The title “Diamond Sutra,” or Vajracchedikā Prajñāpāramitā Sūtra, points directly to the nature of the wisdom it presents. The term “vajra” evokes the image of a diamond, renowned for its hardness, clarity, and indestructibility. In this context, the diamond symbolizes prajñā, the perfection of wisdom, which is unassailable and cannot be damaged by delusion, ignorance, or ordinary conceptual thinking. This wisdom is regarded as supremely precious, because it reveals the emptiness of all phenomena and the illusory nature of fixed concepts such as self and things.

At the same time, the title suggests a cutting function: “Diamond-Cutter.” Just as a diamond can cut through other substances, the insight taught in this sutra cuts through deeply rooted illusions and attachments. It undermines clinging to ideas of being and non-being, to notions of attainment, and even to rigid conceptions of “Buddha” and “Dharma.” By doing so, it exposes the empty, non-fixed character of reality, characterized by emptiness and non-self, and opens the way to genuine liberation from suffering.

The image of the diamond also conveys clarity and brilliance, pointing to the luminous quality of awakened awareness that sees things as they truly are. This awareness does not merely negate phenomena; it illuminates their lack of inherent solidity with penetrating precision. The sutra emphasizes that such wisdom is both indestructible and profoundly valuable, yet warns against turning even this teaching into something to be grasped. The title therefore encapsulates a paradox: a “diamond” of perfect wisdom that cuts through every form of attachment, including attachment to the teaching itself.