According to the majority of Buddhist traditions, forgiving people for their wrongdoing serves a specific purpose. If one is not able to forgive others, then negative and even harmful notions will continue to remain in the head of the person concerned. This can have a detrimental effect on karma, so it is best to invoke the Buddhist concept of metta, a term which is usually translated as benevolence. Therefore, being benevolent to our wrongdoers is akin to forgiving them, something which has a beneficial effect on karma. In short, forgiving someone helps to prevent a mindset that is tied up with resentment and negativity.