from the societal expectations of motherhood. Beyond whatever emotional and physical bonds naturally occur for a mother, society deems abandonment of her child one of the most harmful things a woman can do. And perhaps rightly so. But the double standard puts into question the logistical practicality of a woman reaching Nirvana by following the timeless model of the male prophet.
Can a women prioritize a spiritual journey to enlightenment with the same freedoms from familial responsibility as a man? Or, on the contrary, should we allow, or even require, the spiritual quests of all people to include the responsibilities to loved ones. If meaning in life is found through attention and devotion to a child, does not that increase spiritual progress, not lessen it?
Most of all, Santiaga is meant to encourage, inspire and support women and men to focus on their lives as a spiritual journey. In the limited time offered to us, the ultimate priority of every person is to find peace, contentment and bliss within.