Beelzebub's grandson, the son of his favorite son Tooloof, to whom the entire narrative of Beelzebub's Tales is addressed. Beelzebub first encountered Hassein after returning from exile and "appreciating his good heart, and also, owing to what is called 'family attraction,' he took an instant liking to him" (2.55). Recognizing that "the time happened to coincide with the time when the Reason of little Hassein needed to be developed," Beelzebub undertook his grandson's education personally (2.55). Hassein serves as the primary audience for Beelzebub's teachings about Earth's three-brained beings, demonstrating throughout the text a developing capacity for impartial mentation and genuine empathy for the fate of terrestrial beings.

Quotes from the 1950 text:

This was Hassein, the son of Beelzebub's favorite son Tooloof.

After his return home from exile, Beelzebub had seen this grandson of his, Hassein, for the first time, and, appreciating his good heart, and also, owing to what is called "family attraction," he took an instant liking to him.

And as the time happened to coincide with the time when the Reason of little Hassein needed to be developed, Beelzebub, having a great deal of free time there, himself undertook the education of his grandson, and from that time on took Hassein everywhere about with him. (2.55)

Now I see that during the last dianosk you indeed actively pondered a great deal, or, as certain of your contemporary favorites would express themselves, 'during this time you did not inwardly sleep.'... Your weeping gives me the assurance also that in your future responsible existence there will also be in your common presence those being-data which are the foundation of the essence of every bearer of Divine Reason. (46.1163-1164)

Location in Book: First appearance: Chapter 2, page 55. Hassein appears throughout the entire narrative as Beelzebub's primary audience, with significant character development shown particularly in Chapter 46 (pages 1162-1164) and Chapter 47 (pages 1180-1181).

Etymology / Notes: The name appears to be one of Gurdjieff's original coinages with no apparent derivation from known linguistic roots. Hassein represents the ideal student in Gurdjieff's pedagogical framework - one who develops genuine empathy and the capacity for impartial mentation through exposure to objective knowledge. His emotional response to learning about Earth beings' fate (weeping in Chapter 46) demonstrates the development of what Beelzebub calls "those being-data which are the foundation of the essence of every bearer of Divine Reason" (46.1164).

The fundamental psychological teaching presented in Chapter 1 that "in the entirety of every man, irrespective of his heredity and education, there are formed two independent consciousnesses which in their functioning as well as in their manifestations have almost nothing in common" (1.25). Gurdjieff establishes a crucial distinction between fictitious consciousness and real consciousness, asserting that most people mistake their mechanical awareness for genuine consciousness while remaining disconnected from their authentic being-possibilities.

The Two Consciousnesses:

First Consciousness (Fictitious): Formed "from the perception of all kinds of accidental, or on the part of others intentionally produced, mechanical impressions, among which must also be counted the 'consonances' of various words which are indeed as is said empty" (1.25). This false consciousness operates through external conditioning and represents what people ignorantly call their "consciousness."

Second Consciousness (Real/Being-Consciousness): Formed "from the so to say, 'already previously formed material results' transmitted to him by heredity, which have become blended with the corresponding parts of the entirety of a man, as well as from the data arising from his intentional evoking of the associative confrontations of these 'materialized data' already in him" (1.25). This authentic consciousness is what we call the "subconscious" but should predominate in a being's common presence.

This dual consciousness theory forms the foundation for Gurdjieff's entire psychological and spiritual teaching. The real consciousness contains hereditary "materialized results" and sacred being-impulses including conscience, faith, hope, and love, while the fictitious consciousness operates through automatic reactions to external impressions. The goal of conscious work is to transfer the authentic data from the subconsciousness into ordinary waking awareness.

Quote from the 1950 text:

In the entirety of every man, irrespective of his heredity and education, there are formed two independent consciousnesses which in their functioning as well as in their manifestations have almost nothing in common. One consciousness is formed from the perception of all kinds of accidental, or on the part of others intentionally produced, mechanical impressions, among which must also be counted the "consonances" of various words which are indeed as is said empty; and the other consciousness is formed from the so to say, "already previously formed material results" transmitted to him by heredity, which have become blended with the corresponding parts of the entirety of a man, as well as from the data arising from his intentional evoking of the associative confrontations of these "materialized data" already in him. (1.25)

Location in Book: First appearance: Chapter 1, pages 24-26, "The Arousing of Thought." This foundational theory underlies all subsequent discussions of consciousness throughout the text.

Etymology / Notes: This dual consciousness theory represents Gurdjieff's most radical departure from conventional psychology. Rather than viewing the subconscious as a repository of repressed material, he identifies it as the seat of authentic human possibilities that have been displaced by mechanical conditioning. The theory explains why most humans function below their cosmic potential and provides the theoretical foundation for all conscious work aimed at reuniting authentic being-data with ordinary awareness. The distinction between "fictitious" and "real" consciousness underlies the entire structure of spiritual development presented in the text, from individual practices like the sunrise exercise to the mass teaching methods of figures like Ashiata Shiemash.

