Page 255 - Mystic Pathways through the Bible

d
chapter nine 249
same way, a sel sh and greedy person who is proud of his attachment to material attainment could never enjoy the Kingdom of God.
So the statement of Lord Jesus is literally true to a very great extent. People who are burdened with the pride of wealth cannot advance spiritually. However, there are many wealthy people who do not have this prideful sense of possession, and there are many poor people who are thoroughly attached to the few things that they have. It is this inward attachment, rather than the external circumstance, that obstructs spiritual realization.
You may think that since the ascetics and sanyasins living in Himalayan caves have no wealth, the Kingdom of Heaven will immediately open up for them. But this is not necessarily so, because unenlightened ascetics can be terribly attached to and dependent upon the few things that they do have. They may have only a broken cup, but if you were to take it away from them, they would become furious with rage.
Attachment is like a piece of leather. Leather expands in heat and contracts in cold. Whether it is in a contracted or expanded state, the leather is still there. In the same way, wealthy people can be attached to many things, so attachment becomes expanded. On the other hand, poor people can be attached to only a few things, and in this case, attachment has become contracted. However, it is