圓眞國師 承逈은 그의 활동 시기에 초점을 맞추어 당대 高麗를 좌우했던崔氏武臣政權에 협력한 승려로 단순하게 소개되곤 한다. 하지만 그의 행적을 당시 정치 변동 양상과 함께 자세히 조사해 보면, 그가 최씨무신정권과맺은 관계는 세 단계의 형태로 점차 변화해 갔음을 알게 된다.
첫 단계는 최씨무신정권에 대해 상당한 반감을 품고 그에 맞설 종교적움직임을 모색했던 시기이다. 승형은 자신의 성장에 도움을 주었던 숙부申光漢과 禪宗 승려들이 明宗 폐위 과정에서 희생되는 모습을 목격하면서, 이를 주도했던 崔忠獻에 대해 거부감을 갖게 되었다. 그러면서 그는 수도開京에서 벗어나 재야에서 수행하기를 선호했고, 무신정권에서 소외된 문인들을 최충헌에 대항하려는 움직임에 끌어들이고자 李資玄의 居士佛敎에관심을 기울이기도 하였다.
두 번째 단계는 자신이 호감을 가졌던 왕실과의 협력을 내세워 최씨무신정권의 포용 정책에 일정 부분 부응했던 시기이다. 승형은 최충헌의 반대세력에 대한 감형과 자신에 호의적인 왕실 및 문인들의 권유를 계기로, 金剛山 楡岾寺 住持 임명 명령을 수용해 주변의 眞表系 法相宗 세력들을달래는 임무를 수행했으며, 이후 과거에는 꺼렸던 개경에서의 法會에도참여한다.
마지막 단계는 최씨무신정권이 강력한 힘을 발휘하는 현실을 인정하고, 그와의 관계 개선을 적극적으로 도모한 시기이다. 최충헌을 제거하려다 실패한 熙宗의 폐위와 여기에 가담한 승려들의 희생은, 승형이 최씨무신정권에 대한 입장에 큰 변화를 주는 원인으로 작용했다. 승형은 최충헌의 측근이었던 崔俊文과의 관계를 고려해 그의 고향 인근에 위치한 寶鏡寺에 住錫하였으며, 그가 지지하였던 최충헌의 막내아들 崔珦의 정치적 위상 상승을위해 雲門과 八公山 일대의 문제들을 해결했다. 그러나 崔怡가 최충헌의후계자가 돼 최준문을 제거하면서 승형은 이를 의식해 보경사를 떠나 활동할수밖에 없었고, 승형의 사후 그의 僧團은 정치적 지원을 얻지 못하면서 급격히 쇠퇴하게 되었다.
The Guksa Wonjin, Seunghyeong is usually introduced as a Buddhist monk who was in cooperation with the Choe House’s Military Regime that seized control over the Goryeo Kingdom, because he was active during the period of the regime. When accurate research is performed about his activities and political complexion at that time, however, the relationship between the Guksa and the Choe House’s Military Regime had been changed gradually in three phases.
In the first phase, the Guksa Wonjin, Seunghyeong resented the Choe House’s Military Regime and sought religious actions against it. Seunghyeong watched his uncle Shin Gwang-han and Zen Buddhist monks, who had helped him succeed, being removed while King Myeongjong was dethroned, and he grew to hate Choe Chung-heon, who took the lead in this activities. Meanwhile, Seunghyeong preferred practicing asceticism outside the government to inside Gaegyeong, the capital, and showed interest in Lee Ja-hyeon’s Layman Buddhism, to attract scholars alienated by the military regime to stand against Choe Chung-heon.
In the second phase, Seunghyeong partly embraced the engagement policy of the Choe House’s Military Regime, because he cooperated with the royal family that he favored. After Choe Chung-heon’s opponents were remitted and the royal family and scholars that he liked asked him to be a chief Buddhist monk of Yujeomsa Temple in Geumgang Mountain, he accepted the offer and appeased the force of Jinpyo line’s Beobsang Buddhism in the area around the temple. Thereafter, he participated in Buddhist ceremonies in Gaegyeong that he had disliked in the past.
In the third phase, Seunghyeong acknowledged the reality that the Choe House’s Military Regime seized power, and he actively tried to improve their relationships. He changed his position on the Choe House’s Military Regime mainly because King Heuijong had been dethroned after trying to kill Choe Chung-heon and the monks who had cooperated in the incident had been sacrificed.
Considering his relationship with Choe Jun-mun, who was a close aide to Choe Chung-heon, Seunghyeong joined the Buddhist monastery in Bogyeongsa Temple near Choe Jun-mun’s hometown.
He also solved problems in Unmun and Palgong Mountain areas to fortify the political standings of Choe Hyang, the youngest son of Choe Chung-heon, whom Choe Jun-mun supported. After Choe Yi had succeeded Choe Chung-heon and had eliminated Choe Jun-mun, however, Seunghyeong had no choice but to leave Bogyeongsa Temple. His Buddhist monastic brotherhood drastically went into a decline by losing political support after his death.