"To carry the self forward" means to look for something outside of yourself. Doing that, immediately a dichotomy arises. No matter how much you practice, still a gap remains, and even enlightenment can become a hindrance by which you increase the separation between yourself and others. Enlightenment is one of the sicknesses of Zen!
— Taizan Maezumi, On Zen Practice by Taizan Maezumi, editor, Bernie Glassman, editor