And then upon reaching these top levels the newly leveled monk will have to seek out one of the prior holders and defeat them in single combat without using magic weapo . . . wait, are we still doing 1st edition?
Slightly (very) more seriously, maybe something like go rankings and numbered ranks (1 Patriarch to 9 Patriarch). Or playing off the lama suggestion, different species of genus Camelidae. Combining the two eventually one could aspire to the revered title of 9 Alpaca.
The cake is a lie.
The cake is a lie.
The cake is a lie.