Berlin earned his AB in government from Cornell University in 1967, and his JD from New York University in 1970. Following graduation from law school, he began his legal career assisting low-income clients at the Legal Aid Society in Trenton, New Jersey. A few years later he moved to Massachusetts and continued his poverty law practice with Western Massachusetts Legal Services. Before settling in Massachusetts, Berlin traveled overseas for a year. He went overland from Europe through Iran, Afghanistan and Pakistan to India. In Nepal, he studied Buddhism and practiced meditation under Lama Thubten Yeshe and Lama Thubten Zopa Rinpoche at Kopan, a Tibetan monastery. Some years later he became a student of Zen meditation under Joshu Sasaki Roshi.

Certified in Negotiation an Mediation by the National Center for Collaborative Planning and Community Services, and in Economic Development by the New Mexico Community Economic Development Leadership Institute.