1. Lit. seeing, looking; noticing; sight of, appearance, look. Often equivalent to an infinitive “to see,” esp. as dat. dassanāya in order to see, for the purpose of seeing (cp. dassana-kāma = daṭṭhu-kāma): [Bhagavantaṃ] dassanāya MN.ii.23, MN.ii.46; AN.i.121; AN.iii.381; Snp.325

   1. (nt. “sight” DN.ii.157 (visūka˚, looking on at spectacles) AN.iii.202 (+ savana hearing); AN.iv.25 sq. (bhikkhu˚) Snp.207 (muni˚, may be taken as 2, cp. Snp-a.256), Snp.266 (= pekkhaṇa Kp-a.148); Dhp.206 (ariyānaṃ d., cp ariyānaṃ dassāvin), Dhp.210 (appiyānaṃ), Dhp.274; Vv.34#2 Vv-a.138 (sippa˚ exhibition of art, competition).
   2. adj. as (-˚) “of appearance” (cp. ˚dasa) Snp.548 (cāru˚ lovely to behold); Pv-a.24 (bhayānaka˚ fearful to look at), Pv-a.68 (bībhaccha˚).

2. Appld. (power of perception, faculty of apperception, insight, view theory; esp.

   1. in combination ñāṇa-dassana either “knowing & seeing,” or perhaps “the insight arising from knowledge,” perfect knowledge, realization of the truth, wisdom (cp. ñāṇa): SN.i.52; SN.ii.30; SN.v.28, SN.v.422; MN.i.195 sq., MN.i.241, MN.i.482 (Gotamo sabbaññū sabba-dassāvī aparisesaṃ ñ-d ˚ṃ paṭijānāti; id. MN.ii.31); DN.iii.134; AN.i.220; AN.ii.220; AN.iv.302 sq.; cp. ñ-d-paṭilābha AN.i.43 AN.ii.44 sq.; AN.iii.323; ñ-d-visuddhi MN.i.147 sq. Also with further determination as adhideva -ñ-d˚ AN.iv.428 alam-ariya˚; SN.iii.48; SN.iv.300; SN.v.126 sq.; MN.i.68, MN.i.71, MN.i.81 MN.i.207, MN.i.246, MN.i.440 sq., AN.i.9; AN.iii.64, AN.iii.430; AN.v.88; parisuddha AN.iii.125; maggāmagga˚; AN.v.47; yathābhūta˚; AN.iii.19 AN.iii.200; AN.iv.99, AN.iv.336; AN.v.2 sq., AN.v.311 sq.; vimutti˚; SN.i.139 SN.v.67; AN.iii.12, AN.iii.81, AN.iii.134; AN.iv.99, AN.iv.336; AN.v.130; Iti.107, Iti.108; Mil.338. See also vimutti
   2. in other contexts: ariyasaccāna-dassana Snp.267; ujubhūta˚ SN.v.384, SN.v.404 dhamma˚ (the right doctrine) SN.v.204, SN.v.344, SN.v.404; AN.iii.263; pāpa˚ (a sinful view) Pv.iv.3#55; viparīta AN.iii.114; AN.iv.226; AN.v.284 sq. (and a˚), AN.v.293 sq. sammā (right view) SN.iii.189; AN.iii.138; AN.iv.290; AN.v.199; sabbalokena d. SN.iv.127; sahetu d. SN.v.126 sq.; suvisuddha d. SN.iv.191
      ■ SN.iii.28, SN.iii.49; MN.ii.46; MN.iii.157; Snp.989 (wisdom: Jinānaṃ eta d. corresponding with ñāṇa in preceding line); Dhs.584, Dhs.1002 (insight: cp. Dhs. trsl. p. 256)
      ■ (adj.) perceiving or having a view (cp dasseti) SN.i.181 (visuddha˚); Thag.422
   3. as nt. from the Caus. dasseti: pointing out, showing; implication definition, statement (in Com. style) Pv-a.72 often as -ākāra -dassana: Pv-a.26 (dātabba˚), Pv-a.27 (thomana˚), Pv-a.35 (kata˚) & in; dassanatthaṃ in order to point out, meaning by this, etc. Pv-a.9, Pv-a.68.

3. adassana not seeing SN.i.168 = Snp.459; invisibility Ja.iv.496 (˚ṃ vajjati to become invisible); wrong theory or view AN.v.145 sq.; Snp.206; Pp.21.

• -anuttariya (nt.) the pre-eminence or importance of (right or perfect) insight; as one of the 3 anuttariyāni viz. d˚, paṭipadā˚, vimutta˚ at DN.iii.219, DN.iii.250, DN.iii.281; AN.iii.284, AN.iii.325;
• -kāma (adj.) desirous of seeing AN.i.150 AN.iv.115; Mil.23;
• -bhūmi the level or plane of insight Ne.8, Ne.14, Ne.50;
• -sampanna endowed with right insight SN.ii.43 sq., SN.ii.58.

Sk. darśana, see dassati¹