The crucial developmental period when a three-brained being transitions from preparatory existence to full cosmic accountability and begins to bear responsibility for their own being-development and obligations. Beelzebub describes this as the threshold when "every kind of data for those functionings which during the responsible existence of each three-brained being compose his individuality is crystallized and acquires a harmonious tempo in the common functioning" (46.1163). At responsible age, a being must begin to pay for their existence and can no longer rely on the preparation period but must fulfill their inner and outer being-duties independently. Those who have reached responsible age become accountable for creating proper conditions for newly arising beings during their preparatory age, as the "abnormalities established in the process of ordinary being-existence of beings around them who have already reached responsible age" (40.815) can corrupt the development of those still in formation.

The transition to responsible age represents both a cosmic threshold and a practical recognition of developmental completion. Beings who have proper formation during their preparatory age and reach responsible age under normal conditions can develop the capacity for objective Reason and genuine being-manifestations. However, on Earth, most beings reach responsible age having been corrupted by abnormal education and social conditions, leaving them possessors of automatic-Reason rather than the objective-Reason proper to three-brained responsible beings.

Quotes from the 1950 text:

Your present age does not yet oblige you to pay for your existence.

The time of your present age is not given you in which to pay for your existence, but for preparing yourself for the future, for the obligations becoming to a responsible three-brained being. (7.77)

I am glad chiefly because your sincere sobbing which I saw and which was manifested just at this present period of your existence, when you, according to the laws of the Great Heropass, are on the threshold of the Being of a responsible being - that is, at just that age when every kind of data for those functionings which during the responsible existence of each three-brained being compose his individuality is crystallized and acquires a harmonious tempo in the common functioning - gives me the assurance that the approximate cognizance or even only the sensing of so to say the 'taste' of this being-joy of mine which is at the first glance not logical, is very desirable and even necessary for you at the period of your responsible existence, as well as for all three-brained beings who have reached responsible age. (46.1163)

Location in Book: First appearance: Chapter 7, page 77. Recurs frequently throughout the text (30 instances), particularly in contexts of being-obligations, education, formation, and the transition from preparatory to responsible existence.

Etymology / Notes: The term represents a fundamental cosmic principle governing the development of three-brained beings. Responsible age marks the point where beings become cosmically accountable for their own development and their effects on others. The text emphasizes that proper guidance during the preparatory age by those who have themselves reached responsible age with intact conscience is essential for the healthy development of new beings. The concept is closely connected to being-Partkdolg-duty, the being-obligolnian-strivings, and the capacity to fulfill cosmic obligations. On normal planets, this transition enables genuine spiritual development, while on Earth it typically represents the crystallization of mechanical patterns due to abnormal educational and social conditions.

A classification of cosmic entities possessing three localized centers or being-brains through which the three holy forces of the sacred Triamazikamno are deposited and can operate independently. "Three-brained beings have the possibility personally to perfect themselves, because in them there are localized three centers of their common presence or three brains, upon which afterwards, when the process of Djartklom proceeds in the Omnipresent-Okidanokh, the three holy forces of the sacred Triamazikamno are deposited and acquire the possibility for their further, this time, independent actualizings" (17.145).

The three being-brains are located as follows: the first brain (Holy-Affirming) in the head, the second brain (Holy-Denying) along the spinal column, and the third brain (Holy-Reconciling) originally concentrated in the breast but now dispersed in nerve nodes throughout the body, primarily in the solar plexus (17.146-147). These localizations serve not only as "apparatuses for the transformation of corresponding cosmic substances for the purposes of the Most Great common-cosmic Trogoautoegocrat, but also as the means for beings whereby their conscious self-perfecting is possible" (17.144).

Through conscious fulfillment of being-Partkdolg-duty, three-brained beings can achieve the Sekronoolanzaknian-state, whereby they "can become such individuals as have their own sacred law of Triamazikamno and thereby the possibility of consciously taking in and coating in their common presences all that 'Holy' which, incidentally, also aids the actualizing of the functioning in these cosmic units of Objective or Divine Reason" (17.145). However, contemporary Earth beings, despite possessing this three-brained structure, have established "irregular conditions of ordinary being-existence" that prevent them from utilizing these possibilities for self-perfection.

Quotes from the 1950 text:

Three-brained beings have the possibility personally to perfect themselves, because in them there are localized three centers of their common presence or three brains, upon which afterwards, when the process of Djartklom proceeds in the Omnipresent-Okidanokh, the three holy forces of the sacred Triamazikamno are deposited and acquire the possibility for their further, this time, independent actualizings. (17.145)

It is necessary to notice further that these localizations or brains in beings serve not only as apparatuses for the transformation of corresponding cosmic substances for the purposes of the Most Great common-cosmic Trogoautoegocrat, but also as the means for beings whereby their conscious self-perfecting is possible. (17.144)

But the great terror of it, my boy, lies just in this, that although in those three-brained beings who have interested you and who breed on the planet Earth, there arise and are present in them, up to the time of their complete destruction, these three independent localizations or three being-brains, through which separately all the three holy forces of the sacred Triamazikamno which they might also utilize for their own self-perfecting are transformed and go for further corresponding actualizations, yet, chiefly on account of the irregular conditions of ordinary being-existence established by them themselves, these possibilities beat their wings in vain. (17.145)

Location in Book: Fundamental concept appearing throughout the text with 775 instances. First systematic explanation in Chapter 17, pages 144-147. Major elaborations in Chapters 9, 30, 39, and recurring throughout all discussions of cosmic processes, being development, and human psychology.

