พระอาจารย์อธิบายว่าเทวดาจะอนุโมทนาบุญได้หรือไม่ ขึ้นอยู่กับว่าขณะนั้น “ใครเป็นเจ้าเรือน” ครอบงำจิตท่านอยู่ — การบอกกล่าวช่วยเอื้อให้ฝ่ายกุศลมีกำลังแย่งชิง ชักนำให้ท่านหันมาสนใจและอนุโมทนาได้ง่ายขึ้นPhra Ajarn explains that whether a deity can rejoice in merit depends on which force is “master of the house” in their mind at that moment — telling them helps the wholesome side gain the strength to prevail and draw their attention back.
Someone asked: if we make an offering but on some days forget to tell the house deity about it, will the deity still receive that ?
Not Telling Them: Two Possible Outcomes
If we don't tell the deity, what happens is that they “see” our own mind directly. If our mind is wholesome at that moment, it can guide them to rejoice (anumodana) on their own. But if their mind at that time is caught in an indeterminate state (avyākata — neither wholesome nor unwholesome) or held by an unwholesome state, they will not rejoice.
Telling Them Helps the Wholesome Side Compete
When we do tell them, what really happens is that the good deed we did, followed by telling them about it, gives side more strength to compete and guide them toward rejoicing. They already know everything regardless — what decides whether they can actually rejoice is the internal mechanism at work. Buddhism recognizes only cause and effect: what matters is who is “master of the house” — whichever force currently dominates their mind in that moment.
If an unwholesome state is master of the house, then even if we tell them, they still won't rejoice, for as long as they remain under its dominance. But telling them is still worthwhile, because it becomes something that can redirect their attention toward the invitation to rejoice in the merit. A deity already knows what merit is. Once their attention turns that way, they can rejoice and receive the merit after all.
Deities Are Governed by the Same Three Forces We Are
A follow-up question came: at first it seemed deities would simply like and accept merit as a matter of course — but in fact deities share the same nature, governed by whichever of three forces dominates, just as humans are. Phra Ajarn answered that there are deities with wrong view (micchā-diṭṭhi) too, and some deities who, even when merit is dedicated to them, do not accept it. It depends on how strong state is at that moment — the stronger the unwholesome state, the more various forms of irritation and displeasure arise. Terrestrial deities (bhumma devas) in particular, or those of the lower heavenly realms, tend to alternate between indeterminate states and unwholesome ones.