What is the Buddhist approach of admitting a mistake? I just did a mistake while commuting. I told sorry to the person and wished him well in my mind. This brought me to think, 


  Are there any suttas staring how to go about a mistake done which resulted in hurting another person?
Confessing and pardon are very importand matter, as for monks there are even many formal ways to do, which can be appopted by good other communities patly as well.
Generally the Ambalatthika-rahulovada Sutta: Instructions to Rahula at Mango Stone might be useful.

And in regard of the added related question by Chris, no, addmitting and apologize will not easen or even make deeds and their results undone but it straightens your view and thoughts and allows you to walk on, aside the fact that such is nessesary for any good relation or community.

Something people seldom practice any more, caught in wrong views of having primaly rights and feeling independent.

How ever, it is needed to know what is a wrong deed. If somebody is hurt does not mean that you made something wrong. Such a desire for apologise is then merely founded in ones desire to be liked or in certain ways estimated by others.

So admit should be not used for politics, since such causes confusion of what is right and wrong in communities and relations in long therms.
Feel free to ask more here


  Ravindranath Akila in addition:
  I just read the sutta. It is useful to reflect ones own mistake. I'm looking at how I can apologize and make amends. Is there such a way?


Not always. And as told, sometimes its merely a desire in regard of relation to a person. Such desire is human, of coures, but not nessesary skillful. Sometimes beings are no more interested at all. There aversion is theirs. For you it good then to practice good will, not love or desire. A good talk on: Reconciliation, Right &amp; Wrong

While most believe that unity is the highers, Buddhas account was not so. Nothing is worthy to give up real benefical things and he told clearly its better to loses relations, wealth and even health for such things as right view and withdraw from anything else. Why? With the break apart of the body, one would not fall into low existences. The lose of others will come anyway, sooner or later.

We can say that there are three kinds of desire for reconciliation:

Unskilfull: connected with (wrong) fear, desire (for wodlily gain), aversion (caused by desire), not-knowing (that a reconciliation is urgend, for example)

Skillful: connected with (right) fear of wrongdoing, desire (for skillfulness), aversion (of unclear situations and hindrences to walk on), knowing (of what is skilfull and unskilfull)

Beyound: no more desire for any lose or gain and therefore no more seek for reconciiation actively, but accepting apologize.

The skillful can be divided into:
Wordly: to maintain one world an relations
Contuctive for the path to liberation: to maintain a good relation in regard of those worthy to associate.

Of course, in each case, one should always confess mistakes and accept the "punishment" accordingly, and of course one should always investigate ones own actions first and propably seek for advices from admirable friends for certain cases (See talk to Rahula) and Bala-pandita Sutta: Fools &amp; Wise People

Wothy to note! (Since often overseen) There is no need of confessing or reconciliation for mental deeds. Here being ashamed for yourself and lso determination to do not again is enought (is't not part of Sila/Vinaya).

(Good for now, there is no reconciliation with the team here as well as no such as an invitation to share Dhamma, so its just an short fly by.)

An extended and modified answer, builded up on this, can be found here: What is the Buddhas approach of admitting a mistake?

Seeing the necessarity: One may fight lifetimes, spend lifetimes to justify ones deeds, will win and lose for lifetimes again and again, as long there is no real admiting one will not realky progress and do it again and again. Think of how long Devatata and his fellow still turns around and will "win" for many lifetimes birth again and again, and Verdrängen ist nicht Verzeihen (German, you may translate it if you feel inspired)

Requesting Forgiveness

Usually chanted after having made merits:


  Kāyena vācāya va cetasā vā, Buddhe kukammaṃ pakataṃ mayā yaṃ,
  Buddho paṭiggaṇhatu accayantaṃ,
  Kālantare saṃvarituṃ va buddhe.
  Whatever bad kamma I have done to the Buddha
  by body, by speech, or by mind,
  may the Buddha accept my admission of it,
  so that in the future I may show restraint toward the Buddha. (Same for Dhamma and Sangha)