Why Zen loves craziness

Zen is full of paradoxical, irrational, absurd stories and statements. Koans are perfect examples. 

Question from a teacher to a student: 

• "Who are you? In your answer you cannot use “I,me,mine, myself, She/her, He/him even indirectly!". 

     -    A long time ago, a man kept a goose in a bottle and it grew larger and larger until it could not get out of the bottle any longer; he did not want to break the bottle, nor did he wish to hurt the goose; how would you get the goose out?' 

     -  If you understand Zen,you don’t understand Zen.

     -   When all things are reduced to oneness, where does oneness is reduced to?'

    -    Holding the right index straight up  or putting one shoe on the head as a teaching tool.. etc…

Doesn't make sense. No. So, why such Zen attraction for this “ craziness"?

When facing something that does not make any sense, our analytic, rational, deductive, and logical thinking mind does not know what to do.These statements & behaviors have been created with the unique purpose to create some sort  of " brain short circuit ", a profound “doubt”. Our mind is  literally stuck, like frozen. 

What is the rationale behind this practice?

     Zen loves this state where our mind  "doesn't know what to do, that is to think " because this "don't know, doubtfull, frozen" state will temporarily neutralize our mind's main neural circuit called Default Mode Network (DMN). The DMN  is our auto-pilot ego-driven thinking mode made of daydreaming, self-centered narratives, permanent time travel and negative feelings. 

Because our DNM is “down”, its main part - our ego - that is the main source of our suffering, is also temporarily bypassed. Not anymore :  “ I am thinking about “ just let your intuition take over.

Learning to accept and practice this so-called  "don't know mind" is the most effective way to control our ego-centered thoughts such as desire, hatred, delusion, and attachments. 

The practice of Koans*** as a teaching and assessment tool is based on the same principle. 

The terminology "Don't know mind", "No mind", "Empty mind", "Beginner Mind", "Zen mind", "Mirror mind" are frequently used by Zen teachers and all mean the same thing

   By doubting that is  by having an open mind, we learn to be mindful and better control our thinking, preconceived ideas, opinions, concepts and judgments which may be deceptive and a source of dissatisfaction and unhappiness.

 It is obvious that Zen does not reject the use of our analytic mind when decisions have to be made. 

Also, Zen does not want us to be thoughtless, stupid, but wants us to control our flow of thoughts since most of them are useless and often deceptive.