[T]hose who wish to spread Buddhism should know the right time.

For example, if a farmer cultivates a rice field in the fall or winter, he will not have any harvest and may even end up losing what he already has although he sows the same seeds in the same field and works as hard as in the spring or summer. A farmer who cultivates 900 sq. yards loses a little while he who cultivates 9000 or 18,000 sq. yards loses a lot. But if he cultivates in the spring or summer, he can have a harvest proportionate to the size of his field. The same thing is true with Buddhism. If we spread the Dharma at the wrong time, it is not only ineffective, but also causes us to fall into evil realms.

Although the Buddha appeared in this world to expound the Lotus Sūtra, He did not preach it until after forty years or so because the time was not right even though there were some people with the capacity to understand and embrace the sūtra. Therefore, it is preached in the “Expedients” chapter of the Lotus Sūtra, “Because the time is not ripe for it (expounding the Lotus Sūtra) yet.”

Kyō Ki Ji Koku Shō, Treatise on the Teaching, Capacity, Time and Country, Writings of Nichiren Shōnin, Doctrine 3, Page 98