Etymology / Notes: The term emphasizes the threefold structure that distinguishes this class of beings from one-brained and two-brained entities. The classification represents Gurdjieff's fundamental anthropological framework, positioning humans within a cosmic hierarchy where their three-brained structure provides unique evolutionary possibilities. Unlike other cosmic entities that serve primarily as transformation apparatus for cosmic substances, three-brained beings have the potential for conscious evolution and the development of higher being-bodies. The tragedy of contemporary Earth beings lies not in any fundamental limitation, but in their failure to utilize the extraordinary possibilities inherent in their three-brained structure, instead establishing conditions that prevent the harmonious functioning of their three centers.

A reverential title used in numerous stylized variations throughout the text to designate the Divine Creator of the Universe, always appearing in small capital letters to indicate its sacred character. The term appears in multiple compound forms including common father creator, common-father-endlessness, common-father-creator-endlessness, common all-embracing uni-being autocrat endlessness, all-maintaining common father, and common father omni-being endlessness. These variations emphasize different aspects of the Divine nature: creative power, limitless extent, all-encompassing unity, governing authority, sustaining function, and complete being. The title reflects the universal parenthood of the Creator toward all three-brained beings throughout the cosmos, establishing a familial relationship that underlies cosmic responsibility and conscience. As beings "bearing in themselves particles of the emanation of the Sorrow of our common father creator" (27.384), all conscious entities share a fundamental connection through their Divine origin.

Quotes from the 1950 text:

And so, only he, who consciously assists the process of this inner struggle and consciously assists the 'nondesires' to predominate over the desires, behaves just in accordance with the essence of our common father creator himself; whereas he who with his consciousness assists the contrary, only increases his sorrow. (27.373)

Our common-father-endlessness is only the Maker of a three-centered being. The genuine creator, however, of his essence during the period of his preparatory existence is his 'Oskianotsner,' namely, he whom your favorites call tutor or teacher. (40.818)

Explain to me, please, why, as my uncle Tooilan told me, does our common all-embracing uni-being autocrat endlessness appear so often on this holy planet on which we have just been? (39.744)

Location in Book: First appearance: Chapter 1, page 23. Recurs extensively throughout the text in various compound forms, with particularly frequent usage in Chapters 21, 27, 39, 40, and 44 during discussions of cosmic laws, conscience, Divine responsibility, and the sacred relationship between Creator and creation.

Etymology / Notes: The term "common-father" establishes the universal paternal relationship of the Creator to all three-brained beings, emphasizing shared Divine origin rather than distance or hierarchy. The numerous compound variations serve specific contextual purposes: "Endlessness" emphasizes infinite nature, "Autocrat" indicates absolute governing authority, "All-Embracing" suggests complete encompassing of existence, and "Omni-Being" denotes total beingness. This familial terminology underlies Gurdjieff's teaching about objective conscience, which arises from "particles of the emanations-of-the-sorrow" of the Creator, creating an intimate connection between Divine suffering and conscious responsibility in all beings. The consistent use of small capitals throughout the text preserves the sacred character of these Divine designations, reflecting ancient traditions of reverential typography for sacred names.

According to Gurdjieff's fundamental teaching, subconsciousness represents the real human consciousness that "ought to be in my opinion the real human consciousness" (1.24), in contrast to ordinary waking consciousness which he considers "fictitious." This subconsciousness is formed from "already previously formed material results" transmitted by heredity and "data arising from his intentional evoking of the associative confrontations" of materialized data already present in a being (1.25). It contains the crystallized data for genuine Divine impulses, particularly conscience, which have been "driven-back-within" by abnormal education and social conditioning (27.378). Beelzebub's investigations revealed that "most of the causes of the strangeness of their psyche are found not in that usual consciousness of theirs...but in that consciousness of theirs which...was gradually driven within their common presence and which although it should have been their real consciousness, yet remains in them in its primitive state and is called their 'subconsciousness'" (31.530).

Quotes from the 1950 text:

I wish to bring to the knowledge of what is called your "pure waking consciousness" the fact that in the writings following this chapter of warning I shall expound my thoughts intentionally in such sequence and with such "logical confrontation," that the essence of certain real notions may of themselves automatically...go from this "waking consciousness" - which most people in their ignorance mistake for the real consciousness, but which I affirm and experimentally prove is the fictitious one - into what you call the subconscious, which ought to be in my opinion the real human consciousness, and there by themselves mechanically bring about that transformation which should in general proceed in the entirety of a man. (1.24)

My later detailed researches and investigations very definitely and clearly showed me that, in that consciousness of theirs, which they call their subconsciousness, even in the beings of the present time, the said data for the acquisition in their presences of this fundamental Divine impulse conscience does indeed still continue to be crystallized and, hence, to be present during the whole of their existence. (27.381)

...most of the beings of Asia at that time began to work upon themselves under the guidance of initiates and priests of the brotherhood Heechtvori, in order to transfer into their ordinary consciousness the results of the data present in their subconsciousness for engendering the impulse of genuine Divine conscience. (27.374)

Location in Book: First appearance: Chapter 1, page 24. Extensively discussed throughout Chapters 27, 31, 32, 34, and 40, with over 35 total instances in the text.

