大乘佛教以成佛為歸宿，由是是否一切眾生都具有成佛的能力，可以通過化導和行踐，而證得佛果，乃是大乘思想的中心問題。由於不同大乘經論、甚至同一的大乘經論的不同部分，在這問題所表現的立場並不一致，以至中國佛教思想界就這問題出現爭議。唐朝初年玄奘（約602-664）及其門下提出五種種性的說法，主張有些二乘眾生和無性有情原來沒有佛的種性，因而永遠不能成佛，把這爭論推至高峰。本文探討華嚴宗的創立人法藏（643-713）對五種種性和其相關觀念的看法。 法藏主要環繞判教，申示他對種性問題的看法，因此本論文第一節首先通過析述法藏所提出「兩種大乘」、「五教」等判教分類�埵傢鷅堜夆暋D的地方，顯示法藏的種性觀的大要。本文第二和第三節審視法藏對見於經論的「定性二乘」和「無性有情」觀念所作詮釋，看他如何通過抽空這些觀念原有的先天定性的涵意，強調沒有眾生是先天決定不能成佛，至而提出「二乘迴心」和「全分有性」的主張。本文第四節檢視法藏對「全分有性」說法為斷佛利他功德這批評所作答辯，並探討法藏提出佛種性遍通無情之物這說法的義理根據。

　　　　　Whether all sentient beings can attain Buddhahood is a central problem in Mahayana Buddhism. The controversy over this issue came to a head in China during the seventh century, when Hsuan-tsang and his followers put forward the theory of five “lineages” (gotras) maintaining that there are three groups of sentient beings, i.e. those of sravaka lineage, those of pratyekabuddha lineage and those without lineage, who can never realize Buddhahood due to their lack of Buddhanature. This paper examines the reaction of Fa-tsang (643-713), the actual founder of the Hua-yen School and a fervent advocate of the thesis of universal Buddhahood, to the theory of gotras and its related concepts. The paper begins with an exhaustive account of Fa-tsang's attempt to establish a correlation between various opinions on the subject of gotra with various levels of Buddhist teaching, with a view to relegating Hsuan-tsang's theory of five lineages to an inferior form of Buddhist teaching. It goes on to examine the way Fa-tsang reinterprets concepts in the scriptures often cited to support the theory of five lineages, with an eye to demonstrating that no sentient being is destined to be excluded from Buddhahood forever. It concludes with a discussion of Fa-tsang's replies to a number of criticisms raised against his thesis of universal Buddhahood, and an explanation of Fa-tsang's novel idea of the Buddha-gotra embracing both the realms of the sentient and the non-sentient.