It is important to realize that to identify oneself as a meditator or a
spiritual person or even a Buddhist can be another way to get caught or lose
one’s true balance. This is like carrying a raft on your head instead of
using it for a vehicle to the other shore. The purpose of meditation is not
to create a new spiritual identity, nor to become the most meditative person
on the block, who tells other people how they should live. To practice is to
let go.
Joseph Goldstein & Jack Kornfield, from Seeking the Heart of Wisdom