My friend Duncan Steen, who has died of cancer aged 65, was perhaps best known as the reader of Marcus Aurelius’s Meditations on Naxos AudioBooks, which has sold in the tens of thousands. However, under the name of Jinananda he was also widely recognised as a teacher of, and writer on, Buddhist meditation.

Having written some secular books, including The Essential Englishman (1989), and translated Sophocles’ Oedipus the King (recorded with Michael Sheen in the title role for Naxos AudioBooks), he went on to devote his literary skills almost exclusively to Buddhist topics. He produced a string of titles based on the seminars of his teacher, Urgyen Sangharakshita, as well as The 100 Minute Buddha (2009) and Karma and Rebirth in a Nutshell (2009).

He used his commanding voice to become an accomplished audiobook reader of Buddhist and philosophy titles – including the Stoic classic of Marcus Aurelius, for which he received a string of plaudits. “Steen sounds like a soldier and a dignified ruler, and it is so easy to imagine Aurelius himself narrating his Meditations,” said one reviewer.

Born in Bedford, to Christopher Steen, a classics teacher, and Robin (nee Carson), Duncan went to Bedford school, where his father taught, before disappearing on the hippy trail in the 1970s. After a spell as an antiquarian bookseller back in London, he became involved with the UK-based Triratna Buddhist Community before moving into the men’s community of the West London Buddhist Centre, and he was ordained on a retreat in Italy in 1986 as Jinananda, which means “Bliss of the Conqueror”. He taught meditation at the centre and eventually became its chairman.

Although a judo black belt and a member of the famous Budokwai martial arts club in London (he wrote on judo occasionally for the Guardian), he spent most of his time in more sedentary pursuits, mainly on the cushion teaching meditation and aspects of Buddhism. When he became ill with cancer, Duncan would cycle up to the Hampstead ponds in north London and swim in winter; and he must be one of the few people to have cycled to his chemotherapy sessions.

In 2017 he married his longtime partner, Claudia de Campos, a psychotherapist whom he met at the West London Buddhist Centre. He is survived by Claudia and by his son, Antoine, from his previous relationship with Dominique Autier.