The Subtle Trap of the Spiritual Self
In an age of mindfulness, crystals, and curated enlightenment quotes, spirituality has become both a search for peace and, paradoxically, a new source of identity.
Many begin with pure intention to heal, to understand, to transcend. But somewhere along the way, the very thing we’re trying to dissolve the ego, learns to speak the language of awakening. The result? A spiritual persona that looks enlightened but is still rooted in pride, superiority, and control.
Philosophically, this raises a profound question: Can the pursuit of egolessness itself become egoic?
1. The Ego’s Final Disguise
In Vedānta, the ego (ahaṅkāra) is not just arrogance; it’s the false sense of “I”, the identification with roles, achievements, and forms. When this identification shifts from material success to spiritual superiority, “I am more conscious than others,” “I’m awakened”, the ego has simply changed costumes.
Carl Jung warned of this phenomenon in his concept of “spiritual inflation”, when spiritual experiences expand, rather than dissolve, the ego’s sense of importance.
Instead of humility, one develops a subtle hierarchy of souls: the “asleep” versus the “awakened.” This illusion is often stronger than ordinary egoism because it hides under the guise of light.
2. The Philosophy of False Transcendence
According to Śaṅkarācārya, the path to realization lies not in adopting a spiritual identity but in recognizing the falsity of all identities.
He writes in the Vivekachūḍāmaṇi:
“The ego imagines itself to be the doer and experiencer; in truth, you are the witness.”
The moment one thinks, “I have transcended,” the witnessing Self has again been mistaken for the personal self. In other words, the statement “I am spiritual” already contains the seed of ignorance (avidyā), because the Self that is truly spiritual has no need to declare it.
3. The Western Echo: Eckhart, Kierkegaard, and Nietzsche
The Christian mystic Meister Eckhart spoke of “the poverty of spirit,” the state where even the idea of God is surrendered. He warned that to cling to spiritual images is still to cling to form “If you seek anything in God, you are not truly seeking God.”
Similarly, Kierkegaard wrote that the greatest danger in faith is self-deception, the belief that one’s passion for the Absolute makes one better than others.
And Nietzsche, though critical of religion, exposed the same phenomenon in a different way:
“Beware when fighting monsters, lest you become one. For when you gaze long into the abyss, the abyss also gazes into you.”
Replace “monsters” with “ego,” and the warning still applies. In trying to destroy the ego, one can unconsciously become it more sophisticated, more righteous, but still bound.
4. The Spiritual Marketplace and the Culture of Image
Modern spirituality often thrives on performative authenticity, social media posts about inner peace, curated yoga poses, or claims of “high vibrations.” While expression is not inherently false, it becomes a performance when the motive shifts from sharing truth to proving purity.
Sociologist Erving Goffman would call this “impression management”, a stage where enlightenment becomes branding. It is not the silence of the soul, but the noise of comparison dressed in white robes.
The tragedy here is not moral but existential: the deeper one identifies as “the awakened one,” the farther one drifts from true awakening, which requires no self-image at all.
5. True Spirituality as Disappearance
The Bhagavad Gītā (2.71) says:
“That man attains peace who, giving up all desires, moves about without longing, without the sense of ‘I’ and ‘mine.’”
True spirituality doesn’t strengthen identity; it dissolves it. It’s not about adding new beliefs or behaviors but subtracting all false layers until only awareness remains. The enlightened being doesn’t announce enlightenment they simply are.
In Advaita Vedānta, liberation (mokṣa) is not something achieved; it’s the recognition that there was never a separate self to liberate. The ego may claim progress, but consciousness is timeless, it was never asleep, never in need of awakening.
6. The Signs of Ego-Driven Spirituality
You can recognize ego hiding behind spirituality in subtle patterns:
- Comparison: “I am more awakened than them.”
- Judgment: Looking down on those who still “don’t get it.”
- Control: Needing others to validate your path or teachings.
- Identity addiction: Feeling anxious if your spiritual image is challenged.
- Avoidance: Using “detachment” or “positivity” to escape uncomfortable emotions.
All these arise from one root illusion, that awakening can belong to “me.”
7. The Return to Humility
Philosophically, the end of the spiritual ego is not a grand realization but a quiet humility.
The Buddha summarized this in one sentence:
“There is no one here who attains.”
This is the paradox of enlightenment: it cannot be possessed, achieved, or displayed. The more one claims to “have it,” the further one stands from it. The truly awakened are often invisible not because they hide, but because there’s no self left to display.
Conclusion: The Mirror Without a Face
When spirituality becomes another ego mask, it turns from liberation to performance.
But when it’s lived as truth, not identity, it dissolves both pride and shame, both light and shadow, both seeker and sought.
The goal is not to become “spiritual,” but to become transparent a mirror reflecting reality as it is, without distortion. Only then does silence speak not as an achievement, but as our original state.
References
- Śaṅkarācārya, Vivekachūḍāmaṇi & Upadeśa Sāhasrī
- Bhagavad Gītā, Chapter 2
- Carl Jung, Psychology and Alchemy
- Meister Eckhart, Sermons and Treatises
- Søren Kierkegaard, The Sickness Unto Death
- Friedrich Nietzsche, Beyond Good and Evil
- Erving Goffman, The Presentation of Self in Everyday Life
Leave a Reply