Mudita is not “sympathetic joy”?

What is this text called Path to Freedom? Is it the Visuddhimagga? What does it really say about mudita? What is real definition of mudita according to the Pali Canon and its traditional commentaries? From the essay Mudita is not “sympathetic joy” , authored by Bodhipaksa : > The third of the Brahmaviharas, after lovingkindness and compassion, > is *mudita*. *Mudita* is usually translated as sympathetic or empathetic > joy, and is described as “feeling happy because others are happy.” > > This is an interpretation I profoundly disagree with. > > A first century text called the Path to Freedom describes the > cultivation of mudita like this: > > > When one sees or hears that some person’s qualities are esteemed by > > others, and that he is at peace and is joyful, one thinks thus: > > “Sadhu! Sadhu! May he continue joyful for a long time!” > > (Sādhu, by the way, means something like “Yay!” or “Alright!” or > “Great!”) > > The records we have of the Buddha’s teachings don’t define mudita, and > the text above is the earliest I know of that gives us an indication > of what *mudita* is and how it’s to be cultivated. There are several > things that are significant here. > > - We’re asked to call to mind someone whose skillful qualities are developed to the point where others esteem them. Having *mudita* > involves recognizing what’s skillful. > - We’re not just being asked to call to mind someone who is happy, but someone who is happy (and at peace) *as a result of having those > skillful qualities*. So when we have *mudita* we see the connection > between skillful actions and their beneficial results. > - Appreciation is involved. We appreciate skillful qualities, and the peace and joy they bring, as being good things. > - Love is involved. Because we want what is good for them, we encourage this person’s future joy and happiness, by supporting, > rejoicing in, and encouraging their skillfulness. > - By valuing this other person’s skillfulness, and the peace and joy that come from it, we ourselves become joyful. So we’re cultivating a > state of appreciation that’s joyful. > > This all goes far, far beyond “being happy because someone is happy.” > That much more mundane experience is actually fraught with spiritual > difficulties, because a lot of the apparent happiness we see around us > arises on the basis of unskillful actions. We shouldn’t be glad that > someone is happy because they’ve just defrauded an old lady of her > life savings, for example. > > In summary, when we practice mudita we appreciate skillful attributes, > speech, and actions, and this brings joy. And so *mudita* is “joyful > appreciation.”