Dhammapada on Forgiveness

"He abused me, he beat me, he defeated me, he robbed me,"--in those who do not harbour such thoughts hatred will cease.

Whatever a hater may do to a hater, or an enemy to an enemy, a wrongly-directed mind will do us greater mischief.

That deed is not well done of which a man must repent, and the reward of which he receives crying and with a tearful face.

If a man commits a sin, let him not do it again; let him not delight in sin: pain is the outcome of evil.

If a man offend a harmless, pure, and innocent person, the evil falls back upon that fool, like light dust thrown up against the wind.

He who inflicts pain on innocent and harmless persons, will soon come to one of these ten states:

Let us live happily then, not hating those who hate us! among men who hate us let us dwell free from hatred!

Let a man overcome anger by love, let him overcome evil by good; let him overcome the greedy by liberality, the liar by truth!

The sages who injure nobody, and who always control their body, they will go to the unchangeable place (Nirvana), where, if they have gone, they will suffer no more.

Beware of bodily anger, and control thy body! Leave the sins of the body, and with thy body practise virtue!

The fault of others is easily perceived, but that of oneself is difficult to perceive; a man winnows his neighbour's faults like chaff, but his own fault he hides, as a cheat hides the bad die from the gambler.

If you go on this way, you will make an end of pain! The way was preached by me, when I had understood the removal of the thorns (in the flesh).

An evil deed is better left undone, for a man repents of it afterwards; a good deed is better done, for having done it, one does not repent.

The gift of the law exceeds all gifts; the sweetness of the law exceeds all sweetness; the delight in the law exceeds all delights; the extinction of thirst overcomes all pain.

It advantages a Brahmana not a little if he holds his mind back from the pleasures of life; when all wish to injure has vanished, pain will cease.