Etymology / Notes: Gurdjieff's use of "subconsciousness" differs fundamentally from conventional psychology. Rather than being a repository of repressed material, it represents the authentic seat of higher human possibilities that has been displaced by artificial conditioning. The subconsciousness contains "materialized results" of heredity and genuine being-data, including the crystallized foundations for Divine conscience, which modern education systematically prevents from participating in waking consciousness (32.567). The term appears in contrast to "consciousness" (deemed fictitious) and represents humanity's unrealized potential for authentic being-function. Beelzebub's scientific investigations confirmed that this subconsciousness contains data for "genuine being-impulses" and connection to "general cosmic lawful phenomena," making it the proper foundation for three-brained beings' cosmic role (32.567).

Sometimes referred to as "the real consciousness" (Chapter 31)
Formed during the division of man's being-consciousness into two (Chapter 32)
Retains sacred data placed by Great Nature (Chapters 32, 34, 44)
Described as issuing “individual-initiatives” (Chapter 27)

A Divine being-impulse that serves as the fundamental basis of three-brained beings' psyche throughout the Universe, arising from "the localization of the particles of the 'emanations-of-the-sorrow' of our omni-loving and long-suffering-endless-creator" (27.372). This sacred impulse is often referred to as "the representative of the creator" because of its Divine origin. Unlike the degenerated impulses of Faith, Hope, and Love found on Earth, Objective-Conscience "is not yet atrophied in them, but remains in their presences almost in its primordial state" (26.359), though abnormal conditions of existence have caused it to become embedded in the subconsciousness rather than participating in ordinary waking consciousness. The manifestation of conscience proceeds through the constant inner struggle between desires and non-desires, where "only he, who consciously assists the process of this inner struggle and consciously assists the 'nondesires' to predominate over the desires, behaves just in accordance with the essence of our common father creator himself" (27.373).

Quotes from the 1950 text:

The factors for the being-impulse conscience arise in the presences of the three-brained beings from the localization of the particles of the "emanations-of-the-sorrow" of our omni-loving and long-suffering-endless-creator; that is why the source of the manifestation of genuine conscience in three-centered beings is sometimes called the representative of the creator.

And this sorrow is formed in our all-maintaining common father from the struggle constantly proceeding in the Universe between joy and sorrow. (27.372)

During the period of my year of special observations on all of their manifestations and perceptions, I made it categorically clear to myself that although the factors for engendering in their presences the sacred being-impulse of Faith, Hope and Love are already quite degenerated in the beings of this planet, nevertheless, the factor which ought to engender that being-impulse on which the whole psyche of beings of a three-brained system is in general based, and which impulse exists under the name of Objective-Conscience, is not yet atrophied in them, but remains in their presences almost in its primordial state. (26.359)

In consequence of this, every three-centered being of our Great Universe, and also we men existing on the Earth, must, owing to the presence in us also of the factors for engendering the Divine impulse of 'Objective Conscience,' always inevitably struggle with the arising and the proceeding within our common presences of two quite opposite functionings giving results always sensed by us either as 'desires' or as 'nondesires.'

And so, only he, who consciously assists the process of this inner struggle and consciously assists the 'nondesires' to predominate over the desires, behaves just in accordance with the essence of our common father creator himself; whereas he who with his consciousness assists the contrary, only increases his sorrow. (27.372-373)

Location in Book: First appearance: Chapter 1, page 5, in the phrase "remorse of conscience." Major development throughout Chapters 26-27 during Ashiata Shiemash's mission and teachings about objective conscience (pp. 359, 368-386). Recurs in discussions of genuine reason, being-existence, and the formation of castes.

Etymology / Notes: The term represents Gurdjieff's central teaching about an innate moral faculty that exists independently of cultural conditioning or personal preference. Unlike subjective conscience based on learned values, objective conscience derives directly from cosmic sources and remains constant across all three-brained beings throughout the universe. It serves as the foundation for genuine morality and conscious development, distinguishing authentic ethical behavior from mere social conformity. The concept is fundamental to Ashiata Shiemash's teaching method, which focused on transferring this Divine impulse from subconsciousness into ordinary waking consciousness. When conscience functions properly in waking consciousness, it eliminates artificial divisions such as castes and classes, as these arise only from the egoistic properties that dominate when conscience remains buried in the subconsciousness.

The two higher sacred bodies that can be formed and perfected within three-brained beings: the body Kesdjan (second-being-body) and the body of the Soul (third-being-body or higher-being-body proper). These bodies are formed from the sacred substances Abrustdonis and Helkdonis, which are crystallized through conscious labor and intentional suffering. The higher-being-bodies constitute the parts of a three-brained being that can survive the death of the planetary body, with the Kesdjan body serving as an intermediary vessel for the Soul's development toward Objective Reason. According to cosmic law, "these sacred substances Abrustdonis and Helkdonis are just those substances by which the higher being-bodies of three-brained beings, namely, the body Kesdjan and the body of the Soul, are in general formed and perfected" (43.1106).

