Forgiveness in Buddhism
 

How much important? Why?

Carrying grudges around weighs heavily on your heart and mind. Some think that forgiving someone is letting them off the hook but if we don't forgive them we are caught on that hook indefinitely , they move on and we hold on, full of anger and resentment .
Attachment, clinging, desiring is the cause of suffering ( Four Noble Truths)

Attachment to a grudge.
Clinging to the past deed that hurt you.
Desire for revenge against the person/persons who are responsible.

Foregivness eliminates all of these.

Just my own personal opinion based on my experiences, others will think differently :smile:

It's very easily done with practice, then it then becomes normal. It just involves a different way of thinking because ' You become what you think '....

I agree with sky 100%.
We forgive for our own peace of mind. That doesn't mean that we have to welcome them back into our lives with open arms.

That's a pity as it definitely works :smile:

Enlightened Buddhist's have nothing to forgive because they are only present with what is, not what was. The present moment is all there is and nothing from yesterday is included in now, to one enlightened anyway.

That's true, but not all Buddhists are enlightened.

When one is enlightened more often than not, or most of the time, they don't have a need to incarnate in a human body anymore. So yea everyone on this planet is still working on it or reality would not have chosen an animal body (human) as a fitting place for the consciousness.

Dealing with the negative behaviors and actions and habits of others goes hand in hand with living among other beings lost in the "animal" human body, mind, and experience. We too are lost in the animal human experience.

We can love bad people, understand them, and still out of love for self, not want to have relationships or interactions with them. So I can love and "forgive" everyone but that does not mean I then bring them into my life. To "forgive" and return to a relationship with them means they have changed and will no longer consciously or unconsciously do harm to me.

There is a huge range of human "personalities" from angelic to evil... and we all change from day to day and hour to hour in various ways. We change according to our age as well. We can be kind and loving one day, and stressed out and angry the next. But then some of us "try" or attempt to be "nice" and others don't care and in fact seek conflict. But we will all, eventually, return to the nature of the source through the lessons and experiences we learn from on earth in an animal body. So everyone is where they are. I really don't see a need to "forgive" because I don't hate anyone. I may dislike what they do and how they behave, but they are what they are. Eventually they will change.

If I have experiences with mean ignorant persons, that is my karma. I do what I can do to not be affected by them. To remain with my inner and outer peace. To be the kind of "person" I would wish to be my friend. Unselfish, humble, without desire, calm, selfless.