WHO, EXACTLY, IS MEDITATING?

The “I”, the self, or more correctly, the lack of a truly existing self is one of the most central premises of Buddhism. Buddhists don’t talk about “finding my higher self” or conversely “getting rid of my ego”. For Buddhists both these pursuits would simply be distractions, if anything fortifying delusions.
So how do Buddhists ‘see’ the situation? If there is no ‘higher self’ then who develops wisdom and compassion? And most urgently, who attains enlightenment?