Ingratitude is a common emotion experienced by individuals at some point in their lives. It occurs when one feels unappreciated or undervalued for their actions or contributions, leading to feelings of resentment and disappointment. However, in Buddhism, ingratitude can be explained using the Twelve Nidanas of dependent origination.

The Twelve Nidanas are a chain of interdependent causation that explains how suffering arises in our lives. In the case of ingratitude, the Twelve Nidanas illustrate how our attachment to craving for recognition and appreciation leads to suffering.

The chain of dependent origination begins with ignorance (avijja). In the case of ingratitude, ignorance refers to a lack of understanding of the true nature of reality, including the interconnectedness of all phenomena. Due to ignorance, a person develops mental formations (sankhara) - habitual patterns of expecting gratitude or recognition for their actions. The persons consciousness (viññana) is conditioned by these mental formations, making them prone to feelings of resentment or disappointment when they receive no gratitude.

The persons name and form (nama-rupa) manifest in a way that is susceptible to feeling unappreciated. They perceive a lack of gratitude from others through their senses when the six sense bases (salayatana) interact with the external world. The person encounters situations or people that do not show gratitude, which triggers negative emotions (contact - phassa). These negative emotions lead to unpleasant feelings such as disappointment, resentment or hurt (feeling - vedana).

The person develops a desire or craving (tanha) to get recognition or appreciation from others for their actions. They then cling (upadana) to this craving for recognition and become attached to the idea of being appreciated by others. This attachment reinforces their habitual patterns and prevents them from seeing the truth.

This attachment to craving reinforces their karmic tendencies towards seeking recognition and validation from others (becoming - bhava). This craving for recognition and attachment to ingratitude manifests as an expectation in the persons behavior and attitude towards others (birth - jati). By acting with an agenda-driven motivation, they may start behaving in a manipulative way to get what they want.

The persons attachment to craving and ingratitude can lead to emotional suffering and perpetuate negative consequences in future situations or even future lives (old age and death - jara-marana).

To break this cycle of dependence, one can cultivate mindfulness and develop a sense of altruism. By understanding the interdependent nature of reality, we can allow ourselves to be more open to the possibility that things may not go as planned. We can cultivate mindfulness of our mental formations and be aware of the habitual patterns that lead to feelings of resentment or disappointment when we do not receive gratitude. Instead of seeking validation and appreciation from others, we can focus on developing positive qualities like compassion, altruism, and equanimity.

By acting with an altruistic mindset, we can break away from the cycle of expectation, and start leading a life with no strings attached, free from the agenda-driven motivations. This way, we will break away from the cycle of dependence and find personal happiness and contentment, free from the stresses of expectations.