Lets use the example of a person experiencing ingratitude to illustrate the Twelve Nidanas of dependent origination.
1. Ignorance (avijja): The person lacks understanding of the true nature of reality, including the interconnectedness of all phenomena.
2. Mental formations (sankhara): Due to ignorance, the person develops habitual patterns of expecting gratitude or recognition for their actions.
3. Consciousness (viññana): The persons consciousness is conditioned by these mental formations, making them prone to feelings of resentment or disappointment when they receive no gratitude.
4. Name and form (nama-rupa): The persons body and mind manifest in a way that is susceptible to feeling unappreciated.
5. The six sense bases (salayatana): The persons sense organs interact with the external world, and they perceive a lack of gratitude from others through their senses.
6. Contact (phassa): The person encounters situations or people that do not show gratitude, which triggers negative emotions.
7. Feeling (vedana): The person experiences unpleasant feelings such as disappointment, resentment or hurt when their expectations of gratitude are not met.
8. Craving (tanha): The person develops a desire or craving to get recognition or appreciation from others for their actions.
9. Clinging (upadana): The person clings to this craving for recognition, and becomes attached to the idea of being appreciated by others. This attachment reinforces their habitual patterns and prevents them from seeing the truth.
10. Becoming (bhava): The persons attachment to craving reinforces their karmic tendencies towards seeking recognition and validation from others.
11. Birth (jati): This craving for recognition and attachment to ingratitude manifests as an expectation in the persons behavior and attitude towards others. They may start acting with ulterior motives or may behave in a manipulative way to get what they want.
12. Old age and death (jara-marana): The persons attachment to craving and ingratitude can lead to emotional suffering and perpetuate negative consequences in future situations or even future lives.
In this example, we can see how the Twelve Nidanas apply to the arising and perpetuation of ingratitude. By understanding the dependent origination of ingratitude and recognizing the interdependence of the Twelve Links, a person can cultivate mindfulness and develop a sense of altruism by doing things not for other’s approvals but for the greater good.

How to break cycle at each point:

To break the cycle of dependence in the case of ingratitude, one can follow the following steps:

1. Ignorance (avijja): The first step in breaking the cycle of dependence is to cultivate an understanding of the true nature of reality, specifically that all things are interdependent and that expectations of gratitude or appreciation are unrealistic and can lead to suffering. By recognizing the impermanence of everything, we can allow ourselves to be more flexible and open to the possibility that things may not go as planned.

2. Mental formations (sankhara): We can break the cycle of dependence at this point by re-conditioning our habitual patterns of expecting gratitude or recognition for our actions. Instead, we can replace this with a more altruistic mindset that focuses on giving without expecting anything in return.

3. Consciousness (viññana): By cultivating mindfulness of our mental formations, we can be aware of the habitual patterns that lead to feelings of resentment or disappointment when we do not receive gratitude, and instead choose to respond with compassion and understanding.

4. Name and form (nama-rupa): To break the cycle of dependence at this point, we can develop a more resilient and accepting mindset that is less susceptible to feeling unappreciated or disrespected.

5. The six sense bases (salayatana): We can break the cycle of dependence at this point by being mindful of our sense organs and how they perceive the world around us, and by recognizing that our expectations and perceptions may not always align with reality.

6. Contact (phassa): When faced with situations where we do not receive gratitude or appreciation, we can break the cycle of dependence by responding with equanimity and understanding, rather than with negative emotions.

7. Feeling (vedana): We can break the cycle of dependence at this point by accepting unpleasant feelings when they arise, rather than trying to push them away or cling to them.

8. Craving (tanha): To break the cycle of dependence at this point, we can develop a more mindful and non-attached approach to our desires, recognizing that clinging to our cravings leads only to suffering.

9. Clinging (upadana): We can break the cycle of dependence by letting go of our attachment to craving and instead focus our energy on cultivating positive qualities like altruism, compassion, and equanimity.

10. Becoming (bhava): To break the cycle of dependence at this point, we can redirect our karmic tendencies towards seeking recognition and validation from others towards actions that are truly altruistic and for the benefit of others without any expectations.

11. Birth (jati): 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.

12. Old age and death (jara-marana): When we let go of our attachment to craving and lead a life with an altruistic outlook, we will break away from the cycle of dependence and find peace of mind, ultimately leading towards contentment and personal happiness free from the stresses of expectations.