There is a self that is born from the work itself. It appears only after you have made some progress, and that is why it is so hard to see.

It is the spiritual self. It enjoys knowing more than others. It uses the words of the teaching to stand above people. It likes to be asked for advice, and to be seen meditating. It quietly counts its good deeds and its experiences at night. Given a little power, it gathers followers.

Every tradition has suffered from it. Teachers who want to be worshipped. Students who collect knowledge like jewels, wear it as a badge, and never let it change them. Money and fame drawn toward people who should have wanted neither.

The cure is the same as for every self: catch it in the act, understand it, and ask for it to be taken. Its signs are easy to know once you look. You want to be seen. You compare. You feel above someone. You feel hurt when nobody notices how much you have changed.

None of this is cause for shame. It is cause for watching. The more you grow, the more closely this self follows you.