Quotes from the 1950 text:

These sacred substances Abrustdonis and Helkdonis are just those substances by which the higher being-bodies of three-brained beings, namely, the body Kesdjan and the body of the Soul, are in general formed and perfected... (43.1106)

...all the possibilities for coating the 'higher-being-bodies'... are in their common presences... and at the same time... it is almost impossible for them to carry the higher sacred parts... up to the required degree of perfecting. (37.673)

The 'higher-being-bodies' who have already merited to dwell on this holy planet [Purgatory] suffer, maybe, as much as anybody in the whole of our Great Universe. (39.745)

Location in Book: First appearance: Chapter 37, page 673. Extensively discussed in Chapters 38-39 regarding formation, perfection, and destiny after death, particularly in relation to Purgatory.

Etymology / Notes: The term refers specifically to the two higher bodies - Kesdjan and Soul - that constitute the sacred parts of three-brained beings capable of surviving physical death. The formation process requires the transubstantiation of higher cosmic substances through being-Partkdolg-duty. Imperfectly developed higher-being-bodies may become subject to the process of Okipkhalevnian (reincarnation) until they achieve the required degree of Reason for independent existence.

The second-being-body of a three-brained being, also known as the "Astral body" in terrestrial terminology. The Kesdjan is composed of higher cosmic substances distinct from those forming the physical planetary body, and its coating and perfection are essential stages in a being's development toward objective Reason. Under the original Fulasnitamnian principle, beings were "obliged to exist until there was coated in them and completely perfected by reason what is called the 'body-Kesdjan'" (16.130). The Kesdjan body is nourished by second-being-food (air and substances taken through breathing and skin pores) and serves as an intermediary vehicle between the planetary body and the higher-being-body (soul). When properly developed, it enables the second kind of being-Reason called Okiartaaitokhsa and can survive physical death, rising to appropriate spheres according to cosmic law.

Quotes from the 1950 text:

... they were obliged to exist until there was coated in them and completely perfected by reason what is called the 'body-Kesdjan,' or, as they themselves later began to name this being-part of theirs - of which, by the way, contemporary beings know only by hearsay - the 'Astral-body.' (16.130)

The second being Reason, which is named 'Okiartaaitokhsa,' can be in the presences of those three-brained beings, in whom their second-being-body-Kesdjan is already completely coated and functions independently. (39.770)

At first on the planet itself the 'second-being-body,' i.e., the body-Kesdjan, together with the 'third-being-body' separate themselves from the 'fundamental-planetary-body' and, leaving this planetary body on the planet, rise both together to that sphere where those cosmic substances - from the localizations of which the body-Kesdjan of a being arises - have their place of concentration. (39.765)

Location in Book: Discussed extensively throughout Chapters 16, 28, 29, 32, 34, 38, 39, 42, 43, and 45.

Etymology / Notes: The term appears to be one of Gurdjieff's original coinages with no apparent derivation from known linguistic roots. The Kesdjan body represents a crucial element in Gurdjieff's teaching about the triadic structure of higher being-development: planetary body (physical), Kesdjan (astral), and Soul (highest). Its proper coating requires conscious work and specific cosmic substances, particularly Hanbledzoin. The body can be materialized through sacred processes like Almznoshinoo and plays essential roles in post-mortem existence, reincarnation processes (Okipkhalevnian), and spiritual communication between different spheres of existence.

The highest being-body of three-brained beings, formed from sacred cosmic substances and capable of immortal existence when properly developed. In Gurdjieff's cosmological framework, the soul represents "the highest being-body itself, being formed of crystallizations received directly from the sacred Theomertmalogos into the solar system within the limits of which the being arises and where his existence proceeds, can never decompose" (39.768). The soul is distinguished from the planetary body and the Kesdjan body as the third and highest of the three possible being-bodies. As described in the text, "that part of the being-blood which almost everywhere is called the sacred being Hanbledzoin, and only on certain planets is called the 'sacred Aiesakhaldan,' and which part serves the highest part of the being called the soul, is formed from the direct emanations of our Most Holy Sun Absolute" (32.569). The soul can only be coated and perfected through conscious work involving "Aiessirittoorassnian-contemplation actualized in the common presence by the cognized intention on the part of all their spiritualized independent parts" (32.570).

Quotes from the 1950 text:

But the higher being body itself, being formed of crystallizations received directly from the sacred Theomertmalogos into the solar system within the limits of which the being arises and where his existence proceeds, can never decompose; and this 'higher part' must exist in the given solar system as long as it does not perfect itself to the required Reason, to just that Reason, which makes similar cosmic formations what are called 'Iranki paekh' i.e., such formations of the mentioned Most Most Sacred substances as can exist and be independent of Kesdjanian arisings and at the same time not be subject to what are called 'painful' influences from any external cosmic factors whatsoever. (37.768)

Finally, that part of the being-blood which almost everywhere is called the sacred being Hanbledzoin, and only on certain planets is called the 'sacred Aiesakhaldan,' and which part serves the highest part of the being called the soul, is formed from the direct emanations of our Most Holy Sun Absolute. (32.569)

And the sacred cosmic substances required for the coating of the highest being-body, which sacred being part of theirs, as I have already told you, they call soul, can be assimilated and correspondingly transformed and coated in them, just as in us, exclusively only from the process of what is called 'Aiessirittoorassnian contemplation' actualized in the common presence by the cognized intention on the part of all their spiritualized independent parts. (32.569)

Location in Book: First appearance: Chapter 1, page 23. Extensively discussed throughout with major explanations in chapters 19, 20, 21, 22, 24, 28, 30, 32, 38, 39, 41, 42, 43, 44, and 48. Approximately 90 instances throughout the text.

