Trust is indispensable for the opening of the heart, which alone leads to devotion. We can compare this to learning how to swim. People who don't know how to swim are afraid; they lack trust that the water will bear them up. They also lack trust that the swimming teacher's advice is right. If we don't give ourselves completely to the teacher's directions and the water, we'll never learn how to swim.
When trust and devotion are lacking on the spiritual plane, every practice goes wrong. It's an absolute precondition that we dedicate ourselves wholeheartedly and follow the instructions.
— Ayya Khema, Visible Here and Now