Lets use the example of the need for certainty to illustrate the Twelve Nidanas of dependent origination.
1. Ignorance (avijja): The person lacks understanding of the true nature of reality, including the impermanence and unpredictability of phenomena.
2. Mental formations (sankhara): Due to ignorance, the person has formed habitual patterns of seeking certainty and avoiding uncertainty.
3. Consciousness (viññana): The persons consciousness is conditioned by these mental formations, making them prone to seeking and clinging to certainty.
4. Name and form (nama-rupa): The persons body and mind manifest in a way that is susceptible to the need for certainty.
5. The six sense bases (salayatana): The persons sense organs interact with the external world.
6. Contact (phassa): The person encounters a situation or stimulus that triggers the need for certainty, such as a significant life decision or a change in circumstances.
7. Feeling (vedana): The person experiences a sense of discomfort or agitation as a result of the uncertainty of the situation.
8. Craving (tanha): The person develops a strong desire for certainty to alleviate their discomfort, often seeking reassurance or control.
9. Clinging (upadana): The persons attachment to their desire for certainty intensifies, perpetuating the cycle of craving and clinging.
10. Becoming (bhava): This clinging to the need for certainty reinforces the persons habitual patterns and karmic tendencies.
11. Birth (jati): The persons need for certainty manifests in the form of actions taken to gain control or alleviate discomfort, often leading to further suffering and confusion.
12. Old age and death (jara-marana): Unaddressed need for certainty can lead to physical, mental, and emotional suffering, reinforcing the cycle of mental formations and karmic consequences.
This example illustrates how the Twelve Nidanas apply to the need for certainty and how it can become a source of suffering. By recognizing the interdependence of the Twelve Links, a person can cultivate mindfulness and work towards breaking the cycle of clinging to certainty, ultimately leading to greater peace and freedom from suffering.

How to break cycle at each point:

How to break the cycle of dependent origination at each step:

1. Ignorance (avijja): To break the cycle at this step, one can cultivate wisdom and understanding, specifically through the practice of mindfulness meditation and studying the teachings of the Buddha. By developing a clear understanding of the impermanent and unsatisfactory nature of all things, one can begin to loosen the grip of ignorance and develop insight.

2. Mental formations (sankhara): To break the cycle at this step, one can cultivate virtue, wisdom, and a positive mental state through meditation, ethical behavior, and spiritual practice. This can help to dissolve unwholesome habitual patterns and replace them with wholesome ones.

3. Consciousness (viññana): To break the cycle at this step, one can practice mindfulness meditation and develop a clear awareness of the functioning of consciousness. This can help one to detach from ones biased and habitual ways of perception and develop a more objective awareness of things as they are.

4. Name and form (nama-rupa): To break the cycle at this step, one can cultivate mindfulness of the body and mind, including the mental processes that give rise to thoughts, feelings, and sensations. By developing a clear understanding of the nature of these phenomena, one can begin to break the identification with them and see them as impermanent and unsatisfactory.

5. The six sense bases (salayatana): To break the cycle at this step, one can practice restraint of the senses and develop mindfulness of sensory experiences. By being mindful of the sensory inputs and their effects on the mind, one can begin to reduce the attachment and craving that lead to suffering.

6. Contact (phassa): To break the cycle at this step, one can cultivate mindfulness of the contact between the senses and their objects. By being mindful of the moment-to-moment experience of sensory contact, one can develop a clearer understanding of the link between sensory experiences and craving.

7. Feeling (vedana): To break the cycle at this step, one can develop mindfulness of feelings, including the pleasant, unpleasant, and neutral sensations that arise from sensory contact. By being mindful of the arising and passing away of these feelings, one can begin to reduce the influence of craving and attachment.

8. Craving (tanha): To break the cycle at this step, one can develop mindfulness of the arising and passing away of craving. This can help one to weaken the grip of craving and reduce the attachment to sensory experiences.

9. Clinging (upadana): To break the cycle at this step, one can develop mindfulness of the clinging and attachment that arise from craving. By recognizing and investigating the causes and conditions that lead to clinging, one can begin to reduce its influence on ones thoughts and actions.

10. Becoming (bhava): To break the cycle at this step, one can cultivate wholesome intentions and ethical behavior. By making a conscious effort to act with wisdom and compassion, one can begin to dissolve the karmic patterns that lead to further becoming and rebirth.

11. Birth (jati): To break the cycle at this step, one can cultivate a sense of detachment and dispassion towards birth and existence. This can be done through the practice of mindfulness meditation and developing a clear understanding of the nature of birth and rebirth.

12. Old age and death (jara-marana): To break the cycle at this step, one can develop a clear awareness of the impermanent and unsatisfactory nature of all things. By cultivating wisdom and insight, one can begin to see death as a natural process, rather than a source of suffering and attachment.