Etymology / Notes: While using the familiar term "soul," Gurdjieff completely redefines it within his cosmological system. Unlike traditional religious concepts of an innate soul, Gurdjieff teaches that the soul must be consciously created through specific inner work involving the highest cosmic substances. The text also contrasts this genuine understanding with various false teachings about the soul prevalent on Earth, including both "dualistic" theories that assume an automatic soul and "atheistic" theories that deny any higher possibilities. The soul is the third and highest of three possible being-bodies (planetary body, Kesdjan body, and soul) and the ultimate goal of three-brained beings' development - a crystallized higher body capable of objective reason and immortal existence, formed from the highest cosmic substances through conscious effort and understanding. The extensive discussion throughout the text reveals this as a fundamental goal of human development - the crystallization of a higher body that can exist independently and participate in cosmic processes at the highest level.

The three independent localizations or centers within three-brained beings through which the holy forces of the sacred Triamazikamno are deposited and actualized, enabling both the transformation of cosmic substances for the Most Great Trogoautoegocrat and the possibility of conscious self-perfecting. "Three-brained beings have the possibility personally to perfect themselves, because in them there are localized three centers of their common presence or three brains, upon which afterwards, when the process of Djartklom proceeds in the Omnipresent-Okidanokh, the three holy forces of the sacred Triamazikamno are deposited and acquire the possibility for their further, this time, independent actualizations" (17.145). The three being-brains correspond to specific locations and cosmic functions: the first brain (Holy-Affirming) is located in the head, the second brain (Holy-Denying) extends along the spinal column, and the third brain (Holy-Reconciling) was originally concentrated in the breast but became dispersed in contemporary Earth beings as separate nerve nodes, particularly in the solar plexus. These brains serve as the foundation for the three types of being-food transformation and house the Bobbin-kandelnosts that determine the finite possibilities of associations and experiences during a being's existence.

Quotes from the 1950 text:

Three-brained beings have the possibility personally to perfect themselves, because in them there are localized three centers of their common presence or three brains, upon which afterwards, when the process of Djartklom proceeds in the Omnipresent-Okidanokh, the three holy forces of the sacred Triamazikamno are deposited and acquire the possibility for their further, this time, independent actualizations. (17.145)

It is necessary to notice further that these localizations or brains in beings serve not only as apparatuses for the transformation of corresponding cosmic substances for the purposes of the Most Great common-cosmic Trogoautoegocrat, but also as the means for beings whereby their conscious self-perfecting is possible.

This latter aim depends upon the quality of the presence of the 'being-Impulsakri' concentrated, or, as is otherwise said, deposited, upon the said corresponding being-brains. (17.144)

Owing to the fact that they, like every other three-brained being of the whole of our Great Universe, have three separate independent spiritualized parts, each of which has, as a central place for the concentration of all its functioning, a localization of its own which they themselves call a 'brain,' all the impressions in their common presences whether coming from without or arising from within are also perceived independently by each of these 'brains' of theirs, in accordance with the nature of these impressions... (30.480)

Location in Book: First systematically explained in Chapter 17, pages 143-148. Extensively discussed throughout the text, particularly in Chapters 29-30 regarding Bobbin-kandelnosts and the degeneration of proper brain functioning, and in Chapter 39 regarding being-food transformation.

Etymology / Notes: The compound term "being-brains" distinguishes these sacred centers from merely physical neural tissue by emphasizing their cosmic function in processing the holy forces of Triamazikamno. According to a direct commandment from our all-embracing endlessness: "Always guard against such perceptions as may soil the purity of your brains" (17.144), indicating their sacred nature. In contemporary Earth beings, the malfunction of these centers results from the cessation of being-Partkdolg-duty, causing the three brains to associate independently and generate conflicting being-impulses, leading to the development of "three personalities, having nothing in common with each other" (30.480). The proper functioning of all three being-brains in harmonious unity is essential for the achievement of objective Reason and conscious evolution. Each brain contains Bobbin-kandelnosts with finite associative possibilities, and their premature exhaustion through abnormal existence leads to the phenomenon of "dying-by-thirds" specific to Earth beings (29.441).

Being-Partkdolg-duty is the fundamental cosmic obligation that enables three-brained beings to perceive and process impressions through their own "sane deliberation" rather than accepting information passively. This duty, when properly actualized, allows beings to "become aware of genuine reality" (13.104) and serves as the essential means for self-perfection designed by our uni-being common father. The actualization of being-Partkdolg-duty requires "conscious labors and intentional sufferings" (30.485) and is directly connected to the coating and perfection of higher being-parts through the crystallization of sacred substances.

