Zen expected to become familiar with the classics of the Zen canon". A review of the early historical documents and literature of early Zen masters clearly reveals that they were well versed in numerous Mahāyāna Buddhist sūtras, including Madhyamaka. Especially the Lotus Sutra played a large role in the development of East Asian Buddhism, including Zen. Nevertheless, Zen is often pictured as anti-intellectual. This picture of Zen emerged during the Song Dynasty (960–1297), when Chán became the dominant form of Buddhism in China, and gained great popularity among the educated and literary classes of Chinese society. The use of koans, which
Aeon Zen operatic power metal style singing, all the way to death metal growling. Nothing is out of the question." However, even those critics who believed the band were yet to find their "musical identity", praised the album as a bold statement of intent, particularly given the young age of the musicians. Aeon Zen Aeon Zen are a progressive metal band formed in 2008, led by founding member Rich Hinks. To date, they have been praised and heavily featured in the international music press, labelled by "Classic Rock Magazine" as 'a strong contender for best newcomer at the very, very least' and,