A little known Zen master, Master Torajiro Okada, writes powerfully that the tanden is the shrine of the divine: it is here that sacred energy dwells. He divides people into three classes. The first class value the head: they amass vast quantities of knowledge, grow big heads — and topple over like a pyramid standing upside down. The second class throw out the chest. Such persons seem courageous and strong but inwardly they are weak. Then he goes on:
But those who regard the belly as the most important part and so have built the stronghold where the Divine can grow — these are the people of the highest rank. They develop their minds as well as their bodies in the right way. Strength flows out from them and produces a spiritual condition of ease and equanimity. They do what seems good to them without violating any law.
— William Johnston, Mystical Theology