Merits arise from following Guru's instructions.

[Ensapa]

For this, I have been thinking about this for a long time and I have finally came to somewhat of a conclusion. If we have Guru devotion, and we instil it in ourselves if we dont have, it makes our minds less resistant to receiving and practicing Dharma. If we're resistant to Dharma concepts that challenge us and force us to step out of our comfort zones, then how will we actually progress in the path? Having Guru devotion trains us to be able to challenge ourselves and our own laziness, doubts, sneakiness, fears and stubbornness that we will not be able to develop if we just read Dharma books and listen to audio Dharma teachings alone, or have a Lama that lives so far away that he is unable to observe and interact with us directly or gives us personal advice or peel us off our delusions...

If we are too stubborn to rely on a Guru, we are probably too stubborn to be able to get rid of our delusions and comfort zones as well. And that in any case is not a good thing by any standards. In short, without Guru devotion, nobody would be able to progress on the path as it is only a teacher that can help us identify and peel off our delusions and prevent us from falling into the trap where we think we are progressing on the path when there is  none. Guru devotion is the key for practicing Dharma as if you can listen to the Guru's instructions without misinterpretations, excuses, ands, ifs and buts, we can do that to the Buddha's instructions too. And when we do that, we gain attainments and progress.

[Vajraprotector]

Also, the Fifty Verses of Guru Devotion says, “If you cannot do what your guru suggests, you can
request permission not to do it by explaining why you can’t.” 1 Humbly, without arrogance,
without thinking, “Oh, my guru doesn’t know this, he doesn’t know that,” by looking with
devotion at your guru as Buddha, humbly explain how you are incapable of doing what he asks.
As skillfully as you can, try to get permission from your guru not to do what he has asked you to
do.

His Holiness the Dalai Lama has said, “Special disciples and special gurus, like Milarepa and
Marpa or Naropa and Tilopa, are different. In such cases, every single word that the guru says to
the disciple, even if it involves killing, stealing and so forth, has to be followed exactly.”

My question is, so when you follow your Guru's instruction and killed someone, so do you collect merits from the killing then? 

[Big Uncle]

What about Dorje Shugden practitioners that have Lamas on both side of the camp? What should they do? One Lama is the Dalai Lama who asks to renounce and give up Dorje Shugden and another Lamas is a simple Geshe who has given you the practice Dorje Shugden from the bottom of his heart.

So who do you follow in this matter? Does the answer to that question means that we have to pit one Lama against another? Does the status of the Lama even mean anything? Is the Dalai Lama, who is an emanation of Chenrezig more important than the simple Geshe in the practice of Guru devotion?

[Vajraprotector]

I read a good story about following Guru's instructions, and this story illustrates how faith in Guru helps us avoid bad results if only we have faith and to know that our Guru only has the best for us in mind as well as caring for other sentient beings at the same time.

Guru: The True Protector
 
It is an old story, but the truth contained in it is ever relevant. A Guru and his disciple were extremely tired due to continuous walking. Seeing a proper place, the master stopped for taking rest. When the disciple was fast asleep, the master was awake. Suddenly a black serpent came hissing and moving towards the disciple. Moving aside, the master tried to divert it, but the serpent had come very close to the sleeping disciple. When the master tried to stop it, the serpent spoke in human tongue, "Oh! Great Sage, I have to bite this disciple of yours; so do not stop me."

"After all you must have some reason to bite him," the master asked.

The serpent put forth the reason. "In the previous birth he had drunk my blood; now I have to drink his. In the previous birth he had tortured me a lot. It is in order to take revenge that I have taken birth as a serpent. So you please don’t stop me. If you now stop me, I will come at some other time in your absence and do my job".

The serpent continued - "In the previous birth, I was a sheep. In order to satisfy his selfishness, he mercilessly slaughtered me with a sword and drank my blood. In front of his eyes I fluttered in agony and died."

"Is the ire of previous birth is still there?" The master asked, as if immersed in deep contemplation. The sage thus explained to the irate serpent bent upon taking revenge, the eternal secret of spiritual wisdom. "Dear One! Our own soul is our enemy and no one else. If you bite him, hatred towards you will be generated in his heart. After leaving this body, he will take a new one and take revenge. You will again die bearing hatred and after death take revenge in the next birth. Then it will be his turn. In this way the chain of hatred will go on forever. And what will be the gain?"

"Oh! Great Master, what you say is true, but I am not as spiritually enlightened as you are. Please excuse me, I will not leave him without taking revenge," the serpent said.

When, even after repeated persuasions and pleadings, the serpent did not give up his resolve for revenge, the sage said, “Would your blind urge for revenge be satisfied, if I take out his blood and give it for you to drink?"

The serpent agreed to the sage’s suggestion.

The wise sage then sat on the disciple’s chest and holding a cup made of leaves he made a slit in his throat with a knife. Collecting the blood in the cup, he began to feed it to the serpent. No sooner did the knife touch his throat, the disciple woke up, but seeing his master he remained calm and assured. Sitting on the chest, the master was taking out blood from the throat and feeding the serpent. Seeing all this he immediately closed his eyes and lay calm. When the serpent drank the blood to its satisfaction, it went off. Like a surgeon, the master closed the slit and after applying herbal medical paste, bandaged it. When he got off the disciple’s chest, the latter sat up.

Scoldingly, the master asked him, "How deep is your sleep?"

"Yes master, under your protection, I was calmly seeing everything. You were sitting on my chest. You had a cup of leaves in your hand. Making a slit in the throat, you were taking out blood. As soon as the knife touched the throat I became awake", the disciple said humbly.

"Yes, my son! Why didn’t you speak then?" Asked the master.

The disciple said "I have unshakable faith in you. I have surrendered myself completely body, mind, and soul at your feet. On hearing the serpent’s talk, seeing its deed and listening to your advice to renounce the feeling of hatred my blind urge for revenge, too, was calmed down like that of the serpent. I am blessed."

He continued "No other harm can touch me as I have taken refuge under your protection. You are not only my spiritual guide, but also the protector of my body. Everything of mine is yours body as well as life. You can use them, as you deem proper. How can I, a mere novice, understand your supreme wisdom? I have fully surrendered myself to you. I have no worry about my well-being and safety."

Hearing these words of the disciple, blessings poured out from deep within the master’s heart. 
 

[Aurore]

Thank you Kurava for this post.
I have a question:

Why do we create merit when we follow our Guru's instruction (regardless of the action)?

The same question asked differently:

Why is it that it is by following our Guru's instructions that we create merit?
What is the logic of that?

The guru knows what is best for the student to do which is necessary to detach oneself. If the student is usually not comfortable with doing something even if it was something mundane and simple, the student will create merits when it's executed and most importantly executed well and with joy.

For example, if the guru instructed a student to sweep the floor to cultivate humility in the student who looked at cleaning something low for what he/she is actually capable of, then the attainments will come if the student accepts it and does it well. There are many sort of instructions the guru will give which may appear so mundane but the reason behind it will help the students push their boundaries, get out of their fears, lessen their pride or laziness.

When a student follows instructions will, it's easier to initiate the student into higher tantric practice. That is the ultimate attainments.

[Dondrup Shugden]

Namo Guru Beh!!! is how we Gelugpas start our prayers.  How are we going to collect merit by this proclamation?

Very good comments are here on this post. It will be good to know how we can gain merits in following what we proclaim.