What does the river teach Siddhartha?

The river in Siddhartha represents life. In the end, it is the river that’s Siddhartha’s final teacher. One of the most important lessons the river teaches Siddhartha is that time doesn’t exist; the present is all that matters. The river, by being in all places at one time, teaches that all life is unified. Every single voice of the river comes together and they're no longer distinguishable; "And all of it together, all voices, all goals, all yearnings, all sufferings, all pleasures, all good and evil- the world was everything together". All these voices together consist of a single word; Om "perfection". The river shows that it is possible to be in all places at once and not loose your essence. Another major lesson Siddhartha learnt from the river is “how to listen with a silent heart, with a waiting, open soul, without passion, without desire, without judgment, without opinion”. Anything that hasn't been resolved or fully suffered will come again to be suffered over and over again. The river taught of this fateful circle. Siddhartha would suffer just as his father did, in losing a son.