Part Three:
What does Siddhartha teach Govinda?

When Govinda and Siddhartha finally meet again, Siddhartha had much to tell and to teach. He teaches his friend that seeking and finding are two very seperate things. Seeking could lead you to the one goal in mind but along the way it will shade you from many other goals and truths. Finding, on the other hand, means being open in your search, not having one definite goal and therefore not fixating and shielding yourself from what may be "right under your nose". He also suggests, to Govinda's astonishment, that wisdom cannot be taught after all. Though Govinda's life seems to have revolved around following the wise and seeking to learn their  truths, Siddhartha maintains that wisdom cannot be learned from another person, only knowledge can be transferred in this way. He teaches Govinda also that truths are not one-sided, stating "The opposite of every truth is just as true!" (pg. 124). Finally, in my eyes his most perfect and quintessential truth that defines the life he has lived, Siddhartha says this: "The world, my friend Govinda, is not imperfect or developing slowly toward perfection. No, the world is perfect at every moment, all sin already contains grace, all youngsters already contain oldsters, all babies contain death, all the dying contain eternal life... it is possible to eliminate time, to see all past, all present, all developing life as coexisting, and everything is good, everything is perfect, everything is Brahma.