(Minghui.org) I have been trying to categorize several practitioners in our area who made big mistakes. I was not sure whether to treat them as non-practitioners or practitioners.

If they fell under the “non-practitioner” category, I did not want to deal with them. But if they fell under the “practitioner” category, I was going to help them by sending forth righteous thoughts.

Take Ting (alias) for example. He had borrowed money from practitioners and rarely paid them back. He was later involved in multi-level marketing schemes and owed millions of yuan.

Many practitioners ignored him and said he was just meddling around.

Another practitioner changed the verses for sending forth righteous thoughts. He organized practitioners to do the exercises outdoors and was arrested and held in criminal internment.

Many practitioners did not want to send forth righteous thoughts for him, saying he was disrupting the Fa. They did not consider him a practitioner and refused to deal with him.

How was I supposed to handle people like that? I hesitated for some time.

At times I regarded them as practitioners, because they had done many things for Dafa. Although they made big mistakes, I believed Master was looking after them, and I should not reject them.

I changed my mind other times. The mistakes they made had a negative impact that interfered with and destroyed many practitioners.

Their behavior disrupted Dafa from inside, thus they should not be regarded as practitioners. I thought my attitude toward them was an indicator of whether I had walked my cultivation path correctly.

I was not sure how to handle this issue, but things became clear after I read Master's lecture. Master said:

“As I said, it’s human beings who are cultivating, not gods. And for that reason you will have human thoughts, and those may lead you to do the wrong thing. And the mistakes that ensue might be minor or serious. So this is why I’ve said that before this affair ends, those who’ve made serious mistakes should still be given chances, and if they want to cultivate you should still regard them as cultivators.” (Fa Teaching Given at the New York Fa Conference Celebrating the 25th Anniversary of Dafa’s Spreading)

Although some practitioners have committed big mistakes, they still have the opportunity as long as Fa-rectification is not over. They are still studying the Fa and cultivating, so we should treat them as practitioners.

Master's compassion and forbearance is so immense and infinite. After reading the lecture, I felt that my understanding was elevated, and my heart grew bigger.

Why was I unable to reach that kind of understanding before reading Master's lecture? I think it was because I only focused on the side that was not cultivated, and I failed to notice their strengths.

In the case of these two practitioners, they have done a lot for Dafa and never gave up the practice amidst the persecution.

One of them was jailed, but was not “transformed,” nor did he sign any guarantee letter. He continued to work on Dafa projects after being released.

I believe they had gone through many soul-stirring and life-and-death situations throughout history. They are remarkable, and beings in their worlds are waiting to be saved.

Therefore, we should not reject them and treat them as enemies. Otherwise, the old forces would be very pleased, and that is not what Master wants.

Once I gained that understanding, I included them when I sent forth righteous thoughts: “Negate the old forces' arrangements and persecution of them. Enable them to walk out of their misconceptions and poor cultivation state. Allow them to correct their mistakes, catch up with the process of Fa-rectification, and return home with Master.”