Quotes from the 1950 text:

It was only during later periods that the three-brained beings of the planet Earth began to have this particularity in their psyche, and just this particularity arose in them only because their predominant part, which was formed in them as in all three-brained beings, gradually allowed other parts of their total presences to perceive every new impression without what is called 'being-Partkdolg-duty' but just merely as, in general, such impressions are perceived by the separate independent localizations existing under the name of being-centers present in the three-brained beings, or, as I should say in their language, they believe everything anybody says, and not solely that which they themselves have been able to recognize by their own sane deliberation. (13.103)

It was only because they failed to realize 'being-Partkdolg-duty,' which realization alone enables a being to become aware of genuine reality, that they saw in the said writer some perfection of other which was not there at all. (13.104)

Data for these three kinds of being-Reason are crystallized in the presence of each three-brained being depending upon how much - by means of the 'being-Partkdolg-duty' - the corresponding higher-being-parts are coated and perfected in them, which should without fail compose their common presences as a whole. (39.769)

...the said being-Autokolizikners are formed in the presences of three-brained beings in general in all three localizations exclusively only from the results of the actualization of 'being-Partkdolg-duty,' that is to say, thanks to those factors which, from the very beginning of the arising of the three-brained beings, our uni-being common father designed to be the means for self-perfection. (46.1167)

Location in Book: First appearance: Chapter 13, page 103. Recurs throughout the text as a central concept, appearing prominently in Chapters 17, 19, 21, 23, 27-31, 34, 38-42, and 45-47.

Etymology / Notes: The term appears to be one of Gurdjieff's original coinages with no apparent derivation from known linguistic roots. "Partkdolg" appears to be a compound term implying a sacred or natural obligation that three-brained beings must consciously actualize. The term is closely associated with the five being-obligolnian-strivings and represents the fundamental distinction between mechanical reception of impressions and conscious, deliberate processing through one's own reasoning faculties. Without being-Partkdolg-duty, beings cannot develop genuine understanding, coat their higher being-bodies, or achieve Objective Reason, remaining instead subject to external influences and automatic associations.

The Very Saintly Ashiata Shiemash was a sacred Messenger from Above sent by our endlessness to Earth seven centuries before the Babylonian events, whose mission was to aid the three-brained beings in freeing themselves from the consequences of the organ Kundabuffer. Born into a poor family of the Sumerian race in the small place Pispascana near Babylon, he was the only Messenger who succeeded in creating conditions resembling normal three-brained existence. Refusing conventional methods of previous Messengers, he taught nothing to ordinary beings but worked instead to awaken the sacred impulse of Objective Conscience embedded in their subconsciousness. He established the Brotherhood Heechtvori ("Only-he-will-be-called-and-will-become-the-Son-of-God-who-acquires-in-himself-Conscience") and created conditions where beings could function according to their conscience rather than the crystallized consequences of Kundabuffer.

Quotes from the 1950 text:

The Very Saintly Ashiata Shiemash taught nothing whatever to the ordinary three-brained beings of the Earth, nor did He preach anything to them, as was done before and after Him by all the Messengers sent there from Above with the same aim.

And in consequence, chiefly of this, none of His teachings passed in any form from His contemporaries even to the third generation of ordinary beings there, not to mention the contemporary ordinary beings there. (25.348)

Definite information relating to His Very Saintly Activities passed from generation to generation from the contemporaries of the Very Saintly Ashiata Shiemash to the beings of the following generations through those called there 'initiates,' by means of a certain what is called 'Legominism' of His deliberations under the title of 'The Terror-of-the-Situation.' (25.348)

Location in Book: First mentioned in Chapter 2, page 54; main treatment begins in Chapter 25 (25.347) and continues through Chapters 26-27, with the complete Legominism "The Terror-of-the-Situation" in Chapter 26. His influence and organizational methods are detailed extensively throughout these chapters.

Etymology / Notes: His name is not linguistically explained, but he became designated as a "Most High Very Saintly Common Cosmic Individual." His revolutionary approach recognized that the factors for Faith, Hope, and Love had degenerated in Earth beings, but Objective Conscience remained intact though buried in the subconsciousness. His Legominism "The Terror-of-the-Situation" survives through initiates, and a marble tablet of his sayings is preserved by the Brotherhood-Olbogmek ("There are not different religions, there is only one God"). The ultimate destruction of his work came through learned beings in Babylon who twisted his teachings into intellectual concepts about "soul" and "inner-communal-organization," leading to the very religious and political conflicts his method had been designed to transcend.

Conscious labors and intentional sufferings constitute the specific forms of effort required of three-brained beings to acquire Objective-Reason, perfect their higher being-bodies (Kesdjan and Soul), and fulfill being-Partkdolg-duty. These efforts serve as the sole possible means for the assimilation of the cosmic substances necessary for self-perfection, and are the foundation for authentic learning, self-transformation, and the transmission of real values across generations. As Beelzebub explains: "As a rule, everywhere on those planets of our Great Universe upon which three-brained beings breed, the perfecting of Objective-Reason can proceed in them only from personal conscious labors and intentional sufferings" (32.563).

