What kind of actions will lead someone’s karma to have them reincarnated at the lower levels of existence?
Buddha left 84,000 teachings, which can be studied for a lifetime without a precise definition of karma and what effect one’s karma has in determining a place in today’s life or the life after (Tsuji). According to the Buddist view on death and rebirth, after death our spirit will seek out a new body and a new life (Tsuji ¶3). “A person is reformed in one of 6 realms which are heaven, human beings, Asura, hungry ghost, animals, and hell (Tsuji).
Heaven has 2 types of people according to the words of Vihara Buddha Gotama in his reading of the Maijhima Nikaya Sutta. The two people in heaven are ones who do not know Dhamma and ones that do. Apparently, if you know Dhamma, you have the “best” in heaven and eventually will leave heaven and rebirth to a higher level. If you do not know Dhamma in heaven, your rebirth level will be lower. You can find Dhamma in heaven if you follow what Vihara Buddha Gotama calls the five (5) occasions of liberation, which includes repenting, reflecting, teaching, reading, and listening (MN 132). Anything less than Dhamma, while in heaven, will result in a lower level of Rebirth.
Human beings are the next level available for rebirth after heaven. Vihara Buddha Gotama discusses many actions during ones life, which can dramatically change your rebirth level once the “cold finger of death touches your body” (MN 130).
The killing of animals, even for food, is bad karma. Killing animals for fun is even worse karma. This is depicted in his reference to keeping bears just to get their bile (MN 131). He makes reference to eating monkey brains, killing a chicken, and adultery as examples of bad karma but does not seem to differentiate as to which is worse karma (MN 131).
Evil karma (whatever that is) interpreted to be will send you to hell for eternity as in certain as in certain Christian religions. You can get out once you...