Lets use the example of over-identification with roles to illustrate the Twelve Nidanas of dependent origination.
1. Ignorance (avijja): The person lacks understanding of the true nature of reality and how their self-identity is not solely defined by their roles.
2. Mental formations (sankhara): Due to ignorance, the person forms habitual patterns of identifying themselves only with their roles (e.g., a parent, a spouse, a professional).
3. Consciousness (viññana): The persons consciousness is conditioned by these mental formations, making them prone to over-identifying with their roles.
4. Name and form (nama-rupa): The persons body and mind manifest in a way that is susceptible to over-identification with roles.
5. The six sense bases (salayatana): The persons sense organs interact with the external world, and they perceive themselves mainly through their roles.
6. Contact (phassa): The person encounters situations that challenge their roles or require them to perform specific tasks, leading to a more entrenched identification with these roles.
7. Feeling (vedana): The person experiences a combination of pleasant and unpleasant sensations as a result of their roles or duties.
8. Craving (tanha): The person develops a desire to enhance or maintain their roles, leading to a more intense identification with them.
9. Clinging (upadana): The persons attachment and identification with their roles intensify and become even more entrenched.
10. Becoming (bhava): This clinging to roles reinforces the persons habitual patterns and karmic tendencies, perpetuating the cycle of over-identification with roles.
11. Birth (jati): The persons identification with roles manifests in the definite idea of self (ego) and their established roles that they define themselves by.
12. Old age and death (jara-marana): Unaddressed and intense attachment to roles may lead to suffering and negative consequences throughout a person’s life or even future lives.
This example shows how the Twelve Nidanas apply to the cycle of over-identification with roles. By understanding the nature of self and the interdependence of causes and conditions, one can work towards loosening the grip of attachment to roles and reducing suffering. By realizing that they are not limited to these roles, individuals can cultivate a sense of freedom and move beyond the cycle of dependent origination related to role attachment.

How to break cycle at each point:

To break the cycle of dependent origination in the context of over-identification with roles, here are some suggestions for each step:

1. Ignorance (avijja): To break the cycle at this step, the person needs to develop an understanding of the true nature of reality, including the impermanence and conditioned nature of all phenomena, including their sense of self-identity as defined by their roles. Mindfulness meditation and insight practices can be helpful in developing this understanding.

2. Mental formations (sankhara): To break the cycle at this step, the person needs to develop more flexible patterns of thinking and reduce their rigid identification with roles. This can be done through self-reflection and inquiry, noticing when habitual patterns of thinking arise and consciously choosing to think and act differently.

3. Consciousness (viññana): To break the cycle at this step, the person needs to cultivate a more expansive awareness of themselves beyond their roles. They can develop this awareness through mindfulness meditation, focusing on being aware of their thoughts and feelings in the present moment without identifying too strongly with them.

4. Name and form (nama-rupa): To break the cycle at this step, the person can work towards reducing their attachment to physical characteristics and mental habits that reinforce their sense of self-identity based on roles. This can be done through mindful awareness of the body and taking steps to promote physical and mental health.

5. The six sense bases (salayatana): To break the cycle at this step, the person can develop awareness of their perception and see beyond the limitations of their sense perceptions. This can be done through mindfulness meditation and recognizing that perception is not reality, it is only our interpretation of it.

6. Contact (phassa): To break the cycle at this step, the person can develop a more flexible attitude towards encounters that challenge their roles. They can develop a sense of detachment that allows them to take on new challenges with greater ease.

7. Feeling (vedana): To break the cycle at this step, the person can focus on recognizing the impermanence of emotional states and reducing their attachment to them. They can do this by cultivating a balanced mind through meditation and developing a sense of equanimity towards emotional experiences.

8. Craving (tanha): To break the cycle at this step, the person can focus on recognizing their desires and cultivate a more flexible attitude towards them. They can do so by developing mindfulness and recognizing the suffering that arises from the clinging or attachment to the desires.

9. Clinging (upadana): To break the cycle at this step, the person can develop the skill of letting go of their clinging to the false sense of self-identity formed from their roles. They can work on recognizing their attachment and tendencies to cling and learn to let go of them by developing equanimity and compassion.

10. Becoming (bhava): To break the cycle at this step, the person can work on cultivating positive states of mind and develop wholesome habits. They can also let go hard attachments and work on instead cultivating a more flexible approach to goals and life direction.

11. Birth (jati): To break the cycle at this step, the person can work on seeing themselves beyond their roles and developing a greater sense of self-awareness. They can work on broadening their sense of self and embracing the impermanence of all things.

12. Old age and death (jara-marana): To break the cycle at this final step, the person can develop a healthy relationship with change and impermanence. They can explore the possibility of letting go of control and develop a greater sense of trust that can alleviate their fears about old age and death.

In summary, the process of breaking the cycle of over-identification with roles involves developing a deeper understanding of the interdependence of causes and effects, cultivating mindfulness, flexibility, compassion, and letting go. Through the practices mentioned in each step, a person can cultivate a healthier and more expansive sense of self, leading to a greater sense of peace and fulfillment.