Quotes from the 1950 text:

As a rule, everywhere on those planets of our Great Universe upon which three-brained beings breed, the perfecting of Objective-Reason can proceed in them only from personal conscious labors and intentional sufferings. (32.563)

And so, my dear Hassein, when it appeared that the instinctive need for conscious labor and intentional suffering in order to be able to take in and transmute in themselves the sacred substances Abrustdonis and Helkdonis and thereby to liberate the sacred Askokin for the maintenance of the Moon and Anulios had finally disappeared from the psyche of your favorites, then Great Nature Herself was constrained to adapt Herself to extract this sacred substance by other means, one of which is precisely that periodic terrifying process there of reciprocal destruction. (43.1107)

Three-centered beings can acquire this said being-property called Ikriltazkakra only if there is already personally acquired in their presences what is called 'Essoaieritoorassnian-will,' which in its turn can be obtained thanks to always the same being-Partkdolg-duty, that is, to conscious labors and intentional sufferings. (30.485)

Location in Book: First appears in Chapter 21, page 249, in reference to Saint Buddha. Frequent recurrence through Chapters 23, 24, 25, 27, 30, 32, 39, 42, 43, and 44, including definitive references to being-Partkdolg-duty, Legominism, the formation of higher bodies, and the sacred substances Abrustdonis and Helkdonis.

Etymology / Notes: These terms are often paired and directly linked to sacred laws such as the law of Heptaparaparshinokh and the cosmic process of Antkooano. The phrase is repeatedly used to contrast genuine inner work with rote learning, mechanical inheritance, or imitation, and is associated with the crystallization of 'being-Egoaitoorassian-will' and 'Essoaieritoorassnian-will'. This concept represents Gurdjieff's central teaching about the necessity of deliberate, conscious effort for authentic spiritual development, distinguishing it from automatic processes or external influences. The dual nature of both labors and sufferings emphasizes that genuine transformation requires both active effort and the conscious acceptance of necessary struggles inherent in the process of self-perfection.

The "organ Kundabuffer" was an artificial formation implanted by the Most High Commission into the presences of three-brained beings on Earth as a temporary emergency measure to prevent cosmic catastrophe. Following the collision of the comet Kondoor with Earth, which detached two fragments (Moon and Anulios), the cosmic authorities feared that if beings developed objective reason and understood their role in maintaining these fragments through their vibrations, they might rebel and destroy themselves. The organ was designed with two primary properties: first, to make beings "perceive reality topsy-turvy," and second, to ensure "every repeated impression from outside should crystallize in them data which would engender factors for evoking in them sensations of 'pleasure' and 'enjoyment'" (10.88). Devised by the Chief-Common-Universal-Arch-Chemist-Physicist Angel Looisos, it was implanted "at the base of their spinal column, at the root of their tail" (10.88).

Although the organ itself was later removed by Sacred Individuals when it was no longer needed, its consequences continue to affect humanity through heredity. Due to an unforeseen "lawfully flowing cosmic result" called "predisposition," the consequences of the organ's properties "began gradually to be crystallized in their presences" and pass to succeeding generations (21.237). These consequences manifest as what Beelzebub calls "subjectivity" - crystallized properties including "self-love," "vanity," "pride," "swagger," "imagination," "bragging," "arrogance," and similar distortions that prevent objective perception and genuine being-development. Contemporary humans remain under the influence of these inherited consequences, making them susceptible to believing fictions that appeal to their crystallized subjective properties, and preventing the natural development of objective reason and conscience.

Quotes from the 1950 text:

So, my boy, in view of this the Most High Commission then decided among other things provisionally to implant into the common presences of the three-brained beings there a special organ with a property such that, first, they should perceive reality topsy-turvy and, secondly, that every repeated impression from outside should crystallize in them data which would engender factors for evoking in them sensations of 'pleasure' and 'enjoyment.'

And then, in fact, with the help of the Chief-Common-Universal-Arch-Chemist-Physicist Angel Looisos... they caused to grow in the three-brained beings there... a 'something' which assisted the arising of the said properties in them. And this 'something' they then first called the 'organ Kundabuffer.' (10.88)

...although all the properties of the said organ had indeed been removed from the presences of your ancestors by the mentioned Most Sacred Individuals, yet nevertheless, a certain lawfully flowing cosmic result, existing under the name of "predisposition," and arising in every more or less independent cosmic presence owing to the repeated action in it of any function, had not been foreseen and destroyed in their presences.

And so, it turned out that owing to this predisposition which began to pass by heredity to the succeeding generations, the consequences of many of the properties of the organ Kundabuffer began gradually to be crystallized in their presences. (21.237)

It is perfectly easy to convince beings of this planet of anything you like, provided only during their perceptions of these "fictions," there is evoked in them and there proceeds, either consciously from without, or automatically by itself, the functioning of one or another corresponding consequence of the properties of the organ Kundabuffer crystallized in them from among those that form what is called the "subjectivity" of the given being, as for instance: "self-love," "vanity," "pride," "swagger," "imagination," "bragging," "arrogance," and so on. (26.356)

Location in Book: First introduced in Chapter 9, page 85. Extensively developed in Chapter 10, pages 88-91. Central theme throughout the work, appearing in Chapters 13, 15, 21, 26, 30, 32, 38, and many others.

Etymology / Notes: The term was later corrupted through linguistic misinterpretation into "Kundalina" (21.250), becoming the foundation for numerous occult systems that "explain nothing." The organ Kundabuffer represents Gurdjieff's central explanation for humanity's distorted psychology and the obstacle to genuine spiritual development. Its consequences are the primary reason Sacred Individuals are sent to Earth to help beings overcome these crystallized distortions through conscious work. The removal of these consequences requires specific practices that can neutralize inherited predispositions and develop genuine objective reason and conscience. The term encompasses both the historical cosmic intervention and its ongoing psychological legacy in contemporary humanity.