Definition:
A special organ provisionally implanted into the common presences of early three-brained beings on Earth by the Most High Commission. Its properties caused them to perceive reality in a topsy-turvy manner and to accumulate impressions that would generate sensations of pleasure and enjoyment. The organ was designed to prevent premature development of Objective Reason and comprehension of their true cosmic role—namely, to maintain the fragments of their destroyed planet. Although the organ was later removed, its effects persisted in their psyche across generations.

Quotes in Context:
— “...a special organ with a property such that, when it was implanted in a being, everything he perceived and sensed, instead of being perceived and sensed as it existed in reality, would be perceived and sensed topsy-turvy.”
— “...this maleficent organ was later removed, but its consequences remained and passed by heredity from generation to generation.”

Location in Book:
The term first appears in Chapter 9 on page 85 (1950 edition), in the account of the Higher Powers implanting the organ into early humans. It is subsequently referenced many times throughout the rest of the First Book and beyond, especially in relation to the consequences of its once-active influence and the persistence of its effects after removal.

Etymology / Notes:
Possibly constructed by Gurdjieff for symbolic resonance. “Kunda” may suggest serpent energy or coiled force; “buffer” reflects its function of protective suppression. Gurdjieff offers no literal translation.

A proper noun invented by Gurdjieff, presumably referencing a group from ancient Toulouse.

An old player piano.

A key Fourth Way concept describing the mechanical nature of ordinary human behavior. Automatism refers to thoughts, feelings, movements, and reactions that occur in a person without conscious intention or awareness. Gurdjieff teaches that most human activity is governed by such automatic patterns, formed by habit, imitation, conditioning, and heredity. A person under automatism is not truly “awake” but functions like a machine—responding predictably to internal and external stimuli without inner observation. The Work begins with seeing this fact without judgment. Freedom, for Gurdjieff, starts with recognizing automatism in oneself and ceasing to identify with it.