金剛者，金中精堅者也。剛生金中，百鍊不消。取此堅利，能斷壞萬物。譬如智慧，能斷一切煩惱，轉為妙用。般若者，梵語也，華言智慧。性體虗融，照用自在，故云般若。梵語波羅蜜，華言到彼岸。欲到彼岸，須憑般若。不著諸相，謂之彼岸。若著諸相，謂之此岸。又云：心迷則此岸，心悟則彼岸。經者，經也，見性之徑路也。道川禪師云：法不孤起，誰為安名？頌曰：摩訶大法王，無短亦無長。本來非皂白，隨處見青黃。華發看朝艶，林凋逐曉霜。疾雷何太急，迅雷亦非光。凡聖猶難測，龍天豈度量。古今人不識，權立號金剛。宗鏡云：此一卷經，六道含靈，一切性中，悉皆具足。只為受身之後，妄為六根六塵，埋沒此段靈光，不知不覺。故佛發慈悲心，願一切眾生，齊超苦海，共證菩提。所以說是經大意，只是為人解粘去縛，直下明了自性，究竟堅固，萬劫不壞，如金性堅剛也。
"What is vajra? It is the hardest, most refined substance within gold. Vajra is born within gold, and a hundred refinings cannot dissolve it. Taking this hardness and sharpness, it can cut through and destroy all things. It is like Wisdom, which can cut off all afflictions and transform them into wondrous function. Prajñā is a Sanskrit word; in Chinese it means Wisdom. Its essential nature is empty and fused, its illuminating function free and unobstructed—therefore it is called Prajñā. The Sanskrit word pāramitā means 'reaching the other shore.' To reach the other shore, one must rely on Prajñā. Not clinging to any marks—this is called the other shore. If one clings to marks, this is called this shore. It is also said: when the mind is deluded, this is this shore; when the mind is awakened, this is the other shore. 'Sūtra' means 'path'—the direct road to seeing one's own nature. Chan Master Daochuan said: 'The Dharma does not arise alone—who names it?' His verse says: The great Dharma King, Mahā—no short, no long. Originally it is neither black nor white; wherever it is, one sees blue or yellow. Flowers bloom, showing morning brilliance; the forest withers, following the dawn frost. How urgent the swift thunder—the rushing lightning is no light either. Ordinary and sage alike still cannot fathom it; how could dragons and devas measure it? People past and present do not recognize it, so provisionally it is named Vajra. The Zongjing says: This one scroll of sutra—all sentient beings of the six realms, within their every nature, are fully endowed with it. Only because, after receiving a body, they falsely make the six sense faculties and six sense objects bury this span of spiritual light, unknowing and unaware. Therefore the Buddha aroused a mind of Compassion, vowing that all sentient beings might together transcend the sea of Suffering and together realize Enlightenment. This is why the sutra is taught. Its main purport is simply to untie people's knots and remove their bonds, so that directly, right where they stand, they may clearly understand their own nature—ultimately firm and solid, indestructible through ten thousand kalpas, like the hard solidity of the nature of gold."