There are no faith, the instruction don’t work - it is useless

A disciple of Atisha asked him “Oh! Atisha give me a good instruction.” Atisha said: “Faith and devotion, devotion, devotion. That is the instruction.” We never know devotion is the instruction, right? “I have devotion but I don’t have instruction yet.” IAn fact, no difference between devotion and instruction, because there are no faith, the instruction don’t work. It is useless. Therefore, the instructions alive [or not], that depends on the devotion. This is very important. And I have a lot of experience for these many years of practicing Dharma. The most important is devotion not intelligence.

Of course, studying is very important but even more important is devotion. As of devotion, studying, hearing, thinking and meditation and everything is important; [and] everything becomes very useful and every effective. When you don’t have any devotion, [then] your learning, your hearing, your meditation are empty, empty form, not very useful. Therefore, we must try to have faith first, the genuine devotion first, then study, then practice, then meditate.

 Hungkar Dorje Rinpoche, “DEVOTION IS ESSENTIAL – Not Intellighence or Smartness”